Atlantic Mountain Biking

November is the month of my wedding anniversary and traditionally this has been a time when we head off for a relaxing break in a small cottage somewhere on the British Isles. For 2014, it was decided to be the turn of Cornwall and a converted barn, just outside of Padstow. This year I also had the wherewithal to bring along the Crosstrail, chosen in favour of the Roubaix due to the mile long dirt track leading from the barn to the closest piece of metalled road.

 

Much of the week was dedicated to some fine walking along the coastal paths and was not until five days into the holiday that I got the opportunity to lycra up and hit the lanes around Padstow. My afternoon's cycle was a one which took no set path, it was more a case of following roads until I hit the sea or a no cycling sign!

At one point I came across a herd of bullocks being driven down the road towards me. "I'd pull off the road and out the way", I was advised, "they don't like yellow" one of the farm hands commented ... with me there all decked out in AVP colours! 

At Trevone, I even made an attempt at cycling on sand but I soon saw why those bikes I've seen with the big tractor styled tyres are so designed; even the thick Crosstrail's tyres were brought to an abrupt halt in the looser stuff! 

It was great to be out on the Crosstrail after spending most of the spring and summer months on the Roubaix. It was a wonderful holiday feeling free to splash through the potholed puddles and slide through the muddy lanes, proving there is still a place for my hybrid in my ever growing collection of road bikes!

AVP Remembrance Ride 1914 - 2014

How quick the year has past. This time last year the weather was equally beautiful as Andy and I headed out on our club's  annual AVP Remembrance ride to Rousden. Today, Andy otherwise indisposed, I met up with fellow cyclist, Kelly for a similar quick 10 mile circuit out to Beer before joining the rest of the Pedallers for the main club ride.

With the weather so clear and sunny and the roads dried out from the previous weekend's quagmire, I could not resit taking the new Specialised Tarmac out for a spin before resting it up for the winter.

The Tarmac on Seaton seafront

In all, there were around 10 pedallers who finally headed out of Seaton and up to Rousden for the Remembrance service where we were again so warmly welcomed by the locals.

Team photo

Following the service, coffee and biscuits, Kelly, Richard and I decided to cycle on to Lyme Regis to check out their new and impressive beach promenade before then climbing (there's no other way out once you've cycled into Lyme) back to Seaton for a final coffee at the Broom Wagon.

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The Trials and Tribulations of a Kit Master

Back at the end of August, I somehow secured myself the role of Kit Master for the Axe Valley Pedallers. This was not a role that existed before nor one that I was actively looking for, but you know those situations when you raise a question and end up being the source of the answer ... well that's how it happened.

It took me around 10 months after joining the AVP to get my first club jersey, so knowing how we were not the most proactive club in sourcing kit, with the summer months coming to their inevitable end, I raised the request for an order to be placed for winter Jerseys. Having loved the ride out we completed earlier in the summer .. Les Maillots Jaunes .. where we were all dressed in our yellow jerseys, I had thought it would be wonderful for us to be able to continue this through the winter. Having raised the request, I was asked to canvass the club on numbers and it was just a short step from this for the suggestions for me to take on preparing the whole order. I accepted the challenge and my role of Kit Master was confirmed .. after all, how hard could it be!

Our kit supplier at the time was Gear Club; we'd had others in the past, but Gear Club had provided our most recent summer jersey. The introductions were made with sales manager and the seed was sown for a Club Winter Kit Evening. The venue was secured, our coffee shop, The BroomWagon where owner Glen kindly agreed to open up on a Monday evening. I had envisaged rails of kit in all sizes for the members to try and place orders. As it happened, Gear Club had an event in Germany that week and at the last minute pulled out of providing me the kit I needed. I could have postponed, but having delayed my 2 week main holiday to September because of a summer of sportives, it would be October before I could run the next event. Meanwhile, I had been talking to another supplier, Akuma - new to the cycling apparel, but major players in the market and even better, wholly British designed and made.

Meeting Gear Club

Akuma, were great in providing me samples for the event and just in time. The quality of their kit was very pro-cycling but so too was their pricing. The Kit Evening was a great success, mainly for it being a good club social rather than the fashion show I had intended. It did, however, advertise the fact that a kit order was being placed and gave me the opportunity to seek feedback as to the level of interest in a winter range. When it came down to placing the order, however, the total cost of Akuma kit was a bit too eye watering for the committee, also the sales manager with whom I'd been negotiating with abruptly upped and left the company, leaving me high and dry with no where to go on improving the deal. This fortunately coincided with Gear Club calling me to say they were back in the UK and would be at the Cycle Show should I want to see what they had to offer. A trip up the M5 to the Birmingham NEC proved to be time well spent. Not only did I get to see a good cycling friend of mine, I also got to meet the Gear Club team face to face and see the full range of their kit first hand. I couldn't also believe how many other kit suppliers there were promoting their wears ... note to self for next year.

Happy days, the box of kit arrives

Back in Devon, I had no hesitation in drawing up a fresh order with Gear Club for the 20+ winter jerseys and assorted garments. When it came down to it, cost has to be the key influencer in choosing a kit supplier for a small self-funding club. I had to put to one side my moral aversion of buying from a supplier using low cost Asian labour. My mission was, first and foremost, to get people in yellow on our winter rides and when members are raving over the latest range of low cost Lidl cycling kit, I'd never get close to achieving my goal by buying in a set of Rapha styled, 'made in the UK', jerseys!

That said, I've not totally given up on the idea of providing a premium range .. indeed I even purchased for myself a one off set of kit from Akuma to try along side the Gear Club range, although even this was not without its tribulations ... see if you can spot why in the picture below!

Spot the difference

Who would be a club Kit Master?!

AVP Sunday Ride to Broadwindsor

Richard, Shaun, Kelly, Gwyn, Jason, Handbag and I met at the TIC this morning for the 'impromptu' AVP Sunday Morning ride out to Broadwindsor; a route we had done with Buster on a steamy Tuesday evening back in July.

The ride did not get off to a good start as one of Kelly's SPD pedals self destructed. Fortunately, me having a spare set hanging around at home meant we were able to effect a quick swap, delaying us no more than 30 minutes.

Climbing out of Lyme brought us our second mechanical as Jason punctured and sticking to these things coming in threes, Richard completed the pitstops with a puncture climbing towards Marshwood.

The lanes which we'd made such good time over back in the summer were coated today in thick mud, such that bikes and unprotected backs .. for those with no guards .. would be needing a deep clean on our return.

The coffee and cake stop at Broadwindsor Craft Centre, 25 miles in, couldn't have come soon enough and I think all would recommend it .. having loads of space, a friendly and efficient greeting and a very extensive cake selection!

The weather stayed clear for most of the 45 mile circuit and it was great to see most of us wearing the new AVP winter jerseys