One of our favourite ride formats is the Transit ride, a long-ish one-way ride to a destination followed by a train home laced with beers and sausage rolls (non-alocholic and vegan options also available). Popular destinations are Norwich and in previous years we’ve reversed the Dunwich Dynamo route and got the train back from London after settling on London Fields with a couple of beers, watching the night riders head off.

On a similar tangent we’re looking to hone in on the light touring/bike-packing theme after a successful trip to Hunstanton last year. The themes being bikes, beers and bivvy bags (weather permitting…) Keep your eye on the members’ Strava page!

We also organise regular social and curry nights, lead by one of our most “sociable” members Andy Colsell. To date these have been at the fantastic Ghurka Restaurant just off Abbey Fields with a few beers at a nearby pub of choice!

Here at Colvelo we love the Spring Classics, and try to screen 1-2 each year. In 2018 we are showing Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix at Queen Street Brewhouse, Colchester. A great chance to catch some pro racing, drink beer and maybe even win the sweepstake! The MSR screening will follow a casual local ride, distilling what we do into a single day. Keep an eye on the Strava Members’ Club for details.

On top of that we organise two bike jumbles every year, a good chance to get some cheap parts for a build or make space in the garage for your next bike! We make sure as many local riders, clubs and organisations get involved, e.g. Re-Cycle who’ve had a presence at both jumbles so far. These are usually run in conjunction with Colchester Bike Kitchen, a project that encourages you to fix your own bike under the guidance of experts, lubricated with plenty of tea and for a small donation which would hardly get you an inner tube in most bike shops.

All of the above is in addition to the 1,000’s of kilometers on offer with the club, both on the road and gravel tracks in the area. Memberships are due for renewal on 1st March 2018, and for £25/10 second claim the above is pretty good value!

The post Besides the rides! appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

Happy new year to all our members. Both those who’ve ridden with us in the past, and those who are thinking of riding with us in 2018.

We’ve already got the season off to a great start, with both our regular Saturday Club Run and Coffee & Canvas rides logging some glorious kilometres this month.

Subs
A reminder that annual subscriptions for club membership are due 1st March 2018. The good news is fees remain unchanged at £25 for full membership, and £10 for second claim. We also offer a discounted rate for under 16s.

To whet your appetites ahead of sub renewal, we wanted to remind you all how regular ColVelo rides are structured, as well as what’s new for 2018.

Saturday Club Rides
The Saturday Club ride remains a staple of the club’s regular offerings; a variety of routes exploring the lanes of East Anglia with short 70km Tendering loops extending out to 140km rides to Orford, and everything in between. Whilst not a structured ride, the focus is on steady progress whilst maintaining a “no-drops” policy. Naturally during winter shorter rides are prevalent in order to keep spirits high, with the distances lengthening once the clocks spring forward! Of course a coffee stop is always scheduled. Rides meet at Crouch Street Bakes at 0800, wheels rolling at 0830 unless notified otherwise.

Coffee & Canvas
ColVelo’s flagship rides, running all year round. Coffee & Canvas is a great introduction for newcomers to the club, and a way to meet and get to know your cycling brethren. As a socially oriented ride, distances are generally between 40 and 65 kilometres, with a relaxed pace of around 23km/h. Rides go out from the town centre every Sunday morning at 9am, returning by lunchtime and hopefully allowing for a bit of a chat along the way!

We are also hoping to develop C&C to offer the odd all-day ride over the summer, visiting some historical points of interest or maybe just the coast for some ice cream.

The ethos behind C&C is cycling as an activity, not a sport, so we look forward to seeing you for some social cycling.

ColVelo Espresso
An evolution of our Summer Sunday offerings. With ColVelo Espresso we want to offer something a little more spirited to compliment our Coffee & Canvas Rides.

Starting in May, we’ll be running regular, shorter, sharper rides on a Sunday morning, without being as structured as a chain gang. The rides will be around 90 minutes, on some well surfaced roads with an eye on being home before anybody knows you’ve gone!

These rides are a chance to stretch the legs and get your lungs working even if you’ve not got a lot of time. Keep your eyes on our Strava club page for more details in the not too distant future.

ColVelo GraVelo
The original and best GraVelo! At the start of Summer 2017 we began experimenting with our now popular GraVelo rides.

