Severn Bridge Sportive 24th August

We would just like to publicise the sportive starting at Castle Combe racing circuit.  There is also a Family cycling event.

The event will offer riders the choice of a 100km route or a 100 mile route through some of the best countryside the area has to offer - and you won't need to decide on the route you're taking until you get to the split point on the day!

Castle Combe Family Cycling Day
The plan for 2013 was to make the event as inclusive as possible offering cycling activities for all our visitors be they 2yrs or 102yrs and according to the feedback we received, we hit our target spot on!

The same challenge has therefore been set for 2014 as we work towards an even more exciting and full day of cycling activity for all the family! For 2014 you just need to turn up on the day and register to ride.


Download the Route

The .gpx files of the routes for the 100km and 100 mile Severn Bridge Sportive are now available to download! Please click on the link below...

http://www.castlecombecyclingfestival.co.uk/content/documents/Severn_Bridge_Sportive_2013.zip

Route Signage

The route will be clearly and comprehensively marked, with direction arrows at each turning and road junction. We will make sure that you are in no doubt as to where you should be heading so, if there is a long time between turnings, we'll put up some confirmation arrows to give you some reassurance that you haven't missed a turn. However, in the unlikely event that you take a wrong turn at any point or if signs have been dislodged, we will give each rider a route card as a fallback, which will also include emergency contact information.

Route Summary

The ride will start and finish at Castle Combe Circuit with the route taking riders down the Cotswold escarpment to the North of Bath and Bristol before taking in the Classic Severn Bridge crossing.Sportive (copyright Phil O'Connor)

The half-way point for the short ride and the first stop for the longer route uses Bulwark Community Centre on the outskirts of Chepstow close to the Severn Bridge crossing.

The long route then climbs through Wentwood used for the UCI Ladies World Cup race in 2005 prior to dropping into Usk and Raglan then tackling the steep Star Hill before dropping back to the original feedstop for more refreshment. The long route then joins the short route home with the Hawkesbury Upton climb and Badminton Village also featuring before dropping back to Castle Combe Circuit.

Route Maps

Route maps and emergency contact numbers will be provided at the time of signing in on the event morning itself.

More Details
http://www.severnbridgesportive.co.uk/

Support the Chepstow to Tintern cycle path

While renewing my CTC membership I found this worthy cause:  proposed Wye Valley Shared Use path from Chepstow to Tintern along the disused railway line.

Why is this important?

The permission was granted by the Forest of Dean District Council for their ownership, but the Monmouthshire Council have been making excuses for the last few years since the original proposal. All over the UK county after county's citizens have been benefiting from these valuable resources for leisure and transport purposes. Why are we waiting and consistently fobbed off with trivial excuses all the time? There are no cycle paths through Chepstow while everywhere else benefits. Despite all the Bills, Papers, and Consultations you pass and now 'The Wales we Want' campaign, we are ignored. This path would enable less able bodied people to access the beauty of the Wye Valley, it would provide business and opportunities locally, and hold these opportunities within Chepstow and surrounding villages where presently people go further afield for leisure facilities. Also it would encourage forms of sustainable transport such as cycling and walking, enabling many people to leave their cars at home. The already established paths in the UK are used by thousands everyday for multiple purpose. Why are we denied this resource, is it because our Council is blind to the future?

This would be a great alternative to the main road which is hilly and busy.  If you want to support it then use the link below


https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/restoring-the-disused-railway-line-from-chepstow-to-tintern-for-a-shared-use-path

Thank you!

What's happened to Spindles - A bike shop in the Bardo

You may be wondering where Spindles Bikes have gone and why we didn't set up at Corsham School.  Well it turns out that the school had done a deal previously with Wiltshire Council where the land that we would have set up on was given to the council in exchange for building the all weather pitch.  A Good Deal but bad for Spindles since the council have now said that we will need to apply for planning permission to site a container on their land.  We are back to the drawing board.
We have applied to the Pound Arts to host a pop-up bike shop which is where we were originally.  As the Pound Arts is under new management who want to take it in a different direction, there my not be the scope for Spindles.  There may be a double garage coming up for sale near the centre of town which may be an opportunity.
We can set up out of town and do some 'project' based work but we would loose the sustainable transport ethos which started us going in the first place.
Meanwhile the new community centre is open with the cafe, Library and gym.  I went in there last Saturday, it all looks very new and clean with pine panelling.  It's early days for the new campus, things have to bed-in, the car park has to be finished and the modifications to the existing Springfield centre need to be completed before the potential can be appreciated.