Here's this week's reports and updates...

===

LAST WEEK'S PHOTOS

I wasn't able to get the photos uploaded in time for last week's
email. If you've not seen them yet, have a look at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/sets/72157608546090043
or
http://tinyurl.com/phc017

===

RIDE REPORT
Crawley Down 02/11/08

After last week's 23 riders in miserable weather, we only had 8 riders
on this cloudy but dry, windless and warmer autumn day. In fact, the
sun even came out later.

A steady route was followed out through Carshalton and up to the
Telegraph Track where a smart cut-through on unmade roads and paths
eventually led to Coulsdon in time to see the London to Brighton
vintage car run in full flow. The plan had been to stop at Farthing
Downs but nobody knew the tea stall doesn't operate on winter Sundays.
Undeterred, we pushed on to Bletchingley, taking care over the leaves
that littered the descents but arrived 20 minutes before the pubs
opened. There's no cafe in Bletchingley that is open on a Sunday so we
ended up at the Castle in Outwood where the landlord allowed us to use
a table he had reserved for diners arriving early afternoon. Food was
well received and reasonably priced.

One of the features of this ride is that all the climbing is before
lunch. Turners Hill was avoided by turning onto the Worth Way, an old
railway line that was recently under threat of development. Despite
Saturday's heavy rain, the surface was solid and mostly dry. A small
diversion took us off the route but once back on, we followed it all
the way to Three Bridges where we'd made such good time that we were
able to get Group Save tickets for the 3:10pm train, despite the best
efforts of the grump in the ticket office.

31.5 miles, out for 6hrs. See the pix on Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/sets/72157608596897395
or
http://tinyurl.com/phc019

===

POLLARDS OAK WHEELERS

I found out a couple of years ago that PHC wasn't the first cycling
club to operate out of Pollards Hill. Back in the 1950s, the Pollards
Oak Wheelers, named after the local pub, were also running rides
starting from pretty much the same place. I put an appeal for
information in the local Guardian but no one responded.

Then, during the week, completely out of the blue, I got an email from
Australia with a photo of the Pollards Hill Wheelers! Keith Broomfield
had found our website whilst looking for information on his old
school, Pollards Hill Secondary. His father, Doug, was a member of the
Wheelers and he's in the group photo that Keith attached. We swapped
emails back and forwards and Keith has now sent me 6 items, all of
which are on our Flickr site at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/sets/72157608560926417
or
http://tinyurl.com/phc018

If you look at the group photo, you will see that it is taken opposite
the library. The shops might have changed but the buildings haven't.
There are scans of the club badge and a fantastic newspaper cutting
which describes a club outing to Scotland. Unlike our 30 miles a day
limit, our forebears thought nothing of cycling over 100 miles in a
day. One intrepid chap even cycles home from Warrington to Balham in
one hit because he has run out of money. That's 200 miles and not a
pair of padded shorts in sight!

If anybody else knows anything about the Wheelers, do please get in touch.

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CHRISTMAS SHOPPING?

Don't forget that if you are buying anything from Amazon or Wiggle
this year, clicking through our website will give us a very small
percentage of what you spend. The links are:

Wiggle: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/default.aspx?cat=cycle&ReferID=POLLARDS
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/b?node=266239&tag=pollhillcycl-21&camp=1654&creative=655\
8&linkCode=ur1&adid=0TAR16YM24PYNNTN0G5G&

We spend the money on the website, our insurance and the occasional
treat such as platform tickets when we did the Bluebell ride or
sometimes cake on the Birthday Ride.

For some gift ideas, check out:
http://www.pollardshillcyclists.org.uk/help.html

===

NEXT WEEK

Join Jill & Phil for an Epsom Explorer. Lots of choices for routes,
lots of countryside, lots of scenery and plenty of good options for
lunch. The route will be decided nearer the day and will take ground
conditions into account. Expect some hills but all easily walkable and
the possibility of off-road tracks on the commons. Departing 9:30am at
the library.

Mark
PHC Co-ordinator
07711 688189

http://www.pollardshillcyclists.org.uk
http://www.southlondoncyclists.org.uk