Recent years have seen the rise of the gravel bike and dedicated events springing up more and more. At ColVelo we’ve spent the last year seeking out the best of the local ribinou, tracks, trails and bridle paths for our members enjoyment. With plenty of local knowledge, we manage to mix routes ranging from 30km to 120km and many more planned! After a successful trip to the wilds of Northumberland and the Kielder Forest last summer, plans are already in place for the second ColVelo GraVelo tour to Mid Wales this June.

Until now GraVelo has been exclusive to members of ColVelo, but from this year we’ll be offering club rides as part of our regular ride rotation.

Accept no substitutes, dust down that CX, Gravel or MTB and join ColVelo to ride the best of the local GRAVELO!

The Monuments.
They’re what we’re famous for: the pinnacle of ColVelo long distance riding!

We offer five epic monthly rides from April to August, each ranging from 220km to 310km. They’re a genuine test for the legs, exploring all corners of East Anglia on some fantastic routes we’ve honed over the years.

Whether you target a single ride or aim to complete all five, these rides are a real highlight of our calendar. Not to mention there’s a snazzy t-shirt on offer for anyone who does manage a clean sweep in a single season…

Links
Strava: ColVelo
Instagram: @colvelo_collective 
Twitter: @colVeloCC
Facebook: /ColVeloCC

We hope the above gives enough information about the variety of riding offered by Colvelo in 2018, as always please refer to the club Strava page for solid ride plans and GPX files. If there’s anything else you need to know, hit us up on a ride or the social media links above!

Best regards,

The ColVelo Collective.

The post 2018 ride plans appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

“I’ve been meaning to ride with the ColVelo boys for ages but never quite managed it. Usually because I had a race coming up or couldn’t justify a whole day biking. Turns out that coming weekend was the first of their five monuments, the 250km Ronde van Anglia. How Rob must have laughed when I asked if they had anything big planned! This was something completely different for me but it seemed like a great way to just get out, ride my bike and remember why I fell in love with cycling.

I managed to rope in a club mate, Patrick, who seems to think anything less than 100km is popping to the shops. I say rope in, he was like a kid at Christmas. So we met the Colvelo boys just outside Colchester at 7 am. There were a couple of guys I knew from other rides, including Will who I haven’t seen in years, since I first joined the shop rides and got dropped every week. He’s since done LEJOG and I’ve since lost about 4 stone! It’s good sometimes to consider where you’ve come from, it’s often a lot further than you think. There were about 11-12 of us on a mixture of typical carbon and aluminium road bikes, a few sets of deep sections, at least one vintage racer, two rather beautiful all road Surlys and Liam on a fixie. But then if anyone is going to do that, it’s the guy racing the Transcontinental Race in July. Most had frame bags or saddle bags. I just had pockets so I’d been pretty limited with my packing. No gillet, no leg warmers or gloves as I just didn’t have the space for when they came off. Gloves were missed in the morning for sure! The only changes to my regular kit was an extra tube, some gas, a small power pack for my ageing Garmin and a bag of Percy pigs, sorted! Next stop Cambridgeshire.

The weather had looked good for the day but soon it became apparent that we were in for a corker. Tan lines ahoy! I wasn’t sure what to expect other than a lot of strong legs. The guys were all really friendly and it was interesting to hear how many of them had tried out the other, more traditional, Colchester clubs (my own included) before choosing ColVelo. Patrick had told anyone that would listen that I only rode for 3 hours (cheeky bugger!) so I answered that question about eight times. There was probably a sweep stake on when my legs would fall off. The collective has a really chilled ethos with a much bigger focus on where you are going than how fast you get there. Don’t get me wrong we were chipping along quite nicely in places but the absence of heroics was refreshing (FYI, I’m often guilty of heroics) and it was fantastic just taking in the sights and having a chat along the way. The main topic being would Boonen go out with a win the next day (edit – at Paris-Roubaix!).

