Edited independently in three of the CTC Wessex member group areas and publishedquarterly Please contact your nearest member group or access the club website for

information on any eventswwwwessexctcorg for all CTC Wessex activities

CTC WESSEX SECRETARYPeter Loakes Church Cottage West Stafford DT2 8AB (01305) 263272CTC BOURNEMOUTHCheryl Owen 1 Bond Road Poole BH15 3RT (01202) 738428CTC SALISBURYAlan Clarke ldquoHill Houserdquo Kelsey Road Salisbury SP1 1JR (01722) 322188CTC WEST DORSETMike Durham 74 Westhill Wyke Regis Weymouth DT4 9NE (01305) 770140CTC BLACKMORE VALERichard Gow Wildfell Crown Rd Marnhull DT10 1LN (01258) 821391

Main Calendar Dates For 2010

THE WESSEX NEWSLETTER

April 11th Dorset Coastlet 100km Peter Loakes 01305 263272April 11th Dorset Coast 200km Peter Loakes 01305 263272May 2nd Wursquoze 400km Audax Shawn Shaw 01202 685014May 9th New Forest Spring Challenge 50km John Ward 01590 671205May 9th New Forest Day Out 100km John Ward 01590 671205May 9th New Forest 150km John Ward 01590 671205May 9th New Forest Excursion 200km John Ward 01590 671205May 16th Dorset Downs 100km Peter Loakes 01305 263272June 26th 3D300km Audax Peter Loakes 01305 263272Sept 5th New Forest Autumn Challenge 50km John Ward 01590 671205Sept 5th New Forest amp Coast 100km John Ward 01590 671205Sept 5th New Forest 150km John Ward 01590 671205Sept 5th New Forest On amp Off Shore 200km John Ward 01590 671205Sept 12th Dorset Dirt 50km Off-Road Ken Reed 01305 772654Sept 19th Bournemouth Square 200km Brian Callow 01202 526606Sept 26th Wessex Grand Meet at BreamoreOct 10th Gridiron 100km Terry Walsh 01202 247888Oct 10th CTC West Dorset AGM Mike Durham 01305 770140Oct 13th (TBC) CTC Bournemouth AGM Cheryl Owen 01202 738428Nov 6th CTC Wessex AGM Peter Loakes 01305 263272

3 Cycle Ink 155Keith Matthews - Editor

AGMs Award Ceremonies Constitutional changesSetting the calendar of events for the coming year Allboring stuff and it all comes at this time of the year Still Isuppose that as the weather worsens its the time to do itrather than any other Which reminds me to remind you ifits wet outside why donrsquot you go ldquocyclingrdquo on yourkeyboards and write up something about your cycling

experiences during the year Factual inspirational or just plain whimsywe donrsquot mind Thatrsquos enough of the perennial bleat of the clubNewsletter editor

The cover this issue just caught my eye as Itook an un-seasonal sunny November ride inthe Vale of the Great Dairies (ThomasHardy go on look it up) Not for what the signsays but for what I thought it ought to say

httpwwwpanoramiocomphoto29411253

In this issue read about the Tuesday TrottersOur attempts to promote cycling locally Whowon all the awards and Oh yes Bobrattles on some more in his quirkyentertaining manner

Cycle Ink 155 4

CTC Blackmore Vale RidesThese take place every 2 weeks alternating between Saturday amp Sunday meeting at10am amp starting at 1030am ndash click on Runs List below for details Rides are shorterin Winter (20 miles) and build up gradually to longer rides in Summer (50 miles) Westop for lunch either at a cafeacute or pub during British Summer Time we usually bringpicnics but there is often a cafeacute near the lunch stop You can ride to the meeting placefor added mileage or drive allpart way We welcome newcomers who consider thatthey can cope with the mileage ndash no one gets left behind Give us a call beforehand sothat we can look out for you01963 32840 - Richard amp Margaret Nicholl or 01258 821391 - Richard Gow

Sun 27th Dec MEET Gillingham Waitrose Cafeacute LUNCH ShaftesburySun 10th Jan Morrison Supermarket Wincanton LUNCH RNAS Museum YeoviltonSat 16th Jan MEET Stalbridge Dikes Supermarket Cafeacute LUNCH SherborneSun 24th Jan MEET NT Cafeacute Stourhead LUNCH Lakeside Garden Centre CrockertonSat 30th Jan MEET Angel Corner Tea Room Mere LUNCH Kitchen Garden PythouseSun 7th Feb MEET Waitrose Supermarket Gillingham LUNCH ShaftesburySat 13th Feb MEET Poets Corner Cafeacute Sturminster Newton LUNCH Crown Hotel IbbertonSun 21th Feb MEET Udder Farm Shop East Stour LUNCH Wheathill Garden Centre Milborne PortSat 27th Feb MEET Wincanton Garden Centre LUNCH Dobbies Shepton MalletSun 7th Mar MEET Bramble amp Sage Sutton Montis LUNCH NT cafeacute MontacuteSat 13th Mar MEET Old Bakehouse Castle Cary LUNCH GlastonburySun 21 Mar MEET John Peel Cafeacute Shaftesbury LUNCH Farmer Giles Cafeacute Teffont MagnaSat 27th Mar MEET PO Tea Room Child Okeford LUNCH Airfield Restaurant Compton AbbasSun 4th Apr MEET NT Cafeacute Stourhead LUNCH Cellar Cafeacute Longleat

Coffee Pot Meets on TuesdaysArrive at the Cafes at 1030 An informal ride may or may not be arranged on the day1st Tuesday of Month Meet Cafeacute Central Wincanton2nd Tuesday of Month Waitrose Cafeacute Gillingham3rd Tuesday of Month NT Cafeacute Stourhead4th Tuesday of Month Wheathill Lane Garden Centre Milborne PortTuesday 30th March Martock Cedar Tree Cafeacute Yandles Hurst

5 Cycle Ink 155

httpwwwwessexsrtalktalknetnewsunscafelist[1]html

Is maintained at the above addressAdditions and updates are requested please

Poole Heart Support Group RidesEvery month starting at 10am This is an easy riding group offering morning rides onSundays CTC members are invited to join us TEL 01202 85001 - Keith Matthews22nd NOV MEET Broadstone Leisure Centre

Upton and Lytchett Wander (15m)27th DEC MEET 10 Hill View Road Ferndown

Goodbye Christmas Pud24th JAN MEET Wimborne Square

Blandford and Back21st FEB MEET Broadstone Leisure Centre

Poole Quay and Back21st MAR MEET Ringwood Underpass

Moyles Court and Environs

The Crown Inn at Alvediston Hi just a quick line to introduce ourselves as the new Tenants of the CrownInn at Alvediston Dave and Linda Stone and have just re-opened on Fri 13thNovember We have today by chance been on your website and noticed thatthe Salisbury Section are due to visit us tomorrow We do hope that you didnot think the pub had been closed and that you are still coming so that we maywelcome you all We have just moved to this area from The Gribble Inn inOving near Chichester where we had regular visits from five or more cyclegroups and hope to extend this further in this region of cyclists

We run a very old school type pub with excellent ales good generous helpingsof home cooked food and a warm welcome as we are always hands on Weparticularly want to welcome cyclists along with walkers and car clubs tokeep this beautiful pub going Look forward to seeing you and would appreci-ate any help you can give us with promoting us to all cyclists We have al-ready signed up with cyclists welcome

