Cycling in England - Bournemouth to Marlow on a bike (183km)

Last of the Summer Rides? - September 2011

Bournemouth to Marlow

At the pub on Friday my working friends asked me what I had been up to today.

Well, it’s been a death and life sort of day..............

Incident at Boscombe!

I was up at dawn and off through the Park to Bournemouth Pier. At the seaside I turned left and headed East towards Boscombe. The recent bad weather had brought sand up onto the road so I needed to concentrate to avoid hitting the deck.  Between Boscombe and Southbourne the route was blocked by a Policewoman, "sorry you will have to turn back, we have an incident going on here." I could see a body lying on the beach! Ooerr! Apparently he had been retrieved from the sea.  That brought a different perspective to the day.

It was even more wonderful to be alive and cycling and I most definitely would not be wasting any time whinging about the wind or the hills!

Southborne to Chandlers Ford

I headed up the zig-zag and along the over cliff towards Christchurch. It was still early so I sped East through the town and, after a short ride along the A 35, turned off for Burton.

Have to tell you that my navigation methods are a bit primitive. No planning of the route on the Internet and then downloading the GPS file to a Garmin. The previous evening I had torn the relevant pages out of an old road atlas and circled the places I wanted to pass through. I would then rely on road signs and the sun to get me home.  Roads signs are, of course a bit limited on the back roads and it was forecast to be cloudy; there could trouble ahead!.  My scenic route through the New Forest via the ‘bee route’ Burton,  Bransgore, Burton and Burley became a kerb hugging dash along the, now busy with commuters, A 35.

Oh well, made Lyndhurst. Didn’t stop at the Ferrari dealership this time and pressed on along the cycle path towards Totton. A pile up on the A35 between two cars had caused a massive traffic jam. Of course I was able to get past and, with the road empty, I belted down the carriageway.  On the approaches to Totton it was back to the cycle paths. Cycle paths are bit frustrating at times and this was a classic. Poorly sign posted and swapping from one side to the other it was only marginally helpful. In Southampton I gave up and went back on the roads. I found my way to The Avenue, near where TW used to live, and headed towards my next target of Chandlers Ford. Reached Chandlers Ford after just over 3 hours. Not a very exciting town but time for bacon baguette and a big coffee at the Asante coffee shop.  Apparently Asante means 'thank you' in Swahili and all the profits from this volunteer staffed Cafe go to an African charity. Don’t mind giving to charity when I get a bacon baggy! The cakes look good too.

Chandlers Ford to Odiham

After my rest I headed to my next ‘circles on the map’, Otterbourne and Twyford. Bit of a tangle with the M3 junctions but was soon into Winchester, a favourite spot. Some City Centres are a must to avoid but not Winchester. I pedalled through the middle of this bustling place. Lots of people sitting outside Cafe’s and enjoying the only sunshine of the day.  Off along the Itchen Valley to the Worthys! Kings Worthy, Abbots Worthy, Martyr Worthy and then the Itchy Abbess. Starting to play games with names from the point! Climbed out of the valley towards Northington and the Candovers, a really lovely area. The roads were good and fairly quiet until my navigation failed me again and I ended up on the A339 from Alton. If only I had not turned right off the road to Herriard! Anyway, I took the first turning off, towards Lasham, went around in a circle and ended but back on the A339 at the same point 23 minutes later. I had done a big circle around the Lasham Gliding Area! Oh well, better than ending up on the beach or Basingstoke! The signs were now showing Odiham, my next food stop. Odiham is quite a pretty place but seems to have got a bit poorer since my last visit. Found a coffee shop and Beans on Toast.

Odiham to Marlow

So after about 8 hours it was on to Hartley Witney and then some horribly busy roads towards Wokingham. School run mums and busy roads are the recipe for Road Kill so I changed route and headed for Bracknell. Bracknell is a new town and has a totally illogical road system and network of cycle paths. Getting through Bracknell without negotiating several loops of the ring road and bike paths was a total fluke!  Great relief when I saw the sign for Maidenhead and I was then able to put away my tatty maps and navigate some very familiar and quiet roads through Waltham St. Lawrence, Pinkneys Green and Cookham Dean.  Needed the boost from my last Honey Roll on Sustrans NCN4. Very nice to be home after my 11 hour jaunt, what’s for tea?

Highlights

Winchester, the beautiful Hampshire countryside and my charitable bacon baguette

Low’s

The beachside incident! Getting lost at Lasham, missing part of the New Forest by hitting the A35 and the Berkshire school run!

Anyway – Asante!

The Great West Time Trial

Anyone seen Number 17?

So what is the usual outcome of a convivial Curry night at the Last Viceroy? Well, it could be simply a nice meal and a good memory. More likely for me, it would be an upset stomach or a hangover.

On the other hand it might result in a commitment to do something never previously attempted, like entering a Time Trial? Surely not! I blame the Cobra.

I have often seen cyclists bombing down the local carriageways at weekends with numbers on their backs and never considered that I might join them. I'm a tourist or a mountain biker, I don’t do speedy!

However, I found myself signed up for a Saturday morning Time Trial on the A4 - the Great West Road.

So I needed to be at an Industrial Park at twenty to nine on Saturday morning. I have a bike and the obligatory Lycra but what of the other logistics? Should I 'ride out' to the start, how do I know the route? Oh well, I suppose all will be revealed.

Well, I arrived in good time for the start and was welcomed by the organiser, “give us your two quid, sign this and here's a number.” I needed to pin the number to my back. The first attempt was hopeless and would have ended up with me towing a braking parachute but I got there in the end. My fellow trialists were warming up on the road so I thought I had better do the same but try not to overdo it. I pedalled up the road simulating practice. The start was planned for 9am and we would head off at one minute intervals in number order. Trouble is, even though I had spent about ten minutes pinning the number on my back I had no idea what my number was. Excuse me, what's my number is a pretty daft question but I found myself blurting it out. You are number 17!

Oh dear, I looked around, there were a few familiar faces but very unfamiliar outfits! Streamlined helmets, triathlon bars - what the hell was I doing here! I was definitely way outside of my comfort zone.

Cometh the hour, cometh the minute! I needed to clip into my pedals and would then be supported until I was pushed off at my allotted time. I was a bit concerned that, at the appointed hour, I would simply topple into the road. My starter informed that he hadn’t dropped anyone yet which was reassuring.. At seven minutes past nine I tottered off on my 10 mile journey to the Twyford roundabout and back. The route looked pretty level but, when you are trying for speed, any slope is like a brick wall. The first stretch had a slight incline and, even though I had decided to start slowly, I was soon gasping for oxygen. I wondered how long it would be before I was passed. I did not have long to wait! I was passed three times. I had imagined that the slow people would be sent off first which would have meant even more people flying past. I was pretty slow though, the time keeper thought I had taken a wrong turning.

I enjoyed it anyway, my 31 min 35 sec was the slowest of the day but at least I know I can do better. I was given a few tips amongst which were; don’t carry your water bottle, don’t take your tool kit, don’t wave at the riders going in the other direction and don’t start off too quickly! Nobody said don’t come back. Next time I will know the routine, next time I will keep my head down. Next time I will stay off the Cobra!