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Welcome to the Seend Cleeve Cycling Club web site.

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Tanks! (23/12/12)

Grant, Nathan & Tony (Mick was on Xmas duties and Graham still had his feet up) met up at the usual place (The Barge) at 09:00. There was a choice of routes: Bowden & Blacklands or Imber. Nathan, fearing that he may be sick just looking at Bowden (he was feeling a bit tender after the night before) chose Imber. As it turned out this was a great route that can only be done at Christmas, New Year, Easter and during August. The rest of the time the road is closed by the army so they can play. For those who may not be familiar with Imber, it was a small village on Salisbury Plain that was taken over by the military in 1943 to prepare for the D-Day landings. Anyway, getting there meant a ride up the main road, which is narrow and fast, or a hideous climb up Lavington Hill. The latter was chosen, which was a big effort for Grant & Tony with only double chain rings. It should have been much easier for Nathan who had a triple, but somehow he got to the top last. Strava shows he was only just managing walking pace..I wonder why???

The climb up Sack Hill past Imber was very deceptive. We couldn't work out why it was so much effort because it doesn't look much of a climb (there aren't any reference points). We also had the wind in our faces. The ranges start near the top of the climb, there are loads of broken tanks everywhere.

At this point Grant & Tony swapped bikes so Grant could try out a road bike with drops. Tony was left riding an old Raleigh Falcon shopping bike that weighed only just less than some of tanks we were passing and had the ride quality of a Penny Farthing in need of a service. Apart from that it was fine. Needless to say we swapped back at the earliest opportunity,

It was a great ride (34 miles) finished off with a couple of pints in the pub - perfect.

About us

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The Seend Cleeve Cycling Club is a group of 40-something blokes who like to drink  beer and eat good food. We cycle to be able to eat and drink more without having to go shopping for bigger trousers.

For those who don't know, Seend Cleeve is next to the village of Seend in Wiltshire. It is situated by the Kennet and Avon Canal, and is served by two great pubs; the Brewery Inn and the Barge. The Brewery is great for a pint of cider and a laugh, whilst the Barge does fantastic food, prepared by our friend Paul Haynes.

The origins of the group go back a couple of years when a few of us decided to cycle across Devon for charity. It was an eventful trip and Simon, who was air-lifted to Exeter Hospital with a broken pelvis, has taken up cycling in a big way. He now does regular 100 mile weekend rides with Bath Cycle Club.  

If you would like to join us on a Sunday morning to explore the lanes of Wiltshire please use the contact form to let us know.

New cycling gear shop opened in Devizes

A small independent outdoor clothing shop that sells good quality cycle clothing has opened in Snuff Street, Devizes. "Push" sells tops, shorts, bibs, gloves, helmets etc. It's definitely not cheap, but you won't waste your money on something that you regret buying. They've got a web site, but you really need to visit the store.

The Next Ride

The next cycle ride is on Sun 30th December. Finish off for a Christmas pint in the Barge

Meet at 9:00 in the Barge Car Park.

Club members' activity on Strava

Weather

Check out the latest weather forecast for the Melksham area. This forecast gives the best wind data.

This site gives you the current rainfall radar.

And this site shows Atlantic pressure charts for the week ahead.