Newmarket was the first stop after about 120km so we were well on our way to 250km by the time we stopped. The sun was out and the other perk of long distances is real food! No cake guilt, just straight into a bacon toastie. After Newmarket we continued north before swinging east across the bottom of Thetford Forest. This was probably my favourite section. The sun was out, my legs were feeling good and the countryside was wide open. Smooth, quiet roads and a gentle tailwind kept the group ticking along nicely. We swung into a pub in Thurston wth about 180-190km in the legs. Obviously I could feel that but considering I only ride 3 hours at a time (eh Patrick!) I was feeling pretty good. James in the shop (Cycle Evolution) has spent a fair amount of time helping me tweaking my bike fit over the last couple of years as we’ve changed bars etc beyond my initial fit and I think it’s pretty much spot on. I hadn’t even raised the bar height from my usual racing position and my back, shoulders, knees etc. were fine.

Setting off from Thurston was probably the point it dawned on me how much further we had to go. Even with 190k ticked off we still had at least 60k left before getting back to Colchester. We took a scenic route in past Lavenham and Hadleigh, not entirely appreciated by this point! A final pit stop in Lavenham for a giant cookie, an Oreo ice cream sandwich and a can of coke and we were on the home stretch. 13 hours and 260km after leaving the house I grovelled home. I don’t ride this far often and it takes some getting used to having that much fatigue in the legs. I find it feels like your FTP is dropping point by point as you go on, by the end getting over 200w feels like 500w!

Its difficult to fit this type of adventure around my racing but if you have the chance give something like this a try, I highly recommend it! It was so completely different to what I usually do and I loved it. Mojo fully restored. With a TSS of around 375 I still felt wrecked three days later. The tan lines are looking great though!”

Thanks for the write up Peter, only four more to go and you’re the proud owner of a Colvelo Monuments T-shirt!

The post RVA 2017 report by Peter Shaw appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

Happy new year everybody. With those GPS stats and ride data zeroed for another year, for many January is the time to make a plan for the months ahead. Be that Winter training for a specific summer goal, a structured plan on how to up that annual mileage, or just looking for ways to explore more.  When it comes to regular club riding, challenging days out and a spark of adventure we’d like to think we’ve covered a few of those bases for 2017 and beyond….

Club Rides – They run all year…Rain or Shine!

The motivation required to roll out of the front door in winter can be a strain. But knowing there are others heading out on those dark mornings for a club ride may help get you in the zone. Our winter rides are great way to craft form and base fitness for the year ahead. Unless otherwise stated our weekends usually follow a similar pattern, and while many will be aware of the format we’ve been running, for those discovering ColVelo for the first time here’s a short breakdown…

Saturday Club Rides  – 0800 Meet for coffee at Crouch Street Bakes before an 0830 roll out. Anything goes on a Saturday, ranging from a short sharp 50km to a 200km winter/spring/summer/autumn epic. Always changing and always trying to keep the routes interesting. A great way to kick off you weekend. No drops unless stated, pace usually being spirited.

Sunday Club Rides (bi-weekly as advised – Distance 40-80km)– 0830 Meet for coffee at Café Nero before an 0900 roll out. Usually on the shorter side and maxing out around 80km but remaining varied as you would expect with ColVelo. No drops unless stated, pace usually being spirited.

Sunday – ColVelo Coffee and Canvas Rides (bi-weekly as advised – Distance 40-65km)– Same meet and roll time as the usual Sunday ride. But generally a more inclusive pace with a focus on a good venue for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. Taking in many of the nice lanes that surround Colchester. (24kph-ish average) – This has grown to be a popular entry point for our longer ColVelo club rides.

The ColVelo Monuments 2017

After two successful years running the now popular ColVelo Monuments, 2017 has seen a refresh and a revision to the schedule. The London Fields Omanyd (Reverse Dynamo) is replaced with the Epic Broadlands Brevet and Exposed Coastal Explorer. The routes have been finessed and dates set. With five monuments this year we have spread these rides out evenly from April to August. 1,274km Total Distance. Mark your diaries and keep an eye out for details coming soon on our Strava page.

Not yet receiving our weekly emails detailing all the rides going out? Join up here; https://www.strava.com/clubs/ColVelo

Beyond Your Average Club Ride

ColVelo is a club driven by member input and ideas. Be that a suggestion for something sedate involving a recommended pub beer garden, or the prospect of a big day followed by a bivvy on a beach. We’ve been inundated with feedback and suggestions for things to do in 2017. Our third trip to Wales filled up as soon as the email went out. Weekends have been planned to explore the further reaches of wild Northumberland and some have even decided to ride across a continent….!? Anything goes at ColVelo. Our philosophy lies firmly in riding for the love, and for the hell of it.

