Lots of stuff this week....

===

RIDE REPORT
Mudchute Farm Cafe 20/01/08

By the time we'd collected our last two riders at South Norwood
Country Park, this latest venture up the Waterlink Way had attracted a
healthy 19 riders. Even though we've ridden the route many times, the
size our of our membership means we still had people trying it for the
first time.

A tailwind helped us along the parks and riverside paths that comprise
the route, even blowing us up the incline to the morning stop,
off-route at Beckenham Place Park. We'd had our first of what turned
out to be a record 4 punctures before we'd even stopped. Some tips on
preventing them are later in this mail.

Both lifts at the Greenwich foot tunnel were in operation. It took two
journeys to get us all down there. Our lunch destination, Mudchute
Farm, is just over the river on the Isle of Dogs. I'd emailed to say
we were coming but they hadn't received it. Even though they were
already busy when we arrived, most people had their meals within 30
minutes. It's great homecooked food, with good drinks and some nice
cakes.

The wind hit us coming back. We decided to skip an afternoon stop at
Crystal Palace which gave us a chance to ride more of the Country
Park. We got back to the library just inside daylight hours.

28 miles, out for 7hrs. See the pix on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/sets/72157603760785527
or
http://tinyurl.com/225h6j

===

PUNCTURES

Having 4 punctures on a ride might seem like bad luck but there are
preventative measures you can take to avoid them:

* Always have your tyres pumped to maximum pressure. Use a track pump to check.
* Periodically inspect your tyres and gouge out any flints or glass
shards that are working their way into the rubber
* Keep out of the gutter as that's where glass and debris collects
* Replace worn tyres
* Replace crap tyres that came with the bike for puncture-resistant
ones with kevlar strips
* Use a Slime strip between the tube and tyre although this doesn't
prevent sidewall punctures and some feel that it deadens the ride and
affects cornering

===

BEDDINGTON PARK

8 riders did a gentle 12 mile ride to Morden Hall on Saturday. Most
were returning to cycling after a break over Christmas. The next
afternoon ride will be on Feb 16th - the 3rd Saturday of the month.
More details: http://www.beddingtonparkcyclerides.com

===

CYCLE HOLIDAY

I received the following email from PHC member Anna Koffer:

Dear Mark,

I am organizing a cycling week in the Czech Republic, Western Bohemia,
from May 17th to May 25th and am booking rooms at a hotel at Kladska,
a hunting lodge in the middle of the woods, yet only 6 miles from the
spa town Marienbad. The countryside is lovely (have been there 2x and
liked it a lot), rolling hills, plenty to see, plenty of cycling
routes. Pampering in Marienbad is always an option for a rainy day.
The details are on the internet: www.marienbad.com/kladska/

Accommodation costs are from 525 to 650 Kc (about £20 - Mark) per
person per night (B+B). There is a bike hire shop in Marienbad so
people do not necessarily need to bring their own bike. However, they
can do so since we shall be met at the Prague airport on Saturday 17th
and people and bikes will be transported to and from the hotel

I have about 10 people at present and could take a few more. Can you
please send this info around? and if anybody is interested, they
should contact me at a.koffer@...

Best wishes
Anna Koffer

PS will be back from Czecho in June and looking forward to some cycle
rides with the Pollards Hill.

-

For info on flying with a bike, check the CTC website:
http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4584
EasyJet fly from Gatwick. Flights are currently around £100 including
one checked item plus your bike. If you choose EasyJet, print out
their staff manuals from the CTC website so you can show ground staff
if they refuse to carry your bike.

===

OTHER CYCLING HOLIDAYS

I quite liked the look of this:

http://www.cycling-in-lapland.com

===


VIDEO NASTY

Want to know what it's like on a PHC+ ride? Click here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1012214188181210485

===

LONDON TO BRIGHTON

PHC member Dee has a couple of spare entry forms for 2008. Joe Public
can't register until March 1st so grabbing these would be a good way
to guarantee official entry. The huge advantage is that you know
you'll be able to get home without needing to concoct a tale about
losing your rider number. There are no trains so the BHF coaches are
the easiest way to return to London.

Let me know if you want a form.

Details: http://tinyurl.com/2zkqdt

===

NO LIGHTS? TRY THIS...

A recumbent is 30% more efficient than a diamond frame bicycle but in
1934, the backward-thinking Union Cycliste Internationale banned them
from competing in cycle races. Ever since then, there has been very
little innovation in bicycle design. Time to move on.

You'll all have noticed kids riding at night with no lights so I think
bikes should incorporate LED technology to light the frame up. It
would reduce road deaths by ensuring even the blindest motorist can
see the bike. After all, if it's cool enough for skateboards, it's
gotta be cool for bikes:

http://www.photonlightboards.com

Anyone want to get rich???

===

Next week is a daring stretch to Bletchingley. Normally, it would be
too far for us but I've managed to work out a route that gets us there
without adding extra mileage. Come and try it. Hilly but you can walk
the steepest ones. How Lane drags on a bit though. Extra Weetabix for
breakfast should sort that out. 9:30 depart from the library.

Mark
PHC Co-ordinator
07711 688189