Kind regards Dave and Linda Stonedavethecrown-inn-alvedistoncouk

Cycle Ink 155 6

e had a happyAGM with all the

groups putting in goodpositive reportsChairman Terryrsquos reportcan be read on theWessex Website atwwwwessexctcorgThe sad demise of theNuSuns experimentwas announcedhowever its revealedthat Dave Langley is

going to try with a different flavour with the Sunday Rouleurs See theirruns list at wwwbournemouthctcorgrouleurshtm We wish them everysuccessThe Sartain Cup for outstanding service to the club was awarded toMike Barrett for researching inaugurating and leading the newsuccessful Saturday Sixties ride He was presented with the trophy byBournemouth Chairman Terry WalshThe Freewheel Competition for 2009 was won by John Barnaby andthe trophy was presented by a staff member of Primera where JohnworksMargaret Phillpotts took the Riders Cup for her brave ride in the

London-EdinburghThis cup originally theBest All Rounder wasrenamed the RidersCup last year and isawarded for the mostimpressive cycling featin the year This wasjust the start forMargaret though asshe then went on toscoop the pool at theCTC Wessex AGM

By Keith MatthewsAGM and PRIZEGIVING

W

7 Cycle Ink 155

with two more trophies topolish for the coming yearShe was awarded the RonCook Rosebowl for bringingcredit to CTC Wessex with herPBP and LEL This trophy isawarded by the previousholders so if you fancy a shotat this cup next year stay inMargaretrsquos good booksShe also received the GeorgeKeith Award for riding in themost counties in one yearMargaret tells me ldquoIrsquom over themoon and it has really pleasedmy Mum who looks after mycat and the house wheneverIm away on a trip She isthrilledIt is 7 years to the day since Ifirst went on the Saturday rideand since then the Walshfamily seem to have helpedout at every twist and turn andIrsquod like to thank them both verymuchrdquoPenny and Damien Buckleytook the Don DickensonTrophy for best Newsletterarticle for the third year in arowFinally Stephen Gould wasawarded the Tourist Shield forbeing the highest placedBournemouth member in theCTC DATC competitionStephen was pleasedto get this as he putit ldquofor just riding mybikerdquo

Cycle Ink 155 8

Milestone near Crow

The Forgotten Road

SPORTS CONVENTION By Mike amp Terry Walsh

n the 23rd November 09St Peterrsquos School invited

Cycling in Bournemouth toexhibit at a SportsConvention they wereorganising Terry Walshreceived this notice and atvery short notice had a 1000leaflets printed by CTCBournemouth and puttogether a show that includedrollers and a turbo trainerBoth were a great hit with the100rsquos of students whoattended a large number ofwhom rode one or other ofthe bikes Robert Labudademonstrated riding therollers as each class enteredthe convention DarrenKenny also attended in hisBritish Cycling kit with one ofhis Olympic gold medalsEach student was offereddetails of the vast range of

options for cycling in the Bournemouth area and an invitation toparticipate in a special ride on the following Saturday Terry was alsoassisted by Gerry Gray Roger Villiers and myself The Sports Convention was very good lots of children and lots ofinterest We had competition from tennis surfing football and othersports but I think we attracted the most interest Lots were having a goon the rollers and the turbo trainer Robert Labuda showed them how toride the rollers (no handed) and then held them while they tried Mikehad a queue waiting to try and reach the highest speed on thecomputer Roger Villers and Gerry Gray helped out and Darren Kennycame along for the morning signing autographs and showing his goldmedals We got rid of most of the leaflets time will tell if it translatesinto members

Mike

Terry

O

9 Cycle Ink 155

Cycle Ink 155 10

ills Now Irsquove said the dreaded word which all Cyclos either love or hateyet they are the glory and exaltation of our cycling life Many of you will

remember a year or two ago possibly more I was known as the Eagle ofUpper Parkstone before agewithered the essential bits ofme and even old Ladies couldeasily repel my amorousadvances with a casual butwell directed flick of theirPension BooksWhen feeling depressed on aparticularly long climb I takeheart from the warm memoryof Chairman Terry coming offat a standstill on Stoke Wakehill while shouting the onlycrude profanity Irsquove ever

heard him utter In Dentist chairs or when receiving my Flu Jab it affords meimmense comfortThis year life handed me the ultimate insult when a heavily pregnant youngMummy with pushchair led me out over the Dol of the Dolndashdu-Bretagne whilelaughing and talking to her toddler luckily in French But inside me a veritablePantani or even a Dave L of Thursday Potterer fame is waiting to beunleashed causing leaders of the Peleton to turn ashen and blanch with fearas I flash past up Bulbarrow while from many throats ldquoThe Eagle flies againrdquowill be heardPerhaps losing weight may be the answer as most of the good climbers Iknow look as though a good meal would put them in Intensive Care while myown talent for putting food away has often been remarked upon On this matterI remember after a particularly joyous evening being a guest at one of John HrsquosFirework Beach Parties when we all arrived on our cycles and a convivialevening of imbibing and gluttony was much enjoyed Oh and there weresome fireworksThe evening terminated I faintly remember outside my favourite ParkstoneChinese Take-away while looking for my humble home which seemed to havebeen relocatedSuffice to say that after further culinary intake the inevitable happened andwhile hanging of the side of my bike like a Cossack Display Rider I executedthe famous Courtney Triple Piked Arched Back Throwup of such volume thatIrsquom told the council were still clearing up the following afternoon Needless to

The ldquoWhatrdquo of Upper Parkstone By Big Bob C

H

11 Cycle Ink 155

say I treated with disdain the ensuing stream of oriental invective directed atme on my subsequent visit over such a minor environmental matterTo return to the project in hand climbing Irsquove noticed the growing of whitebeards with the slight increase in weight this engenders leads to a trailing off of

climbing ability Appro Ray L Alan D indeed myself and the fact that as soonas Roger V close trimmed his beard even his fixed wheel couldnrsquot stop himfrom leaping away The thought will be perused further when I can find time offmy bikeRecently a TV scientific pundit was blathering about there being noexplanation as to why gravity was the weak force it was when logically itshould be far more powerful I snort with contempt the man was no cyclist Iknow for a fact that immediately upon entering Little Bredy hill an intensegravitational field forms around me of no ordinary intensity Stuff StephenHawkingrsquos Black Hole and Point of Singularity not only can light not escapebut it is touch and go whether I make it over the rim of that hill But Hill Climbscan be a life enhancing experience and in my own case produced an almostspiritually enlightened breakthrough when standing and honking hard on thepedals my foot cleat slipped sending my nether regions crashing onto the toptube Aaahh its at times like that when crouching in front of onersquos CyclingCompanions sobbing like a baby the world can seem a different placeNow rapidly moving on we must mention the Grand Hills the ones that haveentered our cycling legend to teach us how insignificant our puny legs are onthe bike A glorious Autumn comes to memory lazily pedaling around the

