Leaving from Brookside Pharmacy at 9:00am.

Please read the section titled COVID-19.

• RIDE CAPTAIN: Nick Barber
  
• PACE: 14-16mph (Average pace over standard terrain)
• DISTANCE: 50 miles / 80 km
• ROUTE URL: https://www.strava.com/routes/23721094
• ROUTE GPX FILE: https://www.strava.com/routes/23721094/export_gpx
• TERRAIN: UNDULATING
• ELEVATION: 2604 ft / 794 m
• KOM POINTS: N/A
  
• PROFILE:

DESCRIPTION

CAFE STOP: Old School Tea Rooms, Carburton

With this 50 mile amber ride I thought it would be nice to explore the beauty of Clumber Park in a little more depth so with that in mind nearly 7 miles of the route is within the Park boundaries. However, we’ll spurn any of the potential Park café options as being insufficiently speedy (service-wise), overly expensive and too fussy over things like cleats and mud and will therefore stop at one of the Club’s favourite coffee stops instead.

For a rare change we start the ride by heading south from HQ along Pleasley Road and turning off for Ulley. This will probably make me extremely unpopular because it means having to tackle Reservoir Road before the legs have even started to get warmed up but once we’re at the top most of the initial climbing is over and we can concentrate on some nice flat cycling which eventually enables us to cross the A57 at Anston and the railway line at Kiveton before using an under-utilised lane, Manor Road, which takes us neatly up to Harthill. A combination of lovely rolling landscapes enables us to eat up the miles as we pass through Elmton, Whaley Common and on to Holbeck and Norton before arriving at our café stop, The Old School House at Carburton. It is from here that we enter the Park and marvel at the number of lime trees on both sides of Lime Tree Avenue, the longest such avenue in Europe. Once the home of the Duke of Newcastle, Clumber is now owned by the National Trust. It covers 3,800 acres of parkland, lakes and woods and plays host to nearly 700,000 visitors each year.

Upon leaving Clumber we cross the A57 again and cycle straight into urban Worksop from where we ride seemlessly through the town and onwards to Carlton in Lindrick from where we turn westwards and pass through Woodsetts and Firbeck before the familiar route home culminating in a sprint finish down Royds to get our first pint ordered.

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What do you need?

Helmets are required and carry at least one spare inner tube plus a basic tool kit comprising a minimum of:

• Multi-tool
• Tyre levers
• Chain tool (chain breaker)
• One inner tube (preferably two)
• Spanner (with multiple size holes, helps with brake/pedal situations)
• Spoke key
• Mini pump (or gas canisters and valve)
• An emergency tenner (useful at the cafe stop if nothing else)

In the Winter months, riders should have full-length mudguards and preferably a mudguard flap - it helps to keep our kit clean!

Our no-drop policy applies to every club ride so there will usually be a tool for the job amongst us somewhere and hands-on deck to help out. However, it's still wise to carry a toolkit of your own in case you have to head back home alone for any reason. More information can be found on our site here: www.sitwell.cc/club-rides

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Rules of the road

Everyone on a club ride needs to take responsibility for the safety of others as well as for themselves. In order to ensure our rides remain safe as well as good fun, we ask all our members to follow some basic rules and standards of cycling etiquette. If you're considering just doing part of this ride we would recommend you familiarise yourself with the area and/or bring a map of some kind. However, if you ask the Road Captain they will help as much as possible in directing you. Please let someone know if you leave the ride/group as we don't want to waste time searching for you if nothing is wrong. If you are struggling in any way don't suffer in silence, please let the Road Captain know so they can help if possible.

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CALLS & HAND SIGNALS

▪ "All on" – referring to the group has now reformed as one, and the pace can now return to ‘standard’ or a suitable pace (sometimes lower than standard if later in the ride).

▪ "Car back" – where a car is coming up the group from the rear.

▪ "Car front" – where a car is coming down the group from the front.

▪ "Inside" (often accompanied by pointing) – alerting to potholes, gully drain or general hazards kerbside of the two columns of riders, where action is required to avoid.

▪ "Knock it off" – referring to someone having been dropped from the group and the immediate need to slow the pace out of courtesy to bring them back.

▪ "Middle" (often accompanied by pointing) – alerting to potholes, speed humps or general hazards between the two columns of riders, where action is required to avoid.

▪ "Out" (often accompanied by left arm behind back) – meaning the group must avoid parked cars or a hazard by riding out into the road.

▪ "Outside" (often accompanied by pointing) – alerting to potholes, manhole covers or general hazards roadside of the two columns of riders, where action is required to avoid.

▪ "Single out" – indicating that the road is possibly not conducive to riding 2 abreast, the outside riders should move behind the rider to their left forming a single line.

▪ "Slowing" (often accompanied by raising right arm up and down) – meaning that the group should temporarily slow its pace, sometimes to allow lights to change, or cars to turn into a junction.

▪ "Stopping" (accompanied with an arm in the air) – simply that we're stopping.

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COVID-19

We expect all attendees to follow all guidance currently in place as set out by the government. Ride Captains will choose a café stop that has outside seating and doesn’t require booking. Then the choice to sit inside or not is yours. If anyone in your household is displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, please do not attend a ride. You will be asked to leave immediately.

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Disclaimer

This is an opportunity to meet up for a ride with others and socialise. Although someone will be determining the route you are ultimately responsible for your own actions.