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With the arrival of some glorious spring weather, the rapidly approaching Cycle Challenge 2015 and the ongoing 30 Days Of Biking event, the weekend of 11^th and 12^th of April seemed like an ideal time for a two day biking weekend. The planned ride for Saturday was a 50 mile route out to Ponteland, on to Heddon on the Wall, down towards Wylam then along the south side of the River Tyne to rendezvous with a cycling group from Cullercoats Bike & Kayak at the Cycle Hub. After that the trip home was to be via Route 72, turning off at Wallsend Dene before re-joining Route 72 at Silverlink and heading back through Shiremoor and Holywell.

Spring Into Cycling

A few days ago it was the vernal equinox, the first day of Spring, and next weekend the clocks go forward one hour to signal the beginning of British Summer Time.

 It's official – winter is over, the days are getting longer and cycling is back on the agenda. More importantly, there are less than nine weeks to go before we do our Cycle Challenge 2015. It's time to get some time in the saddle and miles into our legs.
Sunday morning had a very wintery feel to it with temperatures below zero and frost on the ground. On the plus side the sky was clear and the sun was shining as a small group of Backpedalers set off for a ride to the Cycle Hub. The temperature rose to a comfortable 12C and conditions became ideal for cycling.

Return To The Hub

A trip to the Cycle Hub and back has been a regular Sunday favourite for quite a while but, for various reasons, hasn't featured recently. That was put right on Sunday morning when the weather forecast said the temperature would be 10C (reasonable), wind from the West at 14 mph (not bad) gusting to 30 mph (not good). When the wind is westerly the toughest part of the route is the section along the river from Tynemouth to North Shields and can be compared to cycling into a wind tunnel. The rest of the route provides some shelter apart from the occasional exposed section and there is always the expectation that the return journey will be wind-assisted. The total distance is about 32 miles.

Sunday 25th January 2015

After a frustrating start to 2015, with cycling plans being affected by strong winds, snow and ice, a warm, still day arrived which enabled five Backpedalers to get on their bikes and ride. Early morning rain cleared so a trip to The Cycle Hub, via Tynemouth and North Shields, was a must.

The Sunday Sun

It seemed like a good idea to plan a 60 mile round trip taking in some of the more demanding sections of the Reivers Route on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year so far - and to some people's surprise, that's exactly how it turned out.
Thirteen Backpedalers turned up for the twelfth training ride and set off towards Backworth and Killingworth to join the Reivers Route heading towards Ponteland. The now obligatory visit to the summit in Weetslade Country Park was included in the itinerary.

The route to Ponteland was familiar to most of the riders but beyond that was unknown territory. It passes through Darras Hall along the line of an old railway which ran to Belsay Colliery and then emerges on the west side of Ponteland. A short (but interesting) section then leads to a country lane which heads towards Stamfordham. 
It was here that the group arrived at what turned out to be the highlight of the day - a new coffee stop.

Raggy Heirlooms is right next to the Reivers Route and caters for cyclists in need of a coffee and bacon sandwich.

Things Can Only Get Better

Today's report has been submitted by Ian (RN retired) who describes himself throughout as 'stand-in Captain' but from what I hear, 'fall-over Captain' might be more appropriate! - editor. Rumour has it that he has plans to buy a new bike.

Out of the two weather forecasts, light rain or sunny periods, the one which said light rain won but seven  riders turned up for the ride to the Hub. It was misty and raining but that did not dampen our spirits.

The seven of us set off in search of the Hub knowing that  our reward would be a bacon butty and a nice cup  of coffee.

The route was to take us down the coast to the Hub, through  the Fish Quay and up Borough Bank. There, as the stand in captain, I have to report an incident. One of the members decided that staying rubber side down was far too conventional and came to a halt and failed to remove their feet from both clips and thought lying on their side in a puddle of water was better than being upright.

This not being the first time this type incident has happened, the individual  managed to tuck in and no damage to bike or person was reported. After a short rest, onward to the Hub. One member needed to peel off at the Royal Quays so the rest of us pushed on to the Hub where we arrived wet but eager and in need of refreshment. Coffee and a bacon butty hit the spot, there was coverage of a cycle race being shown on some Internet channel, I have to  say the weather looked better there (where ever that was) than here.

Everyone now refreshed and ready to put our wet clothes back on and head for home, one member had a slow puncture in their back tyre which they put some air in to allow them to make it home. The group made it to Swan Hunters on the return leg when a member stopped again to put air into their rear tyre. At this point another member of the group pointed out that the front tyre was also flat. What were we to do? One machine down and both tyres with punctures. With the assistance of other members of the group the bike was turned upside down and the repair was attacked with gusto worthy of a formula one team during a pit stop.

(Stand in Captain's note : I have to offer mention in despatches to the two members of the team who formed the pit crew along with the member to facilitate the repair as it was the stand in Captain's steed which was in the pit).

In Search Of The Angel

A couple of weeks ago, three members of Seaton Sluice Backpedalers decided to set off on a bike ride to visit the Angel of the North. Previously it would be possible to cycle through the Tyne Cyclist Tunnel, but at the moment it is closed for refurbishment. Fortunately there is a free bus replacement to carry cyclists and their bikes from Howdon to Jarrow. 

The three Backpedalers arrived at Howdon to board the bus but things didn't go to plan.

They had indeed missed the bus so the search for the Angel was abandoned and an alternative route was chosen.
Undaunted, the same three Backpedalers set off on the 24th March to find the Angel. This time the bus arrived.

Once in Jarrow the route headed west on the Keelman's Way before turning south onto the Bowes Railway Path. As the name sugeests, the route follows the trackbed of the old Bowes railway which was used to transport coal from the Durham coalfields to the River Tyne.An uneven surface up a steady incline with frequent barriers contributed to a hard ride up to the site of the Bowes Railway Museum.

Sunday Training Ride - 16.03.14

The Delaval Arms was looking good in the morning sunshine but the photograph is deceptive. What it doesn't show is the 25 mph wind sweeping over from the west. However, we cyclists know that if you wait for a perfect day the bike would never get out of the garage. 
Five of us met up and at 9.30 am set off down the track towards St Mary's Lighthouse. One of the benefits of windy conditions is that the paths are drying out so with the wind behind us it was easy going until we turned to head west up to the cycle way leading along to Tynemouth. The route along the coast was tricky, particularly in the exposed parts where we felt the full force of the wind. Nevertheless, we survived and made it safely to the Spanish Battery. 

We paused to catch our breath and it was at this point that one of the group decided to fall off his bike.

The ride along the promenade to the fish quay wasn't too bad but Borough Bank, tough at the best of times, proved quite a challenge. Similarly, the ride through Coble Dene to the Royal Quays was hard work. Once at the Royal Quays we were joined by the sixth member of the group for the journey on to the Cycle Hub.

Sunday Training Ride - 2.3.14

With the countdown clock ticking away we decided to start a Sunday training session.

The weather forecast wasn't great but eight hardy souls showed up outside the Delaval Arms at 9.30 am.

We set off down the track to St Mary's lighthouse and along the coast to Tynemouth. As expected on a bright, sunny Sunday morning there were plenty of dogwalkers, joggers and fellow cyclists en route. At Tynemouth we picked up NCN 72 heading west along the River Tyne. Two of our number left us at the Royal Quays and the remaining six cyclists pushed on towards Newcastle.