Cycle Ink 155 12

South-East corner of France with a small tent living on tomatoes as big as my er fist garlic fresh sticks of bread and a dozen different cheesessupplemented with occasional stops at the cool fruit farms where sat at thepicnic tables in the shade we made ourselves sticky with peaches apples etcBut all the time a vast presence began to impinge on my consciousnessgrowing ever larger as we travelled Eventually even when laughing smileswould half die as I glanced sideways at the mighty Mont Ventoux rearing upfrom the horizon Inevitable early one morning while waking it spoke as Iknew it would ldquoAre you readyrdquo It had to be climbed as I knew all along andindeed a few days later it was with tremendous effort and the ultimateignominy of trailing up to the summit a good half an hour after my good ladyBut enough rambling memories let us return to the excitement of the presentFirst of all many thanks for all the goodwill and messages of support for ourResidential Le Hotel du Velo Sportiv project discussed in our last newsletter Ihad no idea that so many were thinking along the same lines Finance israising a few problems at the moment but never mind our ship is launchedour hearts are stout and we are on our way One excellent piece of news isthat Jo and Mike G have applied to take up residence in the Bartali Suite Thejoy for our guests is that when not cycling and Jo has emphasized this pointshe will take up the position of Medical Officer for Le Hotel which means Jorsquosextensive medical knowledge will be directed toward our cycling healthThe only stipulation the House Committee have requested of her and Jo hasgraciously agreed is that she will refrain from wearing black stockings with thenurses uniform in order to avoid undue agitation among the residential maleBikies So we have filled two important positions Cafeacute Manageress asmentioned in the last Newsletter and now Medical Officer Can anything stopus nowLes H who has the supreme good fortune of having Wendy as a full timepartner or at least as long as her Bikes are properly maintained has raised aninteresting intellectual point The Hotel house motto as discussed previouslywas stated in English As Les quite rightly points out if we are to place this overthe entrance hall doorway decorum demands this be stated in Latin To thisend from the rarefied heights of academia he tends to inhabit he has providedthe appropriate translation for which he receives our heartfelt thanksldquoOn song and at full thrashrdquo becomes - ldquoIn carmen quod procul plenus thrashrdquo

Dear fellow Cyclists can ecstasy get any closer

Bob

13 Cycle Ink 155

Christchurch Bicycle Club organised a memorial ride to Breamore House on22nd August as a Saturday morning ride In memory of life long cyclist DavidMansell who passed away in January 2009 having suffered from face cancerfor two years Anne his wife wishes to say a big thank you to Steven Gray fororganising the ride and to all friends for their support and help Anne did theride on Stevens tandem all 41 miles Donations were made to Dorset Cancer Unit at Poole Hospital

Anne Mansell

Dave Mansell Memorial Ride

Cycle Ink 155 14

his hand made card was produced and the verse written by Peter du Lieu(campaigner and super tourist) and his wife Chris It was sent tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Ken McGregor of the Dawdlers He

together with Arthur Priddis and myself form the nucleus of the offshoot groupnamely The Tuesday Trotters

It all started oneThursdaymorning aboutthree years agoArthur announcedat the coffeebreak in Verwoodthat he intendedto give up clubcycling Thedoctor had saidldquono hillsldquo so hewas restricted tolocal rides aroundChristchurchHengistburyHead and theseafront

Ken I noticed was walking up more hills these days and reducing his numberof long rides I decided to suggest local afternoon rides to try and fill the gapleft by the loss of full days club runs for Ken and Arthur The starting point wasto be from Burton Green which was closer to our homes than the CTC starts Aleisurely pace takes us through the two fords at Waterditch and on around theback of rural Bransgore to South Ripley Here on the grassy triangle under theoak tree is a bench Fresh fruit is got out of saddlebags and the yarns beginMy inclusion in the group stems from the fact that I am a mere once a weekcyclist When I was a lad I was once seen out on my bike thrashing along by afellow clubman one mid week evening On the following Sunday ride heembarrassed me by asking ldquoWhat race were you out training for the othernightrdquo ldquoNo racerdquo I said ldquojust the club runldquo Its just the same these days If Imnot reasonably fit when Im out with the Christchurch Club I sometimesstruggle Hence the value to me of the Tuesday TrottersAlthough Kenrsquos earliest experiences of cycling go back to the days when herode sitting on the top tube of his brothers bike his first real cycling was spenttouring in the north of England with his family On one occasion they werecycling down a quiet valley and as they passed through a deserted village itoccurred to them that something was not quite right In those days the

The Tuesday Trotters By Brian Charles

T

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

9 Cycle Ink 155

Cycle Ink 155 10

ills Now Irsquove said the dreaded word which all Cyclos either love or hateyet they are the glory and exaltation of our cycling life Many of you will

remember a year or two ago possibly more I was known as the Eagle ofUpper Parkstone before agewithered the essential bits ofme and even old Ladies couldeasily repel my amorousadvances with a casual butwell directed flick of theirPension BooksWhen feeling depressed on aparticularly long climb I takeheart from the warm memoryof Chairman Terry coming offat a standstill on Stoke Wakehill while shouting the onlycrude profanity Irsquove ever

heard him utter In Dentist chairs or when receiving my Flu Jab it affords meimmense comfortThis year life handed me the ultimate insult when a heavily pregnant youngMummy with pushchair led me out over the Dol of the Dolndashdu-Bretagne whilelaughing and talking to her toddler luckily in French But inside me a veritablePantani or even a Dave L of Thursday Potterer fame is waiting to beunleashed causing leaders of the Peleton to turn ashen and blanch with fearas I flash past up Bulbarrow while from many throats ldquoThe Eagle flies againrdquowill be heardPerhaps losing weight may be the answer as most of the good climbers Iknow look as though a good meal would put them in Intensive Care while myown talent for putting food away has often been remarked upon On this matterI remember after a particularly joyous evening being a guest at one of John HrsquosFirework Beach Parties when we all arrived on our cycles and a convivialevening of imbibing and gluttony was much enjoyed Oh and there weresome fireworksThe evening terminated I faintly remember outside my favourite ParkstoneChinese Take-away while looking for my humble home which seemed to havebeen relocatedSuffice to say that after further culinary intake the inevitable happened andwhile hanging of the side of my bike like a Cossack Display Rider I executedthe famous Courtney Triple Piked Arched Back Throwup of such volume thatIrsquom told the council were still clearing up the following afternoon Needless to

The ldquoWhatrdquo of Upper Parkstone By Big Bob C

H

11 Cycle Ink 155

say I treated with disdain the ensuing stream of oriental invective directed atme on my subsequent visit over such a minor environmental matterTo return to the project in hand climbing Irsquove noticed the growing of whitebeards with the slight increase in weight this engenders leads to a trailing off of

climbing ability Appro Ray L Alan D indeed myself and the fact that as soonas Roger V close trimmed his beard even his fixed wheel couldnrsquot stop himfrom leaping away The thought will be perused further when I can find time offmy bikeRecently a TV scientific pundit was blathering about there being noexplanation as to why gravity was the weak force it was when logically itshould be far more powerful I snort with contempt the man was no cyclist Iknow for a fact that immediately upon entering Little Bredy hill an intensegravitational field forms around me of no ordinary intensity Stuff StephenHawkingrsquos Black Hole and Point of Singularity not only can light not escapebut it is touch and go whether I make it over the rim of that hill But Hill Climbscan be a life enhancing experience and in my own case produced an almostspiritually enlightened breakthrough when standing and honking hard on thepedals my foot cleat slipped sending my nether regions crashing onto the toptube Aaahh its at times like that when crouching in front of onersquos CyclingCompanions sobbing like a baby the world can seem a different placeNow rapidly moving on we must mention the Grand Hills the ones that haveentered our cycling legend to teach us how insignificant our puny legs are onthe bike A glorious Autumn comes to memory lazily pedaling around the

