TA EAST E-NEWS NOVEMBER 10TH 2013 
To TA East members and friends
From Ferg Muir

We are in the south of our region for our Meet this coming Saturday November 16th at HEYBRIDGE BASIN and GOLDHANGER, near Maldon in Essex

Elevenses will be at The Lock Tearoom at Heybridge Basin – run by Wilkin & Sons the Tiptree Tea Room people, “The Lock” looks across the Blackwater Estuary to Northey Island from the spot where the Chelmer & Blackwater Canal meets the sea.
Pevsner says:“The waterfront scene, with weather-boarded cottages, brick lock-keepers’s house, pub, and boat’s masts, is attractive without having been consciously prettified”
Grid Ref is TL069872, Postcode CM9 4RS. Further details at the end of this Newsletter

LUNCH will be at The CHEQUERS The Square, GOLDHANGER TM904088 CM9 8AS. (Thanks to Roy Prockter for checking this out for me) This is a regular Good Beer Guide entry “Essex village pub with timber ceilings” they say, with six small rooms, one of which, The Billiard Room, has been allocated to us. Please help me fill it!

Quay Street, Bristol
Further to my bit about the cyclists’ cafe in Quay Street, Bristol – seemingly a long way from any ships, former East Region member Dave Stokes writes:
The River Frome flows underneath Bristol Centre, you can see it emerging at St Augustine’s Reach where Anchor Street meets The Centre. So, at one time, Quay Street would have been on its bank. As far as I can tell, the Frome was built over just before the war. I grew up in the area in the ’50s.

Dave now lives in Scotland and regularly trundles his trike round the Mersey 24 hour – 276.21 miles this year, for instance.

Confirmation that the River Frome is still there under the district comes from a website of somewhat rebellious, underground in more ways than one, character …see
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/uk-draining-forum/48231-underground-boating-castle-moat-bristol-03-10-updated-extended-trip-may-2012-a.html 
….where a trip through the culverted river Frome in inflatable boats is illustrated in detail.

However – returning to the more conventional world – like riding 24 hour time trials on tricycles ……
I see the provisional course for the 2014 Championship 24 in East Sussex (21/22 June 2014) can be seen on the event website:
www.esca24hour.org.uk/course.php

Paralympian Steven Peace and his Trike

Thanks to Boyd Nicholas of Bury St Edmunds for this link to an interview with Steven Peace and his titanium conversion set built in Portland, Oregon, USA.

www.bmctempo.com/steven-peace-true-grit/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BMC%20Tempo%20Issue%208%20-%20English&utm_content=BMC%20Tempo%20Issue%208%20-%20English+CID_41524e1c30da9bdde836d08ba18ca6eb&utm_source=CM%20ESP&utm_term=Talking%20cycling%20with%20stroke%20survivor%20and%20Paralympian%20Steven%20Peace

WEBMASTERS on an AUDAX BREVET POPULAIRE
(Adapted from an email from Martin Badham describing his ride in the Norfolk Nips 100km event on Sat 2nd November)

I met up with Mike Moody – we had arranged to ride it together. It was Mike’s first proper ride since the Mildenhall 200 at August Bank Holiday so he wanted to take it easy- that’s probably why he was riding a bike. I was on the Trykit, freshly decked out in full mudguards, thanks to Mr Booker using the extra hour to braze the broken stay between the TA Reunion and the AGM.

From the start on the edge of Norwich we sped out along the Reepham Road until turning off for Felthorpe and up Mill Lane to join the Haveringland – Cawston road. Into Cawston, heading for Oulton Street, Itteringham and Bodham. Then the descent to Weybourne, stopping on the railway bridge for photos of the trains, a diesel and, I believe, the B12 in the station. The diesel rolled out Sheringham bound and we were engulfed in steam as the B12 pulled away for Holt.
We then got back in the saddle, pausing to note the name of the Close near the junction, then along the coast road through Sheringham to Cromer. Turn right at Clement Scott’s horse trough for Northrepps and stopping between there and Southrepps to pick up some apples and pears that were going free on the wayside. The food control was at Southrepps Village Hall where we stuffed down cake and a cuppa before pressing on again.
(Scott’s “Poppyland” articles in the Telegraph helped to make the area a fashionable Edwardian holiday area)

The route then rolled along to Saxthorpe, Corpusty and Wood Dalling for another Information Control. Taking advantage of the stop to munch some bonk ration, we then trundled into Reepham and onto the Reepham Road to follow it to the finish in Hellesdon, 5½ hours after starting.

The weather was less kind than when I reccied the route a week or so before, with the wind picking up as we pushed it back from Cromer. Despite ominous black clouds occurring in the sky, we managed to avoid any rain, until I was leaving the HQ for home. Even so it was no more than light spitting and, with a tail wind, I arrived home little more than slightly damp.

(Note from Ferg: There are two more “Nips” this coming winter. There was a “Full field” for this November one and I’m told the 2 remaining ones are filling up fast. I have entered the Dec 7thevent that goes from Norwich to Cromer, Walcott and Coltishall)

Finally Saturday 16th – Here, from the cafe’s website, are instructions how to find Elevenses:
From Maldon, take the B1026, Goldhanger Road and shortly before the 40mph limit ends, turn right into Basin Road. After one mile, (cars) park in Daisy Meadow car park…. and follow the canal towpath to the sea wall. ‘The Lock’ is the low white building with a red roof, right on the river front ahead of you.

The core time I plan to be there will be between 10.45 and 11.15am

The Chequers is just off the B1026, by the church in the centre of Goldhanger.

Hope to see you there!

Ferg Muir 01603 615000 fergusmuir@btinternet.com