We’re proud to offer some of the biggest variety in club riding the area has to offer. All in the form of a small and welcoming cycling collective.

For more information contact us as colvelo@outlook.com

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Words by Rob Harwood

The post …and into 2017! appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

Membership

The number of Colvelo riders grew in 2016, a big plus for us being one of the fringe clubs in the area, and given there is a finite pool of riders. Colvelo members also participated in a big range of riding; cyclo-cross racing, time-trials, hill climbs and Audaxes. The club also offers second claim membership to any curious members of other local or far-flung clubs, to compliment the riding they do already. More information can be sought on the social media channels or colvelo@outlook.com.

Coffee and Canvas

An idea spawned by club stalwart Andy Colsell, combining the three elements which define the club – sociable rides on great roads, powered by good coffee (cans of Old Speckled Hen have also been consumed on occasion!). This has been a success on many fronts, drawing new members to a shorter distance and condensed ride format, allowing Saturday riders to recover from the previous day’s exertions or the more ambitious to tag some extra kilometres either before or after.

Monument rides

The four staple Colvelo rides – Ronde van Anglia, Colchester-Swaffham-Colchester, Reverse Dynamo and Anglian Echappee. These amounted to over 1,000km combined and were completed by four plucky heroes/idots (delete as appropriate), rewarded by glory and a green T-shirt depicting the achievement. These rides underpin the club ethos, long days out, camaraderie, sausage rolls and more often than not, a beer to underline the effort. The format is subject to some tweaks in 2017, watch this space…

Bike jumble

In November the club hosted it’s first Bike Jumble in conjunction with the Waiting Room, a community space which gives a platform for local musicians, artists, chefs and more. This gave would-be Del Boys the chance to sell their unwanted bike related clutter (most likely to fund their next build!). The day was an unqualified success, with all pitches selling out and good attendance. The event brought together local club riders, everyday cyclists and intrigued passers-by. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next jumble.

Adventure

As much as we love exploring East Anglia, sometimes further shores beckon. 2016 saw a variety of club trips which included a long weekend around Loch Assynt in Scotland, followed by two consecutive weekends running the annual club trip to the Lynn Peninsula, Wales. There have also been a number of great transit rides to places such as Norwich, in particular a route which touches the Broads before skirting back west into the city for the train home. In 2017 this theme will continue, as well as looking for adventures which don’t drain both the wallet and annual leave allowance!

With the aim of retaining interest for what promises to be a couple of cold and wet months ahead, a communique will follow in the next few weeks as to club plans for 2017, including monument dates and potential trips! Keep an eye out on social media and your email inbox for this.

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Words by Liam Hendry

The post Colvelo 2016 recap… appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

The first 80km were brisk aided by the usual southerly wind to Aldeburgh. Chopping’s Hill Bakery proved a great stop, with giant homemade sausage rolls that needed two sittings (and a knife and fork, if one was at hand!) After this the route tracks east towards Eye, via Saxmundham and Redlingfield. This was a particularly tough leg, combining rolling terrain with a wind which was just strong enough not to disregard!

Soon after the route headed south towards Elmswell, which provided the last chance for sustenance and a quick break before the last 60km to home via Hadleigh and Dedham, well-worn roads for the Collective that are always a welcome sight after a long ride of new villages and towns!

In true Echappee fashion the heavens opened at Higham, almost a mirror image of last year’s edition. However, this couldn’t dissolve the spirits of the group who completed the ride!

A special mention goes to Michael Land, having completed his longest ever ride following a summer of progression from the Coffee and Canvas rides. Additionally the group of Monument ever-presents including Rob H, Will Ibbotson, Alex M, Jamie Lones and the (modest) yours truly. The Monument rides this year have been blessed with at least passable conditions, but made much easier by great company and support along the way. Keep an eye here for details of next year’s series!