Cycle Ink 155 12

South-East corner of France with a small tent living on tomatoes as big as my er fist garlic fresh sticks of bread and a dozen different cheesessupplemented with occasional stops at the cool fruit farms where sat at thepicnic tables in the shade we made ourselves sticky with peaches apples etcBut all the time a vast presence began to impinge on my consciousnessgrowing ever larger as we travelled Eventually even when laughing smileswould half die as I glanced sideways at the mighty Mont Ventoux rearing upfrom the horizon Inevitable early one morning while waking it spoke as Iknew it would ldquoAre you readyrdquo It had to be climbed as I knew all along andindeed a few days later it was with tremendous effort and the ultimateignominy of trailing up to the summit a good half an hour after my good ladyBut enough rambling memories let us return to the excitement of the presentFirst of all many thanks for all the goodwill and messages of support for ourResidential Le Hotel du Velo Sportiv project discussed in our last newsletter Ihad no idea that so many were thinking along the same lines Finance israising a few problems at the moment but never mind our ship is launchedour hearts are stout and we are on our way One excellent piece of news isthat Jo and Mike G have applied to take up residence in the Bartali Suite Thejoy for our guests is that when not cycling and Jo has emphasized this pointshe will take up the position of Medical Officer for Le Hotel which means Jorsquosextensive medical knowledge will be directed toward our cycling healthThe only stipulation the House Committee have requested of her and Jo hasgraciously agreed is that she will refrain from wearing black stockings with thenurses uniform in order to avoid undue agitation among the residential maleBikies So we have filled two important positions Cafeacute Manageress asmentioned in the last Newsletter and now Medical Officer Can anything stopus nowLes H who has the supreme good fortune of having Wendy as a full timepartner or at least as long as her Bikes are properly maintained has raised aninteresting intellectual point The Hotel house motto as discussed previouslywas stated in English As Les quite rightly points out if we are to place this overthe entrance hall doorway decorum demands this be stated in Latin To thisend from the rarefied heights of academia he tends to inhabit he has providedthe appropriate translation for which he receives our heartfelt thanksldquoOn song and at full thrashrdquo becomes - ldquoIn carmen quod procul plenus thrashrdquo

Dear fellow Cyclists can ecstasy get any closer

Bob

13 Cycle Ink 155

Christchurch Bicycle Club organised a memorial ride to Breamore House on22nd August as a Saturday morning ride In memory of life long cyclist DavidMansell who passed away in January 2009 having suffered from face cancerfor two years Anne his wife wishes to say a big thank you to Steven Gray fororganising the ride and to all friends for their support and help Anne did theride on Stevens tandem all 41 miles Donations were made to Dorset Cancer Unit at Poole Hospital

Anne Mansell

Dave Mansell Memorial Ride

Cycle Ink 155 14

his hand made card was produced and the verse written by Peter du Lieu(campaigner and super tourist) and his wife Chris It was sent tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Ken McGregor of the Dawdlers He

together with Arthur Priddis and myself form the nucleus of the offshoot groupnamely The Tuesday Trotters

It all started oneThursdaymorning aboutthree years agoArthur announcedat the coffeebreak in Verwoodthat he intendedto give up clubcycling Thedoctor had saidldquono hillsldquo so hewas restricted tolocal rides aroundChristchurchHengistburyHead and theseafront

Ken I noticed was walking up more hills these days and reducing his numberof long rides I decided to suggest local afternoon rides to try and fill the gapleft by the loss of full days club runs for Ken and Arthur The starting point wasto be from Burton Green which was closer to our homes than the CTC starts Aleisurely pace takes us through the two fords at Waterditch and on around theback of rural Bransgore to South Ripley Here on the grassy triangle under theoak tree is a bench Fresh fruit is got out of saddlebags and the yarns beginMy inclusion in the group stems from the fact that I am a mere once a weekcyclist When I was a lad I was once seen out on my bike thrashing along by afellow clubman one mid week evening On the following Sunday ride heembarrassed me by asking ldquoWhat race were you out training for the othernightrdquo ldquoNo racerdquo I said ldquojust the club runldquo Its just the same these days If Imnot reasonably fit when Im out with the Christchurch Club I sometimesstruggle Hence the value to me of the Tuesday TrottersAlthough Kenrsquos earliest experiences of cycling go back to the days when herode sitting on the top tube of his brothers bike his first real cycling was spenttouring in the north of England with his family On one occasion they werecycling down a quiet valley and as they passed through a deserted village itoccurred to them that something was not quite right In those days the

The Tuesday Trotters By Brian Charles

T

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

Cycle Ink 155 10

ills Now Irsquove said the dreaded word which all Cyclos either love or hateyet they are the glory and exaltation of our cycling life Many of you will

remember a year or two ago possibly more I was known as the Eagle ofUpper Parkstone before agewithered the essential bits ofme and even old Ladies couldeasily repel my amorousadvances with a casual butwell directed flick of theirPension BooksWhen feeling depressed on aparticularly long climb I takeheart from the warm memoryof Chairman Terry coming offat a standstill on Stoke Wakehill while shouting the onlycrude profanity Irsquove ever

heard him utter In Dentist chairs or when receiving my Flu Jab it affords meimmense comfortThis year life handed me the ultimate insult when a heavily pregnant youngMummy with pushchair led me out over the Dol of the Dolndashdu-Bretagne whilelaughing and talking to her toddler luckily in French But inside me a veritablePantani or even a Dave L of Thursday Potterer fame is waiting to beunleashed causing leaders of the Peleton to turn ashen and blanch with fearas I flash past up Bulbarrow while from many throats ldquoThe Eagle flies againrdquowill be heardPerhaps losing weight may be the answer as most of the good climbers Iknow look as though a good meal would put them in Intensive Care while myown talent for putting food away has often been remarked upon On this matterI remember after a particularly joyous evening being a guest at one of John HrsquosFirework Beach Parties when we all arrived on our cycles and a convivialevening of imbibing and gluttony was much enjoyed Oh and there weresome fireworksThe evening terminated I faintly remember outside my favourite ParkstoneChinese Take-away while looking for my humble home which seemed to havebeen relocatedSuffice to say that after further culinary intake the inevitable happened andwhile hanging of the side of my bike like a Cossack Display Rider I executedthe famous Courtney Triple Piked Arched Back Throwup of such volume thatIrsquom told the council were still clearing up the following afternoon Needless to

