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

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RIDE REPORT
Chislehurst 30/11/08

It's been over 18 months since we last went to the caves at
Chislehurst. 9 turned up at the library car park on a damp, cold,
drizzly morning and we set off in search of Heavers Meadow, a top tip
from a couple of weeks ago that keeps the route to South Norwood
Country Park completely flat. Rather than a meadow, it's a wide tarmac
path with Selhurst railway sidings to your right and a boggy Norbury
Brook to the left. The last few yards aren't tarmac which is a shame
but at least it's a compacted surface and the route is a really great
find.

One rider dropped out with a mechanical problem whilst the rest of us
skirted South Norwood County Park and picked up the Waterlink Way as
it crosses the tram stop at Croydon Arena. There's a steady climb
along quiet roads until we turn off and head over to Corkscrew Hill
where another couple of riders were waiting at Sparrows Den, home to
several rugby pitches, a tea kiosk and a pitch n putt. We sheltered
from the drizzle but there's nowhere to warm yourself up.

We picked up the old Roman road and headed off towards Hayes station
and onto Norman Park, a large unremarkable open space but a good
cut-through. Benefitting from some excellent local knowledge, we
picked through parks and paths on the most direct route to lunch. No
one wants to hang around in this weather! Arriving at 11:45am gave two
riders to opportunity to join the midday tour of the man-made cave
system. At £5, it's one of the best value-for-money attractions in
London. Three ventured to the adjacent pub but there weren't doing
food. The rest of us enjoyed a fry up at the cave's greasy spoon caff
whilst watching the role-playing Labyrinthe members meet up outside.

Bromley Council don't like putting tarmac on their roads. Over 200 of
them are dirt tracks. Unfortunately, they become intolerable in this
weather as the potholes fill with water and you've no idea how deep
they are. Although the rain had stopped in the afternoon, it was still
better to stay on tarmac which meant an unwelcome climb straight after
lunch. We headed into Bromley town centre, following London Cycle
Network route 72 which is signposted to Crystal Palace. It's the usual
well planned series of quiet backstreets, fairly flat as it follows
the railway with just one steep climb near Beckenham Place Park.

People were dropping off as we passed near their homes so a depleted
group arrived at Crystal Palace Park cafe for a well timed puncture
stop. The park was fairly quiet but no one wants to play out in this
sort of weather (unless you're a cyclist!). I didn't feel inclined to
mention the anatomically incorrect dinosaurs, preferring to get home
at a sensible time. Anerley Hill is steep but can be walked in pretty
much the same time it takes to ride but then it's virtually all
downhill back to Pollards Hill.

Only 24 miles, out for 5.5hrs. See the pix on Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/sets/72157610456866589
or
http://tinyurl.com/phc021


I think this is the definitive route to Chislehurst. It's less
climbing than the other routes we've taken, has plenty of parks and
quiet roads and uses lots of the LCN network. We'll do it again soon.
If only there was a better morning stop instead of the tea kiosk. If
we're overlooking anywhere, let me know.

http://www.chislehurstcaves.co.uk
http://www.labyrinthe.co.uk

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NEED A RIDE LEADER

Who fancies doing December 14th? Anywhere you like or re-do an old
favourite. Fine to pick one of the new starting points of Carshalton
or Wimbledon as well as starting at the library car park. Any takers?
What about a short ride to Woodies now the nights are drawing in? Let
me know....

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BRISTOL EXCURSION

Thanks to all who filled in the survey regarding a potential trip to
Bristol on a charter train. 10% of the membership filled out the form
which is enough to give me a clear indication of what people want. I'm
struggling on getting a charter, simply because it is so expensive. I
have a few alternatives, one of which is to travel by road using an
executive coach and a furniture lorry to transport the bikes. That
would give a nice level of comfort but it would be fewer spaces. A
nice coach only holds about 30. If demand is high, we could run two
but we'd keep this as a PHC outing instead of inviting all London
cyclists. It's certainly a more flexible option although the price
would still be around the £35 mark. Thoughts appreciated.....

If it goes well, we can run several of these to different places in the future.

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PHC VIDEO

We're on YouTube! Huge thanks to Jez for putting this together:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV9wj7lDZhU

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SOUTH LONDON CYCLISTS FORUM

As some will have noticed, it's currently broken but hopefully it will
get fixed soon. I've no idea what's wrong.

There are now over 250 posts on the forum and a steady trickle of
activity from the 79 registered members. Useful info is coming out.
Between us, we are a priceless encyclopedia of cycling and local area
knowledge. Those yet to venture over should do so. It's all very good
natured and you're bound to find something new that you didn't know
about.

Check back midweek to see if it is fixed.

http://www.southlondoncyclists.org.uk

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WIGGLE & AMAZON

We received our first commission cheque from Wiggle this week for
£10.95. Amazingly, that is from just 4 items being purchased by
clicking through the link on our Things To Buy page. We've had a few
click-thrus on Amazon but the commission is still below their minimum
for sending payment. It never expires so eventually we'll hit the
target if people remember to click via our website.

Thanks to all of those who have clicked thru. If you're looking for
Christmas presents, visit this page on our website:

http://www.pollardshillcyclists.org.uk/help.html

Because Amazon constantly alters its stock, not all items are
available at any one time. However, there are bargains to be had.
Currently, the Bicycle Repair Manual is available for 74p!!

Note: You can also click direct onto:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/default.aspx?cat=cycle&ReferID=POLLARDS
http://tinyurl.com/6ony3e

The money goes towards our annual running costs of approx £120. This
includes insurance, website hosting and our Flickr account. We also
raise money by charging admin costs when we provide leaders for
outside events such as Bike Week or Family Learning Week.

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NEXT WEEK

It's another chance to ride into the City. These rides are always
popular, possibly because they're often very flat. You'll be amazed at
the easy ground we'll cover. From Greenwich, we'll cross under the
river to Canary Wharf and then pick up the canal network towards the
West End. Lunch at a very reasonably priced Islington pub with space
for bikes in the beer garden then Camden Lock, the Zoo, Little Venice,
Hyde Park, Albert Memorial, Battersea Park and tea on Clapham Common.
David is leading and we'll be departing the library car park at 9:30
prompt.

Mark
PHC Co-ordinator
07711 688189

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