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Words by Liam Hendry

The post Ride report: East Anglian Echappee 2016 appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

Unlike many other long rides, the 2016 Omanyd rolled out from Colvelo’s out of town meet spot on Bromley Road at a cautious pace – or perhaps it was the underestimated southerly wind making things seem conservative. Well over a dozen riders were in attendance, including seasoned mile-chompers and some for whom this would be their biggest ever day on a bike.

In fact, the group made great progress, reaching Woodbridge well before 8am before finding a coffee shop called Honey and Harvey. It’s always nice to find somewhere which doesn’t serve a long black in a small bucket (author’s bias there!). The ride tapped onto Dunwich where we enjoyed a lingering stop, and spoke to the café staff who were clearly enjoying a bit of downtime before their annual peak.

After a stop at Needham Market, the ride meandered to Sudbury where the group was bolstered by Andy C and Rob; riding the “lite” edition which was introduced this year to allow riders to enjoy the festivities of London Fields but without the 160km warm up before Sudbury. It was quite comforting to be joined by others who hadn’t just spent 3 hours dealing with an aggravating headwind and increasing temperatures! From here the route started to undulate which broke the group up. After the now customary slump on the green at Finchingfield, the group embraced the last 70km knowing everyone was pretty fresh and we were slightly ahead of last year’s schedule. From here the ride wound through Dunmow, through the Rodings and towards Epping. A quick pep talk on the High Street reminded everyone to be wary and stay in tight formation – the next 20km of the ride demand perhaps more concentration than having just ridden 240km allows.

“What are you lot waiting for?”

The group splintered heading through Woodford, passing through Leyton and towards London Fields. The northbound riders became more frequent until the roads are awash with blinking lights and hi-viz jerseys, with shouts of “wrong way!” and “you’re late!” – unbeknown to them the Colvelo rider’s were minutes away from a victorious first pint.

A few beers on the green soaking up the sounds, sights and smells of the city and we soft-pedalled down Commercial Road towards London Liverpool St. Station for the journey home. As per last year the train ride involved cheap imitation Belgian beer and the last scraps of food from the station’s various outlets.

As mentioned before this is a superb day out and the pinnacle of the Colvelo calendar rides, combining a test of fortitude and a great day out with your mates. Highly recommended for 2017!

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Words by Liam Hendry

The post The Omanyd 2016 appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

Roll outs will be from Caffe Nero on Culver Street until further notice. Saturday rides will depart at 0830, and Sunday rides 0900 without fail. This gives people a guarantee that a ride in any guise will be taking place at this place/time unless noted otherwise. Monuments and super-long rides planned in advance may start earlier, but this will be made abundantly clear.

Saturday club rides will be the classic Colvelo rides, with a focus on the club’s central aim – longer days out exploring the quiet arteries of East Anglia. This could include a transit ride to Norwich, a loop up to Aldeburgh, or perhaps even “Fleche Colchester”, a nod to the Ardennes classic races which seeks every incline the area has on offer. There will be a variety of terrains, distances and paces on offer to cater for all tastes.

Sunday rides will alternate every weekend. The Coffee and Canvas series will remain, offering rides at a leisurely pace ranging from 35-50km in length. This will be supplemented with a more traditional Sunday Club ride, from 50-100km at a slightly brisker pace, in order to give a platform for riders progressing from their C&C outings.

There will also be a concerted effort to maintain advertised paces on rides, which is the responsibility of the ride leader and regular members.

We hope that the new structure gives folks enough diversity whilst also giving the certainty of what’s on offer that particular week. All rides will be posted via Strava and then promoted on the Colvelo FB group. Hope to see you on the road!

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Words by Liam Hendry

The post Club ride formats as of August 2016 appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

Transit rides are a staple of the Colvelo armoury and have taken many guises, with a popular edition being a ride to Norwich and back, taking advantage of the Adnams residency on the train back to Colchester.

Pub lunch at Walberswick on the Xmas 2015 ride to Saxmundham

A one-way ride gives the opportunity to go further afield without the worry of the return leg, and also to indulge in a big lunch and a few beers at the destination. The format has also been useful when the wind is blowing hard, making use of a tailwind for the whole ride!

The pinnacle of Colvelo transit riding is the London Fields Omynad (reverse Dynamo), a 270km ride from Colchester to London via Dunwich. The route from Dunwich to London Fields is a handed version of the north-east bound Dunwich Dynamo, the benefit being rolling into London to soak up the atmosphere while the night riders depart for their 200km trip.