The ldquoWhatrdquo of Upper Parkstone By Big Bob C

H

11 Cycle Ink 155

say I treated with disdain the ensuing stream of oriental invective directed atme on my subsequent visit over such a minor environmental matterTo return to the project in hand climbing Irsquove noticed the growing of whitebeards with the slight increase in weight this engenders leads to a trailing off of

climbing ability Appro Ray L Alan D indeed myself and the fact that as soonas Roger V close trimmed his beard even his fixed wheel couldnrsquot stop himfrom leaping away The thought will be perused further when I can find time offmy bikeRecently a TV scientific pundit was blathering about there being noexplanation as to why gravity was the weak force it was when logically itshould be far more powerful I snort with contempt the man was no cyclist Iknow for a fact that immediately upon entering Little Bredy hill an intensegravitational field forms around me of no ordinary intensity Stuff StephenHawkingrsquos Black Hole and Point of Singularity not only can light not escapebut it is touch and go whether I make it over the rim of that hill But Hill Climbscan be a life enhancing experience and in my own case produced an almostspiritually enlightened breakthrough when standing and honking hard on thepedals my foot cleat slipped sending my nether regions crashing onto the toptube Aaahh its at times like that when crouching in front of onersquos CyclingCompanions sobbing like a baby the world can seem a different placeNow rapidly moving on we must mention the Grand Hills the ones that haveentered our cycling legend to teach us how insignificant our puny legs are onthe bike A glorious Autumn comes to memory lazily pedaling around the

Cycle Ink 155 12

South-East corner of France with a small tent living on tomatoes as big as my er fist garlic fresh sticks of bread and a dozen different cheesessupplemented with occasional stops at the cool fruit farms where sat at thepicnic tables in the shade we made ourselves sticky with peaches apples etcBut all the time a vast presence began to impinge on my consciousnessgrowing ever larger as we travelled Eventually even when laughing smileswould half die as I glanced sideways at the mighty Mont Ventoux rearing upfrom the horizon Inevitable early one morning while waking it spoke as Iknew it would ldquoAre you readyrdquo It had to be climbed as I knew all along andindeed a few days later it was with tremendous effort and the ultimateignominy of trailing up to the summit a good half an hour after my good ladyBut enough rambling memories let us return to the excitement of the presentFirst of all many thanks for all the goodwill and messages of support for ourResidential Le Hotel du Velo Sportiv project discussed in our last newsletter Ihad no idea that so many were thinking along the same lines Finance israising a few problems at the moment but never mind our ship is launchedour hearts are stout and we are on our way One excellent piece of news isthat Jo and Mike G have applied to take up residence in the Bartali Suite Thejoy for our guests is that when not cycling and Jo has emphasized this pointshe will take up the position of Medical Officer for Le Hotel which means Jorsquosextensive medical knowledge will be directed toward our cycling healthThe only stipulation the House Committee have requested of her and Jo hasgraciously agreed is that she will refrain from wearing black stockings with thenurses uniform in order to avoid undue agitation among the residential maleBikies So we have filled two important positions Cafeacute Manageress asmentioned in the last Newsletter and now Medical Officer Can anything stopus nowLes H who has the supreme good fortune of having Wendy as a full timepartner or at least as long as her Bikes are properly maintained has raised aninteresting intellectual point The Hotel house motto as discussed previouslywas stated in English As Les quite rightly points out if we are to place this overthe entrance hall doorway decorum demands this be stated in Latin To thisend from the rarefied heights of academia he tends to inhabit he has providedthe appropriate translation for which he receives our heartfelt thanksldquoOn song and at full thrashrdquo becomes - ldquoIn carmen quod procul plenus thrashrdquo

Dear fellow Cyclists can ecstasy get any closer

Bob

13 Cycle Ink 155

Christchurch Bicycle Club organised a memorial ride to Breamore House on22nd August as a Saturday morning ride In memory of life long cyclist DavidMansell who passed away in January 2009 having suffered from face cancerfor two years Anne his wife wishes to say a big thank you to Steven Gray fororganising the ride and to all friends for their support and help Anne did theride on Stevens tandem all 41 miles Donations were made to Dorset Cancer Unit at Poole Hospital

Anne Mansell

Dave Mansell Memorial Ride

Cycle Ink 155 14

his hand made card was produced and the verse written by Peter du Lieu(campaigner and super tourist) and his wife Chris It was sent tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Ken McGregor of the Dawdlers He

together with Arthur Priddis and myself form the nucleus of the offshoot groupnamely The Tuesday Trotters

It all started oneThursdaymorning aboutthree years agoArthur announcedat the coffeebreak in Verwoodthat he intendedto give up clubcycling Thedoctor had saidldquono hillsldquo so hewas restricted tolocal rides aroundChristchurchHengistburyHead and theseafront

Ken I noticed was walking up more hills these days and reducing his numberof long rides I decided to suggest local afternoon rides to try and fill the gapleft by the loss of full days club runs for Ken and Arthur The starting point wasto be from Burton Green which was closer to our homes than the CTC starts Aleisurely pace takes us through the two fords at Waterditch and on around theback of rural Bransgore to South Ripley Here on the grassy triangle under theoak tree is a bench Fresh fruit is got out of saddlebags and the yarns beginMy inclusion in the group stems from the fact that I am a mere once a weekcyclist When I was a lad I was once seen out on my bike thrashing along by afellow clubman one mid week evening On the following Sunday ride heembarrassed me by asking ldquoWhat race were you out training for the othernightrdquo ldquoNo racerdquo I said ldquojust the club runldquo Its just the same these days If Imnot reasonably fit when Im out with the Christchurch Club I sometimesstruggle Hence the value to me of the Tuesday TrottersAlthough Kenrsquos earliest experiences of cycling go back to the days when herode sitting on the top tube of his brothers bike his first real cycling was spenttouring in the north of England with his family On one occasion they werecycling down a quiet valley and as they passed through a deserted village itoccurred to them that something was not quite right In those days the

The Tuesday Trotters By Brian Charles

T

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

11 Cycle Ink 155

say I treated with disdain the ensuing stream of oriental invective directed atme on my subsequent visit over such a minor environmental matterTo return to the project in hand climbing Irsquove noticed the growing of whitebeards with the slight increase in weight this engenders leads to a trailing off of

climbing ability Appro Ray L Alan D indeed myself and the fact that as soonas Roger V close trimmed his beard even his fixed wheel couldnrsquot stop himfrom leaping away The thought will be perused further when I can find time offmy bikeRecently a TV scientific pundit was blathering about there being noexplanation as to why gravity was the weak force it was when logically itshould be far more powerful I snort with contempt the man was no cyclist Iknow for a fact that immediately upon entering Little Bredy hill an intensegravitational field forms around me of no ordinary intensity Stuff StephenHawkingrsquos Black Hole and Point of Singularity not only can light not escapebut it is touch and go whether I make it over the rim of that hill But Hill Climbscan be a life enhancing experience and in my own case produced an almostspiritually enlightened breakthrough when standing and honking hard on thepedals my foot cleat slipped sending my nether regions crashing onto the toptube Aaahh its at times like that when crouching in front of onersquos CyclingCompanions sobbing like a baby the world can seem a different placeNow rapidly moving on we must mention the Grand Hills the ones that haveentered our cycling legend to teach us how insignificant our puny legs are onthe bike A glorious Autumn comes to memory lazily pedaling around the

