TA EAST NEWS 14th JUNE 2011 
To TA East Members & Friends 
From Ferg Muir
Apologies for the short notice, but I’ve realized that the best opportunity for our annual evening visit to PIN MILL is this Friday 17th June and I think we had better go for that – so:

We are meeting at PIN MILL this Friday evening , 17th June.
We will have an evening meet at the Butt & Oyster, the pub by the Orwell estuary in the parish of Chelmondiston. Grid Ref TM 205380 postcode IP9 1JW

Pin Mill is the riverside hamlet of Chelmondiston, 6 mls SE of Ipswich off the B1456.

This is a wonderful place to spend a summer evening and if you haven’t come to one of these meets before I commend the idea of coming along.
I shall be there from around 7pm. Most members eat, but some just drink.

CONGRATULATIONS to OUR MEMBER KEN USHER who last Saturday took the silver medal riding his trike in the VTTA’s 25 mile National Championship on the Newmarket by-pass. Ken did 1:6:46. As he is 76 and on three wheels, this beat his age standard by 27 minutes and one second. Ken, who lives in Crowland – the Fenland town with the three-way bridge – tells me that that he has been training 40 miles a day recently. He has certainly reaped his reward.
Actually another member of ours, Eric Marsh, was third overall– this is in a highly competitive full field of 120 plus reserves, remember – but Eric rode his bike on this occasion – doing 1:3:35 at the age of 81. (Eric, by the way, has not retired from work yet – or at least he hadn’t at the time we last met at the TA East Lunch in February)

“Note the charm of the khaki Carradice saddlebag showing some signs of wear”
I was greatly comforted by this comment in the Veteran-Cycle Club “News & Views” p37 apropos a photo of a bike with a bag a good deal more frayed than mine.

DEADMAN’S GRAVE – OPEN ACCESS in SUFFOLK

While the “Right to Roam” legislation of a few years ago doesn’t have much impact on our fully-farmed East Anglian landscape, I came across a wonderful example recently.
After watching the Regional Championship road race near Bury St Edmunds I dutifully assessed some pubs in the Lark Valley for TA potential , finishing up in Icklingham. Then I headed off-road NNE from the dog-leg in the Barton Mills to Bury Road.
I soon found myself in a medieval landscape. Sheepwalk, rough grass, scattered trees, a sandy track. What an atmospheric route!
Deadman’s Grave is at Grid ref 776743, right down in the bottom left corner of OS Landranger 144. Only on the very latest editions of the map is it shaded as Open Access Land, but such it is. On one part constant work by rabbits has nearly stripped the vegetation cover and it is possible to see how sand dunes could develop . We have always been told that sand dunes formed in Breckland in the past , but I have never seen anything approaching this before.
This part of North Suffolk, between the Thetford Forest, towards the north and west, and The Kings Forest, just to the east, is perhaps the area where one can best see what pre-Forestry Commission breckland was like. There is a lot of loose sand on the track, especially further north, near Berner’s Heath and one would have to drag a trike in many places – it is MTB country really – but a very special landscape.

I was slightly surprised that I had not looked at this route before. Looking into the recent history I found that this track – now part of the Icknield Way Path – was not even a public right of way as recently as 1985.
There’s an interesting story of how the change came about at:
http://www.walkmag.co.uk/news/victory-on-the-icknield-way/ 

Incidentally, on the morning of that day I bumped into Ralph Dadswell at Elveden – he was enthusing about a new fast 10 mile time trial course on the Aston Clinton bypass, on which he had just propelled his trike to a remarkably fast time. I think it must be the F41/10 – I’m sure he will tell me if I am muddled.
Aston Clinton has already given its name to Aston Martin cars, (not to mention an MTB trail). Perhaps we shall soon have something like an “Aston Dolan Sub-18” time trial bike.
(Notice I’ve written this small so that, with luck, only those with a certain taste in touring articles will read about the course).
Hmmm …..my brother lives only about 10 miles from Aston Clinton…..

THE EAST 25 IN THE WAVENEY VALLEY on May 15th went off well, with Mike & Linda Moody and Mark Pearce, the Wolsey RC event sec, squeezing a lot of work in between other commitments ensure the day went smoothly.
Winner of the TA 25 was John Dupen in 1:11:32, from Pete Holland (1:17:18) and Ferg Muir (1:27:27) Afterwards six of us went to the Horseshoes at Billingford.
The previous month (April) saw just four of us eat outside The Garden of Deben florists-cum cafe. Thoroughly recommended. The bookshop at the top of the hill is good too – and the Angel should be open again by now.

So – for the future:
Hope to see as many of you as can be free at Pin Mill on Friday evening.
Beyond that East members Martin Badham and Pete Holland are riding the Sussex 24 hour on the 25th/26th June and then a week later we have the back-to back
MALDON and COLCHESTER GRASS TRACK MEETS on July 2nd (Maldon) and 3rd (Colchester).
I am looking into a camp site at Maldon and a venue for a meal on Saturday evening. Will keep you informed.
Grass-track is excellent for sociable spectating – its time to dust down the picnic baskets!

TRICYCLE CRITERIUM LEAGUE
I gather that the TA Executive meeting at Shrewsbury heard that the only likely counting events in 2011 will be the grass meets at Maldon, Colchester and Mildenhall, so these will have added importance this year.

Incidentally, as you may have seen on the TA Website, the Tricyclists Criterium League Organiser has indicated that he will be standing down at the national AGM in October – so there is a need for someone to fill this post.

Hope to see many of you at Pin Mill on Friday

Ferg Muir 01603 615000 fergusmuir@btinternet.com