Looking smug at London Fields following the 2015 Omanyd

The route passes through Sudbury, Great Dunmow and Epping and the anticipation builds as you pass under the A406 inner ring road, spotting at first the odd north-bound rider and then larger groups.

This ride is being run again on Saturday 16^th July 2016 with a 6am roll out from the junction of Bromley Road and Wivenhoe road. Further details can be found at: https://www.strava.com/clubs/110216/group_events/80217

Hope to see you on the road!

Words by Liam Hendry

The post Transit riding appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.

Towards the turn of the year there were rumours of a return and Andy resurfaced with a new ride concept known as Coffee and Canvas (named after his second favourite drink, and favourite brand of cycle luggage, Carradice). The purpose of these rides was to provide a manageable pace/distance, friendly ambience and of course a lingering coffee stop. The rides would be primarily aimed at drawing dormant members out of winter hibernation, and boosting the membership with new faces. They also act as a great recovery ride for those who’ve been on a long one the day prior. As I write the rides have been a huge success, with some of the highest attendance numbers we’ve seen at Colvelo. I caught up with Andy and asked him about the rides:

LH: What were the aims and objectives of the Coffee and Canvas (C&C) rides initially?
AC: We wish to offer the members a relaxed social ride, and being of a relaxed social nature, it makes a great introduction to the club, giving people a chance to chat

Andy C and “the Geoff” rolling through Assynt, Scotland

LH: What have been the successes of the C&C series so far? Is there anything to improve on?
AC: I think the success of C&C is new membership, we have gained some great people into the club. Improvements? I can’t really see anything needed, but we are a Collective and we all have different ideas, so suggestions on a post card are always welcome

LH: How will the C&C rides develop into summer 2016 and beyond?
AC: As the summer rolls on we would like to add some time to the C&C, i.e. an additional 30 mins of riding will give us an additional 7 miles, and allow us to visit some coffee shops that are at the moment out of reach. We will also do a cooked breakfast ride in the summer, and a picnic ride. If you notice, the emphasis is on a little bit of riding, some good coffee, and some great company

It’s evident from speaking to Andy that the cycling is almost secondary to the chit-chat and coffee, ironically acting as a vehicle for the true purpose of the C&C rides. One thing he’s most proud of is gaining new members, who are drawn in by the C&C jaunts and then begin to permeate into the longer club rides. One new member who is the C&C prototype is Michael Land, who having joined the club has grown in ability and confidence. I asked Michael a few questions about his C&C experience and beyond:

LH: Where did you find out about the club and the Coffee and Canvas rides?
ML: I heard about ColVelo when it was Chapeau. A cyclist I bumped into (Paul Foley) mentioned the Strava page, so I followed the page and kept an eye on the rides

LH: Why did you choose a C&C ride as your first Colvelo outing?
ML: I was a bit apprehensive about joining a club ride as I’ve previously had a not great experience of being dropped and no one waiting for me. But when I saw the coffee and canvas ride come up I thought I’d bite the bullet and give it a try. Absolutely loved it, nice relaxed pace, great people and a nice stop half way round for coffee. And also when they say no drop they mean it! If I’m knackered and slow up a hill, I know that they will wait for me. After that I’ve been hooked!

LH: How has your riding (alone and club-based) progressed since the first C&C ride you attended?
ML: Although I’m still not as fit as I’d like, my distance and speed have increased a lot. The club rides are always enjoyable and interesting, and I’m also cycling more on my own too

LH: What are your ride goals for the remainder of 2016?
ML: I have signed up to one of the clubs longer rides later in the summer and hope to do a few 100+ mile rides before the year is over. Then onwards and upwards next year…

Michael L on a recent spin

Michael is one of a few examples of new members graduating from the C&C rides and looking to progress further, and with Andy’s ambitious plans outlined above this will surely continue. If you are thinking of coming along on a C&C ride hopefully this article has answered any queries or allayed any doubts you might have, if not please get in touch via the web form, Facebook or Twitter!

Words by Liam Hendry

The post Coffee and Canvas: a great conduit to all things Colvelo appeared first on ColVelo Cycling Collective.