Cycle Ink 155 12

South-East corner of France with a small tent living on tomatoes as big as my er fist garlic fresh sticks of bread and a dozen different cheesessupplemented with occasional stops at the cool fruit farms where sat at thepicnic tables in the shade we made ourselves sticky with peaches apples etcBut all the time a vast presence began to impinge on my consciousnessgrowing ever larger as we travelled Eventually even when laughing smileswould half die as I glanced sideways at the mighty Mont Ventoux rearing upfrom the horizon Inevitable early one morning while waking it spoke as Iknew it would ldquoAre you readyrdquo It had to be climbed as I knew all along andindeed a few days later it was with tremendous effort and the ultimateignominy of trailing up to the summit a good half an hour after my good ladyBut enough rambling memories let us return to the excitement of the presentFirst of all many thanks for all the goodwill and messages of support for ourResidential Le Hotel du Velo Sportiv project discussed in our last newsletter Ihad no idea that so many were thinking along the same lines Finance israising a few problems at the moment but never mind our ship is launchedour hearts are stout and we are on our way One excellent piece of news isthat Jo and Mike G have applied to take up residence in the Bartali Suite Thejoy for our guests is that when not cycling and Jo has emphasized this pointshe will take up the position of Medical Officer for Le Hotel which means Jorsquosextensive medical knowledge will be directed toward our cycling healthThe only stipulation the House Committee have requested of her and Jo hasgraciously agreed is that she will refrain from wearing black stockings with thenurses uniform in order to avoid undue agitation among the residential maleBikies So we have filled two important positions Cafeacute Manageress asmentioned in the last Newsletter and now Medical Officer Can anything stopus nowLes H who has the supreme good fortune of having Wendy as a full timepartner or at least as long as her Bikes are properly maintained has raised aninteresting intellectual point The Hotel house motto as discussed previouslywas stated in English As Les quite rightly points out if we are to place this overthe entrance hall doorway decorum demands this be stated in Latin To thisend from the rarefied heights of academia he tends to inhabit he has providedthe appropriate translation for which he receives our heartfelt thanksldquoOn song and at full thrashrdquo becomes - ldquoIn carmen quod procul plenus thrashrdquo

Dear fellow Cyclists can ecstasy get any closer

Bob

13 Cycle Ink 155

Christchurch Bicycle Club organised a memorial ride to Breamore House on22nd August as a Saturday morning ride In memory of life long cyclist DavidMansell who passed away in January 2009 having suffered from face cancerfor two years Anne his wife wishes to say a big thank you to Steven Gray fororganising the ride and to all friends for their support and help Anne did theride on Stevens tandem all 41 miles Donations were made to Dorset Cancer Unit at Poole Hospital

Anne Mansell

Dave Mansell Memorial Ride

Cycle Ink 155 14

his hand made card was produced and the verse written by Peter du Lieu(campaigner and super tourist) and his wife Chris It was sent tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Ken McGregor of the Dawdlers He

together with Arthur Priddis and myself form the nucleus of the offshoot groupnamely The Tuesday Trotters

It all started oneThursdaymorning aboutthree years agoArthur announcedat the coffeebreak in Verwoodthat he intendedto give up clubcycling Thedoctor had saidldquono hillsldquo so hewas restricted tolocal rides aroundChristchurchHengistburyHead and theseafront

Ken I noticed was walking up more hills these days and reducing his numberof long rides I decided to suggest local afternoon rides to try and fill the gapleft by the loss of full days club runs for Ken and Arthur The starting point wasto be from Burton Green which was closer to our homes than the CTC starts Aleisurely pace takes us through the two fords at Waterditch and on around theback of rural Bransgore to South Ripley Here on the grassy triangle under theoak tree is a bench Fresh fruit is got out of saddlebags and the yarns beginMy inclusion in the group stems from the fact that I am a mere once a weekcyclist When I was a lad I was once seen out on my bike thrashing along by afellow clubman one mid week evening On the following Sunday ride heembarrassed me by asking ldquoWhat race were you out training for the othernightrdquo ldquoNo racerdquo I said ldquojust the club runldquo Its just the same these days If Imnot reasonably fit when Im out with the Christchurch Club I sometimesstruggle Hence the value to me of the Tuesday TrottersAlthough Kenrsquos earliest experiences of cycling go back to the days when herode sitting on the top tube of his brothers bike his first real cycling was spenttouring in the north of England with his family On one occasion they werecycling down a quiet valley and as they passed through a deserted village itoccurred to them that something was not quite right In those days the

The Tuesday Trotters By Brian Charles

T

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

Cycle Ink 155 12

South-East corner of France with a small tent living on tomatoes as big as my er fist garlic fresh sticks of bread and a dozen different cheesessupplemented with occasional stops at the cool fruit farms where sat at thepicnic tables in the shade we made ourselves sticky with peaches apples etcBut all the time a vast presence began to impinge on my consciousnessgrowing ever larger as we travelled Eventually even when laughing smileswould half die as I glanced sideways at the mighty Mont Ventoux rearing upfrom the horizon Inevitable early one morning while waking it spoke as Iknew it would ldquoAre you readyrdquo It had to be climbed as I knew all along andindeed a few days later it was with tremendous effort and the ultimateignominy of trailing up to the summit a good half an hour after my good ladyBut enough rambling memories let us return to the excitement of the presentFirst of all many thanks for all the goodwill and messages of support for ourResidential Le Hotel du Velo Sportiv project discussed in our last newsletter Ihad no idea that so many were thinking along the same lines Finance israising a few problems at the moment but never mind our ship is launchedour hearts are stout and we are on our way One excellent piece of news isthat Jo and Mike G have applied to take up residence in the Bartali Suite Thejoy for our guests is that when not cycling and Jo has emphasized this pointshe will take up the position of Medical Officer for Le Hotel which means Jorsquosextensive medical knowledge will be directed toward our cycling healthThe only stipulation the House Committee have requested of her and Jo hasgraciously agreed is that she will refrain from wearing black stockings with thenurses uniform in order to avoid undue agitation among the residential maleBikies So we have filled two important positions Cafeacute Manageress asmentioned in the last Newsletter and now Medical Officer Can anything stopus nowLes H who has the supreme good fortune of having Wendy as a full timepartner or at least as long as her Bikes are properly maintained has raised aninteresting intellectual point The Hotel house motto as discussed previouslywas stated in English As Les quite rightly points out if we are to place this overthe entrance hall doorway decorum demands this be stated in Latin To thisend from the rarefied heights of academia he tends to inhabit he has providedthe appropriate translation for which he receives our heartfelt thanksldquoOn song and at full thrashrdquo becomes - ldquoIn carmen quod procul plenus thrashrdquo

Dear fellow Cyclists can ecstasy get any closer

Bob

13 Cycle Ink 155

Christchurch Bicycle Club organised a memorial ride to Breamore House on22nd August as a Saturday morning ride In memory of life long cyclist DavidMansell who passed away in January 2009 having suffered from face cancerfor two years Anne his wife wishes to say a big thank you to Steven Gray fororganising the ride and to all friends for their support and help Anne did theride on Stevens tandem all 41 miles Donations were made to Dorset Cancer Unit at Poole Hospital

Anne Mansell

Dave Mansell Memorial Ride

Cycle Ink 155 14

his hand made card was produced and the verse written by Peter du Lieu(campaigner and super tourist) and his wife Chris It was sent tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Ken McGregor of the Dawdlers He

together with Arthur Priddis and myself form the nucleus of the offshoot groupnamely The Tuesday Trotters

It all started oneThursdaymorning aboutthree years agoArthur announcedat the coffeebreak in Verwoodthat he intendedto give up clubcycling Thedoctor had saidldquono hillsldquo so hewas restricted tolocal rides aroundChristchurchHengistburyHead and theseafront

