TA EAST NEWS 5TH JULY 2011 
To TA East Members & Friends 
From Ferg Muir

OUR DAY AT THE COAST – on Saturday July 16th will be to ALTON WATER and SHOTLEY GATE.
The plan is to meet for coffee at the Alton Water Visitors Centre Cafe, explore the cycleway by the side of Alton Water and then head to the very point of the Shotley peninsular, to The Shipwreck pub for lunch.
The Shipwreck is at the extreme northern end of Shotley waterfront- you actually go into the marina to find it. It is a fairly normal beach-cafe-cum-pub, but with lots of room and quite decent beer when I sampled it.
But the thing here is the view of Harwich Harbour and its activities from the nearby shore. One of the great views in East Anglia. Worth considering carrying binoculars

Afterwards I guess we will go our separate ways – but some may be tempted to see if departing via the 1400hrs or 1600hrs foot ferries to Harwich and onward to Felixstowe is possible – but be warned – the ferry website does say “bicycles”

The practical details – Alton Water Visitors Centre Cafe is just off the B1080 Stutton to Holbrook road, Grid ref TM156354 Postcode IP9 2RY.
We will aim to LEAVE the cafe around 11.15am.
The Shipwreck is at TM252338 postcode IP9 1QJ -at the end of the King Edward VII Drive.
They display the week’s Specials Board at http://www.shipwreckpub.co.uk/latest-news/

Members who live locally might be interested in the Shotley Peninsular Cycling Campaign Newsletter athttp://spcc.info/downloads/Feb2011.pdf 

If this is not enough tricycling for you, I recommend hopping on the train from Manningtree to Liverpool St afterwards. You will be in perfect time for the start of the Dunwich Dynamo night ride from London to the Suffolk Coast.
See http://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/content/dunwich-dynamo – which I must say, is worth a read even if, for you, 120 miles overnight is only a dream.
(Incidentally, I believe some TA members are planning to do the Dynamo this year)

TRIKE GRASS TRACK WEEKEND- 2nd/3rd JULY
Some personal memories of the Maldon and Colchester Rovers Grass Meets

* Perfect weather. – dry but not blazing hot.
* How quick Sid Charlton is – there was no beating the Kings Cliffe Flyer in scratch races
* Handicaps were different – so (me) losing out to Martin Badham by inches in the Maldon handicap certainly qualifies.
* Greta’s hat – a splendid, stylish straw one for keeping the sun at bay at Colchester.
* Ian Matthews explaining trikes to the classic motorcyclists who were camped next “door” at Latchingdon.
* Members not often seen – In particular Malcolm Nash from Mayland who came to meet us at Maldon.
* Some unusual rims – Malcolm’s Mercian had concave Weinmans while Greta Spiers’ yellow machine sported Constrictor Asps, with their almost round section.
* The evening meal on the Hythe –at the Queen’s Head, with Tom Fogg joining us – and with traditional sailing craft as the background.
* Elevenses on Sunday at Rowhedge – at the Rowhedge Heritage Group’s tea hut on the quay – this time with a restored fishing smack arriving at the ferry pontoon alongside.
* The trikes parked under the holm oak (I think it was) on the quay, like sheep sheltering from the sun.
* The encouragement I got while off the back in the Colchester seven lapper. I was cheered every time round by my namesake, Colchester Rovers Under 10 rider Fergus Crouch, who rode round the outside of the track in the opposite direction, accompanied by a growing crowd of his mates. Suspect he had not had the opportunity to shout “Come on Fergus” before, and he made the most of it. (Incidentally, in my case I was 49 years of age before I met another human Fergus)
Afterwards the lads all wanted to try my Higgins – Fergus managed the 23.5” frame with remarkable aplomb.

LOOK MUM NO HANDS…..
…..is the name of a cyclists’ cafe in central London.
I visited it on the way home from the funeral of Syd Parker, the tandem tricyclist who set several RRA records in the 1930s and 1940s.
It is at 49 Old Street and their website is at http://www.lookmumnohands.com/
I liked the atmosphere – there are bike racks and tables outside, between LMNH and the next building. On going in, there is a workshop on the left. Further along is the food counter – not cheap, but heaven knows what central London rents must be. Club notices cover available wall-space. There a big screen silently showing cycling items. There are magazines and a daily copy of Gazetta dello Sport. The building is a former motor-cycle showroom, quite high and almost industrial in general aspect. Furniture was an assortment from local sales, I guess, but eminently practical. There was an exhibition of modern musette designs when I was there. (Goodness – my kit might soon be in fashion). Customers were talking, of course, but also quite a few working on laptops.
From Liverpool St Station I found it was 22 minutes walk, taking a simple route via Liverpool St itself, Broad St, London Wall, Aldersgate St and right into Old St. Obviously it would be much quicker on a cycle, and probably a shorter, if more complicated, route could be found.

Commiserations are due to Allan Austin – when I met him on my way to one of the Ipswich Crits recently he had his hand heavily dressed – the result of putting his hand into his circular saw and getting close to detaching the thumb. It had not, however, stopped him riding his bike to the pub. We wish him a speedy recovery

Looking for a good home…A collection of magazines – CTC “CYCLE” etc and of a sustainable transport mag, the title of which I have managed to forget – It can’t be SLADE can it? Anyway Jim & Vera Staines are looking to find a good home for them. Jim & Vera are selling up in Thetford and intending to spend nearly all their time amidst the cycle paths of Holland.
Phone 01842 762684 or email Jim Staines at jimstaines@hotmail.co.uk

We will have at least three tandem trikes battling it out in the East District CA 15 championship on 13th July – myself and fast Diss rider Mark Ready meet Martin Badham and his CC Breckland clubmate and sub two-hour “50” man Matt Carter plus Peter Hopkins and Kings Lynn CC vet Colin Bunnett – fresh from setting a new VTTA national age record at 25 miles. Congratulations on this – aged 66 and 68 respectively, they did 1:4:57.

Hoping to see lots of members at Alton Water and Shotley Gate
Best Wishes
Ferg Muir 01603 615000 fergusmuir@btinternet.com