WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SOUTH DEVON

 The Tour of Britain came through South Devon on 6 September. I have never seen Ivybridge so energised. People came out visibly excited and a great roar went up as a cavalcade of outriders appeared. There was tooting of horns, cheering and waving. Then the lead group appeared and went through as quick as a flash. But the expectation increased and the news was that the pelaton was 6 minutes behind. We all knew that this would be thrilling and so it was.  Ivybridge has never seen more than 100 cyclists race up Fore Street at astonishing speeds. If there was a moment to savour, this was it.

I have never watched a bike race live before but now I was hooked. It was on ITV4 and I watched the highlights of every day. I recorded the Devon section live and watched every minute.  I have cycled many of these roads often and had encounters with sheep exactly as the race.

Congratulations should be given to Devon County Council for bringing the race to our county. Watching the scenery on the TV reminded me how wonderful our county is.  Congratulations should be given to Ivybridge Town Council too. They helped to make it a day to remember. They organized the day around children and started with a story teller in the library.  She told stories about cycling.  At 11am the roads were handed over to children and they made their special creations in chalk art on the tarmac.  Sustrans are helping our area considerably and today the volunteers manned a marquee giving out badges, stickers and flags to all the children together with information on walking and cycling in Plymouth and South Devon

Many of the shops and pubs put bikes in their windows and decorated them with a prize for the winner. Lastly there was a family bike ride organized by Sustrans which I led.  There were 24 cyclists and the average age of children was 6.  When we returned, the mayor was there to greet us and she presented medals to everyone who took part.

If this is what cycling does for a community, I am proud to have been there

2020 THE JOURNEYS THAT NEVER HAPPENED

 Given that we are still in lockdown, I thought that I would share how 2020 was supposed to have happened. I had planned one long tour, two short ones and had thoughts for a third. With my role at Sustrans I had arranged the first guided ride of the season in South Devon and this was fully booked with 30 people. 

My main tour was to be in May when I had arranged to meet my friend, Dagmar from Southern Germany with her partner to celebrate the tenth anniversary from when we met while cycling the North Sea Cycle Route. 

7 July 2010. At Harwich having just finished the NCSR while Dagmar is part way through hers

The first to be postponed was a mini tour of the Somerset Levels at the end of March with a group of Sustrans volunteers from Somerset who were to host our South Devon group. Another was my long planned tour to discover the Lakes and Dales Cycle Route in NW England. I had also imagined the possibility of a short tour in Northern Island 

Like everybody else, my plans fell into disarray because of Covid. Our groups were looking forward to the Somerset Levels. We had met for the first time in 2019 and cycled the Dartmoor Way.  We enjoyed it so much that we organized this ride and were considering another later in the year.

Dagmar with her partner had planned to cycle the Tour de Manche, a 750 mile journey that comes through Plymouth and invited me along.  It is a circular route that goes through Normandy, Brittany, Devon and Dorset.  We first met in Wilhelmshaven on our fully loaded touring bikes in 2010 and cycled together for a week. We have met several times since and our tours have always been adventures. We have toured the Alps, Pyrenees, a long distance tour in the British Isles and other shorter ones.

The Lakes and Dales Loop feels that it should be a spectacular 200 miles tour in Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales. It looks awesome and is drawing me in like a bee to nectar.  

Accident in Yorkshire 2012

Fellow Cyclist in Ireland 2015

Well, we are still in lockdown. Let's hope for better things to come

FORWARD INTO 2021

These are my vital bike statistics for 2020.  I did 141 journeys, travelled 2,429 miles and my elevational gain was 229,915ft (70,075 metres).  Because of Covid I never left Devon.  In normal years I cycle 3,500 miles or more because I go bike touring.

As 2021 sets off to a bumpy start, there is more social distancing, constant washing of hands and wearing face masks that makes us all look that we are about to rob banks.  Never have I been so clean!

However I live in hope for 2021. Vaccines are coming and there is a growing popular clamour to deal with climate change.  Bike holidays are more fun and sociable than sitting in a car. I look forward to my bike tours again.  My last plane journey was in 2010 and I do not miss them. The great outdoors is calling and this is where fun starts.