Ken I noticed was walking up more hills these days and reducing his numberof long rides I decided to suggest local afternoon rides to try and fill the gapleft by the loss of full days club runs for Ken and Arthur The starting point wasto be from Burton Green which was closer to our homes than the CTC starts Aleisurely pace takes us through the two fords at Waterditch and on around theback of rural Bransgore to South Ripley Here on the grassy triangle under theoak tree is a bench Fresh fruit is got out of saddlebags and the yarns beginMy inclusion in the group stems from the fact that I am a mere once a weekcyclist When I was a lad I was once seen out on my bike thrashing along by afellow clubman one mid week evening On the following Sunday ride heembarrassed me by asking ldquoWhat race were you out training for the othernightrdquo ldquoNo racerdquo I said ldquojust the club runldquo Its just the same these days If Imnot reasonably fit when Im out with the Christchurch Club I sometimesstruggle Hence the value to me of the Tuesday TrottersAlthough Kenrsquos earliest experiences of cycling go back to the days when herode sitting on the top tube of his brothers bike his first real cycling was spenttouring in the north of England with his family On one occasion they werecycling down a quiet valley and as they passed through a deserted village itoccurred to them that something was not quite right In those days the

The Tuesday Trotters By Brian Charles

T

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

13 Cycle Ink 155

Christchurch Bicycle Club organised a memorial ride to Breamore House on22nd August as a Saturday morning ride In memory of life long cyclist DavidMansell who passed away in January 2009 having suffered from face cancerfor two years Anne his wife wishes to say a big thank you to Steven Gray fororganising the ride and to all friends for their support and help Anne did theride on Stevens tandem all 41 miles Donations were made to Dorset Cancer Unit at Poole Hospital

Anne Mansell

Dave Mansell Memorial Ride

Cycle Ink 155 14

his hand made card was produced and the verse written by Peter du Lieu(campaigner and super tourist) and his wife Chris It was sent tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Ken McGregor of the Dawdlers He

together with Arthur Priddis and myself form the nucleus of the offshoot groupnamely The Tuesday Trotters

It all started oneThursdaymorning aboutthree years agoArthur announcedat the coffeebreak in Verwoodthat he intendedto give up clubcycling Thedoctor had saidldquono hillsldquo so hewas restricted tolocal rides aroundChristchurchHengistburyHead and theseafront

Ken I noticed was walking up more hills these days and reducing his numberof long rides I decided to suggest local afternoon rides to try and fill the gapleft by the loss of full days club runs for Ken and Arthur The starting point wasto be from Burton Green which was closer to our homes than the CTC starts Aleisurely pace takes us through the two fords at Waterditch and on around theback of rural Bransgore to South Ripley Here on the grassy triangle under theoak tree is a bench Fresh fruit is got out of saddlebags and the yarns beginMy inclusion in the group stems from the fact that I am a mere once a weekcyclist When I was a lad I was once seen out on my bike thrashing along by afellow clubman one mid week evening On the following Sunday ride heembarrassed me by asking ldquoWhat race were you out training for the othernightrdquo ldquoNo racerdquo I said ldquojust the club runldquo Its just the same these days If Imnot reasonably fit when Im out with the Christchurch Club I sometimesstruggle Hence the value to me of the Tuesday TrottersAlthough Kenrsquos earliest experiences of cycling go back to the days when herode sitting on the top tube of his brothers bike his first real cycling was spenttouring in the north of England with his family On one occasion they werecycling down a quiet valley and as they passed through a deserted village itoccurred to them that something was not quite right In those days the

The Tuesday Trotters By Brian Charles

T

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

Cycle Ink 155 14

his hand made card was produced and the verse written by Peter du Lieu(campaigner and super tourist) and his wife Chris It was sent tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Ken McGregor of the Dawdlers He

together with Arthur Priddis and myself form the nucleus of the offshoot groupnamely The Tuesday Trotters

It all started oneThursdaymorning aboutthree years agoArthur announcedat the coffeebreak in Verwoodthat he intendedto give up clubcycling Thedoctor had saidldquono hillsldquo so hewas restricted tolocal rides aroundChristchurchHengistburyHead and theseafront

Ken I noticed was walking up more hills these days and reducing his numberof long rides I decided to suggest local afternoon rides to try and fill the gapleft by the loss of full days club runs for Ken and Arthur The starting point wasto be from Burton Green which was closer to our homes than the CTC starts Aleisurely pace takes us through the two fords at Waterditch and on around theback of rural Bransgore to South Ripley Here on the grassy triangle under theoak tree is a bench Fresh fruit is got out of saddlebags and the yarns beginMy inclusion in the group stems from the fact that I am a mere once a weekcyclist When I was a lad I was once seen out on my bike thrashing along by afellow clubman one mid week evening On the following Sunday ride heembarrassed me by asking ldquoWhat race were you out training for the othernightrdquo ldquoNo racerdquo I said ldquojust the club runldquo Its just the same these days If Imnot reasonably fit when Im out with the Christchurch Club I sometimesstruggle Hence the value to me of the Tuesday TrottersAlthough Kenrsquos earliest experiences of cycling go back to the days when herode sitting on the top tube of his brothers bike his first real cycling was spenttouring in the north of England with his family On one occasion they werecycling down a quiet valley and as they passed through a deserted village itoccurred to them that something was not quite right In those days the

The Tuesday Trotters By Brian Charles

T

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

15 Cycle Ink 155

countryside was a working environment and to see no-one about was verystrange As the valley wound its way downwards the group realised that

something else was wrong There were no animals The desolate countrysidemade them all feel very uneasy The quietness was uncanny No sound ofpeople or animals just the whirring of tyres on tarmac It was frightening Alittle further down the valley all became clear Therein front of of them rose the

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

Cycle Ink 155 16

wall of an immense dam The route that they had just covered was soon to beflooded and a huge reservoir would replace the quiet valleyWhen Arthur was a mere lad of sixty he decided to undertake an epic cycletour around the coast of England What a way to celebrate his retirement andfreedom Every Tuesday sitting on the bench at Ripley we are treated toanother episode from the tale of the grand tour At the end of one days arduous ride Arthur tried to get a BampB at a more upmarket establishment than usual On being told that the only room availablewas the Bridal Suite Arthur said ldquothat will do can I take my bike uprdquoldquoNo sir Im afraid that wont be possiblerdquo said the man Arthur turned awayand hit the road againAccommodation just for one night proved to be one of Arthurrsquos biggestchallenges Riding for several days in the same direction sometimes with thewind against him was another The highlights of this tour were however theferry rides Crossing estuaries like the Thames Humber and Severn and thetransporter bridge over the Tees were a real bonusI told Ken and Arthur while we sat on the bench finishing our fruitof my days ina racing club I spent most of my time trying to convert members to touringOne recollection was of training sessions in the company of Hughie Porter Hewas the four times World Pursuit Champion and became the BBC cyclingcommentator He was the original ldquomotor mouthrdquoBut my most valued memories are those gained with the Rough StuffFellowship One day after I had left the group in the Yorkshire Dales I foundmyself three miles off the road at the top of Gordale Scar This is a hugelimestone gorge ending in a dramatic rocky waterfall The walkers route downinto the valley and the roadwas beside the falls and was more of a rock climbthan a scramble I decided to attempt the decent by way of the adjacent scree slope My heavysaddlebag however made the bike so unstable it broke loose from my grip onthe slope I had to remove it and make two journeys to the valley bottom Onmy scramble down I tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered watching theidiot with the bike ldquohes not lost his way - hes lost his marblesrdquo I thought Iheard them sayOver the years the Tuesday Trotters have had guest appearances by DavidMansel with talk of his Hetchins and Flying Gate Not merely bikes but worksof art These days we are often joined by Lawrence Sutcliffe with hisexperiences of mountain rescue in the Lake DistrictThis birthday card triggered off memories of the numerous yarns that wereexchanged on that bench at Ripley on Tuesday afternoons Therides are not very exciting but the memories certainly areHappy days Brian

