We have our campaigning hats on again. Norman has been training for the Surrey 100 (you can still sponsor him!) and realized what a boon it would be if you could cycle down the A245 without having to take your life in your hands between Byfleet and Cobham.  Soooo we have started a petition asking the council to make the footpath that runs down the side of the road into a shared cycle/pedestrian path. It wouldn’t solve the whole problem but means you can stay off that main busy “A”  road for most of the way. It also keeps you off the main road if you are going from Weybridge or Byfleet past Silvermere and on to the other  side of the M25 towards Ockham. If we get enough signatures on the e-petition, Norman can go to the Local committee meeting and plead the case. You can read about the proposal and sign the petition by going to:  http://petitions.surreycc.gov.uk/A245CycleRoute/     If you belong to another cycling organization or know anybody who lives in Surrey and would like to see cyclists off the busy A245 ( I bet even motorists would like that!) , will you please pass on the message about signing the petition.

For those foolhardy souls who didn’t believe the weather forecast, a fun Easter Egg Hunt ride was had by all those that participated. Thank you George for putting in the effort to test our observational skills……trying to spot numbers etc. through the hail was the challenge!

Our second ride of the year will be 17 April. We shall be going out to check the health of the giraffes in Send. We gather near the children’s playground in Woking Park to be on our way by 2. You might want to come and practice for the Woking Bikeathon which will be on 8 May.

Chris Jeggo will be leading another of his long rides on 1 May as part of our attempt to provide rides for our more experienced cyclists. The meeting place is 9:15 at the band stand in Woking Park. Hopefully more people will want to join him now that the weather is getting better. You can see the link to his Web site on our Website.

Norman is still searching for sponsorship for his Prudential Ride London challenge which is in aid of Well Child so please follow the link below if you would like to help.
http://www.justgiving.com/owner-email/pleasesponsor/Norman-Johns2

We have listed some sites where you can find out about other rides, either charitiy rides or sportives on our Charity Rides page.

Next pub night, 26 April at 7:30 at the Sovereigns on Guildford Road, Woking.

Happy cycling,

Carole

I hope the weather will improve soon and we can all be back on our bikes without having to wear ski clothing!

I was hoping to announce progress on the Muddy Lane saga but I fear our case officer was out of the office when I e-mailed her so that will have to wait till next time.

I thought I should warn you that the towpath will be closed between Boundary Road Recreation Ground and Monument Bridge to allow the work to the Rive Ditch culvert to be undertaken safely. The suggested alternative route is via Boundary Road and Monument Road. The rest of towpath through the area of the drain down in Woking will remain open as usual. This will be happening during Feb/March

Our Easy Social rides will be starting in March. The first one will be 20 March starting at the Leisure Centre at 2PM. These rides are about 14-18 miles long.

Our ride for more experienced cyclists lead by Chris Jeggo will be on  6 March starting from the bandstand in Woking Park at 9:15. This ride will be about 45-50 miles. See our Website for more information.

The Ride Social organized by Sky Rides will be on 20 Feb. and 5 March leaving  Sheerwater  Recreation Ground at 1:30. These rides are about 15 miles long.

Breeze rides for ladies only are on 3 March and 17 March starting at 9:30 from the bridge by the Bridge Barn.  These rices are about 15 miles. You can sign up by following the link on our Web site.

George James from the Elmbridge cycle group is having another one of his “fairly interesting Easter Egg hunt ride” on Easter Sunday 27 March. The  start will be from the Hand and Spear Pub by Weybridge Station at 10:00. It is a lot of fun and last year the winners were one of our own, the Smith family. The ride involves following clues around the area and collecting numbers. It finished around 1 with prizes for the winners and then you can stay on to have something to eat at the Hand and Spear if you wish. No need to sign up, just arrive on time.

Norman Johns, our chairperson  has secured a place in the Surrey 100! He will be riding for Well Child and we will put his just giving page up in case anyone would like to help him reach his sponsorship goal.

On a completely different subject, we have decided that pub night will go back to starting at 7:30 instead of 7:00. If anyone has had objections please let me know. The next pub night will be next week 23 Feb. at the Sovereigns on Guildford Road.

Happy cycling,

Carole Frost

WCUG Membership Secretary