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

17 Cycle Ink 155

I like mermaids They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails How domermaids get pregnant (Helen age 6)

Oystersrsquo balls are called pearls (James age 6) This is a picture of an Octopus It has eight testicles (Kelly age 6) If you are surrounded by sea you are an island If you donrsquot have any sea

around you you are incontinent (Wayne age 7) Sharks are ugly and mean and have big teeth just like Emily Shersquos not my

friend any more (Kylie age 6) When the ships had sails they used to use the trade winds Sometimes

when the wind didnrsquot blow the sailors would whistle to make the windcome My brother said they should eat beans (William age 7)

Some fish are dangerous and jellyfish can sting Electric Eels can give youa shock They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they haveto plug themselves into chargers (Christopher age 7)

When you go swimming in the sea it is very cold and it makes my willysmall (Kevin age 6)

Divers have to be safe when they go under the water Two divers canrsquot godown alone so they have to go down on each other (Becky age 8)

Irsquom not going to write about the sea My baby brother is always screamingand being sick My Dad keeps shouting at my Mum and my big sister hasjust got pregnant so I canrsquot think what to write (Amy age 6)

Children Writing About the Sea

Alternative DictionaryCLAUSTROPHOBIA Fear of Father ChristmasCOFFEE Someone who has been coughed onCOLONNADE Fizzy enemaCOMATOSE Feet gone deadCONCURRENT Looks like a raisin but isnrsquotCOPULATE Poor Police response timeCRECHE Vehicle collision in KensingtonCUSTARD Swear after stepping in somethingDAMNATION HollandDANDELION Big camp CatDEBASEMENT Floor below ground levelDENTIST Man who fixes damaged carsDILATE Live a long timeDISAPPEAR To insult a LordDISINCLINE Dat HillDOSSIER French tramp

Excerpts from C to D

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

Cycle Ink 155 18

Nineteen cyclists from the four member groups of Wessex attended themeeting held in Wool After the shenanigans of last yearrsquos AGM when thenew member group structure was hammered out this yearrsquos meeting wasa more relaxed affairThere were two resignations President Norman Payne is standing downas he is not cycling due to ill health Hopefully Norman will stay in touchand be involved in the St Lo twinning in 2011 And Ken Reed isrelinquishing his role as Dorset Right To Ride rep Ken has done anenormous amount of work over the last few years sometimes banging hishead against a brick wall but nevertheless achieving benefits for localcycling Ken will continue to be involved in the Weymouth Connect2Rodwell TrailWhich leaves us with Malcolm Howell as our new president and a vacancyfor Dorset Right to Ride rep If anyone out there is interested please get intouchThere were three motions

continued problems with membership renewals asking that it be broughtback ldquoin-houserdquo

updated the old one to bring it in line with the new member group structureAfter a few tweaks it was all sorted and adopted

Things to look forward to in 2010 include Wessex Grand Meets whenmember groups can meet up a number of open AUDAX type events andfor 2011 our centenary year the CTC National AGM amp Dinner at theOlympic Sailing Academy on Portland and our St Lo friends joining us forthe Twinning Any ideas for this itrsquos not too soon to be thinkingThis is only a quick summary The full minutes and all the annual reportscan be found on the CTC Wessex websiteResponse from Kevin Mayne regarding CTC Membership ServicesKevin sent me a lengthy letter outlining the reasons for outsourcingMembership including the efforts to sort out problems which had arisenover the last few years It seems that the staff at HQ could not cope withthe demands from the increasing membership To fulfil membersexpectations would have involved setting up call centres databasesmailing houses etc all at great cost in time and money The club is notlarge enough to justify the investment This is the reason membershipservices were outsourced Kevin did emphasise that there had been an

CTC Wessex AGM Report By Peter Loakes

19 Cycle Ink 155

ongoing downward trend in complaints over the last 4 years but mentionedthat the local problems raised by Terry Walsh had never been fully sortedHowever Kevin did urge members with specific attributable complaints tolet him know about their problems If you could copy me in as well Irsquoll makesure any problems are followed upTo end on a practical note after months of dodging wayward bramblesuckers encroaching the West Stafford to Dorchester cycleway I cycledinto Dorchester armed with a pair of secateurs today So you can nowcycle in the knowledge that your shins are safe at least between here andDorchester

Peter LoakesSecretary CTC Wessex

For any Sunday riders looking for a new challenge starting in January 2010 there willnow be another option available in addition to the existing Inters and Potterers rides

The objective of the group will be to provide slightly faster and longer rides than theInters currently offer Overall speed is expected to average about 15mph with distancescovered ranging from about 75 miles in winter to around 90 in summer and finishingtimes being around 4pm in winter and 6pm in summer

Another goal of the new group will be to have longer runs of about 20-25 miles (ieabout 90 minutes riding time) between refreshment stops and to select suitable morn-ing coffee stops to allow people to leave the ride and return home after coffee havingstill had a reasonably long ride by the time they get home Example coffee stop loca-tions to be used will be Athelhampton Cadnam Gillingham and Pythouse and forlunch will be Harnham Milborne Port Pitton and Stourton Caundle

Rouleurs rides will be available to all Sunday riders who want to participate in this sortof ride and it is understood that a number of people will mix and match with the otherSunday ride options as required In order to add more variety and interest to the routeschosen between the selected locations the target will be to have a number of differentpeople leading the rides

For more information on the proposed Rouleurs rides in 1st quarter 2010 please go tothe club website at wwwbournemouthctcorg or contact either of the following sec-tion leaders Dave Langley at daveandsuelangleybtinternetcom or Mike Barrett atbmikebarrettntlworldcom

Sunday Rouleurs By Dave Langley

Cycle Ink 155 20

The committee meeting date is the deadline for Newsletter contributions Editorialpolicy is to print all contributions with minimal editing for the purposes of layoutonly Contribute by any way you like Photographs are welcome in any form

httpwwwbournemouthctcorgldquoCycleInkrdquo is the Newsletter of CTC Bournemouth a division of the CTC Wessex Member Group of the

Cyclistsrsquo Touring Club Published four times a year for members Views expressed are not necessarilythose of the club

Contributions and Photographs

Informal Wayfarers Rides to BurleyThis ride happens every Saturday and is completely informal There is no leaderand no back up but generally an experienced cyclist somewhere around Theroute is designed for beginners but joined in by all abilities

Start 0845 at Waitrose Supermarket Christchurch every SaturdayOr 0900 at The Oak PH Burton

Or just make your own way to the NewForest Tea Rooms Burley for 1000