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elcome to our readers and THANK YOU to

all contributors to this newsletter. For

more information about us see our leaflet

and Website -http://northstaffscycling.btck.co.uk/

and Facebook -

www.facebook.com/groups/169378003156326

[you can see the photos in this newsletter in colour on

our website and Facebook]

Annual General Meeting

12 people attended the AGM on 6 November 2018 in

the community meeting room at Newcastle fire

station. The 2019 committee was agreed as follows:

Chair – Geoff Cartlidge (tel 626346)

Secretary – Geoff Kilford (tel 388642)

Treasurer/ membership - John Bradbury (tel 860259)

“Long” rides (“A” group) – Clive Parrott (07773

669615)

“Medium” rides – Mike Barr (tel 616243)

Campaign/publicity/newsletter – Mike Barr

Other committee members - Dave Barker, Mick

Bennett, Geoff Cartlidge, Ben Edwards, Rob Fearn,

Angela Hill, Mick Holland, Phil Hughes, Eric James, Alf

Joynson, John Lees.

Membership, income and spend

In 2018 we have 37 members and again income has

exceeded spend and we are comfortably solvent.

Membership subscriptions for 2018 (still excellent

value at only £5) are now due and John Bradbury will

be pleased to hear from you. The income from

membership pays for affiliation to the CTC, for

publicity (including this newsletter and the leaflet),

and administrative expenses.

Rides

There was discussion at the AGM about the wide age

range (20+ years) of members and the emergence of 2

groups of riders with different approaches to group

riding. The riding speed of the “A” (younger) group

has become too fast for the “B” (older) group to enjoy

and the “A” group would generally find it difficult to

maintain and enjoy the slower speed of the “B” group.

Both groups want to maintain opportunities to meet

socially e.g. at café stops where possible.

“Long rides” (50+ miles)

“A” rides

The 2019 monthly rides programme (see the back

page of this newsletter and the leaflet) is the same as

for 2018. The impromptu twice weekly rides (Sunday

and Wednesday) are posted on our Facebook.

“B” rides

These twice weekly impromptu rides (Sunday and

Wednesday) normally start at the same time and

venue as the “A” rides.

“Medium rides” (25+ miles).

The monthly rides will continue in 2019. The rides

normally have one café stop and the start locations

and times will be similar to the monthly “long rides”

programme. Information about the rides will be

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posted on our Facebook and emailed to a list of

“medium” riders a week or two before the ride.

Leisurely (greenway) rides

There will be at least 2 rides in 2019 including Ford

Green to the Congleton food festival (20 miles) on

Sunday 9th June and a “Bottle Oven ride - probably

Stoke to Longton (12 miles) on Sunday 15th

September.

Giro dell’Etna 2016 – Ben Edwards Why oh why is my birthday at the scrag end of autumn? It’s the same every damn year. And as Ange and I like to celebrate by going away for a warm biking holiday our options seemed limited. Scouring a map of Europe, we plumped for Sicily. That’s well south of Stoke so should still be toasty, we reasoned. And so it was then, that we jetted off for a week of sun, sea and cycling. A ridiculously early start saw us catch our flight to Catania. Then a short and quick transfer to our hotel only 15 miles away. Hah! Some chance, this being Italy. Declining the luxury coach option, we dithered before opting for the local 4 euro bus option. Two buses later, endless waiting and a torturous route through undulating suburbia brought us to Acireale, further up the coast. Bumping our cases on cobbled streets we finally stumbled into the smart Hotel Caterina. The flight had been quicker. An evening exploration of the town revealed streets choked with traffic. At least the Duomo church was a welcome distraction. Escaping the mayhem, we sought refuge, ducking into another church. A congregation began to swell. Time to go, not wanting the full service experience, though a blessing for our survival this week may have been in order. We rose with the sun on this auspicious day - Ben’s birthday. Breakfast was accompanied by a fine view through picture windows of the med far below, beyond a trainline and busy road. Worth a look we

thought. A local architect with perfect English thanks apparently to a string of British girlfriends, directed us to some ill maintained steps (392 I counted, being a little sad - who knew that?) down to a rocky shore and crashing waves.

A cappuccino and enticing cakes in town followed. Locals bustled about, wrapped in coats and puffer jackets it being an apparently chilly 18 degrees. We wound our way past buildings with a certain faded elegance and elaborate balconies, down to the tiny harbour of St Maria La Scala. No sign of the famous opera house but there was a small beach. Time for my annual swim. Heading back we passed on the fresh sea food options in a restaurant (choose your victim swimming in a tank of water), dining later in town on steak and chips. Well I did. Biking today! Our hired Basso carbon bikes had been delivered the night before. Only now did we spot the bald tyre, broken cleat and dry chains. Pats of breakfast butter was a lubrication option. Gingerly we set off along black volcanic flagged streets hemmed in by centuries old architecture then endless apartment blocks, all the while fighting for every inch of space with a hellish stream of cars. It was a nightmare 2 hours before we escaped the sprawl to emerge (remarkably still alive) at the town of Nicholosi with only 11 miles on the clock. Steeling ourselves for the slog up ahead, we paused for refreshment at a garage, chatting to a local. Despite having visited Broadstairs, Kent, his non-

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existent English was a match for our failure to grasp any Italian. At last Ange could relax - pedalling uphill of course, to an impossibly distant shimmering objective. The wide empty road snaked up the flank of Etna, through immense lava fields. I lagged behind with aching hips, not really helped by too low a seat. Eventually we limped up to Refugio Sapienza, at 1921m, just higher than Ventoux. The cable car station was near deserted so we snatched some sustenance in a bar and moon walked in a small crater before a long chilly descent. Darkness crept in as we returned to ‘civilisation’ and a desperate battle along busy pot holed roads. I’m not sure the heaving dual carriageway was any more pleasurable. 58 miles. A wild storm swept in overnight and had failed to abate by morning. Disconsolate, we gazed out of the windows munching muesli as the palms outside swayed alarmingly and the sea frothed white caps. Biking we ain’t! A cheap train ride took us into the city, emerging into seedys-ville. We ran the gauntlet of immigrants selling cheap trainers and knock off watches as we shivered towards the vibrant centre. Except it wasn’t. Windy, wet Catania was barely more appealing than a wet and windy Hanley. Any attractions were shut so we retreated to cafes, idling time playing ‘I spy an undented car’.

By the following day the rain had stopped, the wind eased. The road outside was busy despite the parallel A18 motorway. We rode it anyway, heading north and enjoying the marginally smoother tarmac for 2 hours. We caught our first good view of the top of Etna,

cloaked in snow and trailing a plume of smoke or steam. At Calatabiano we lurched inland for some tranquillity. Coffee and nutella croissant at a cafe was a fine choice. Basking in the peacefulness we ambled on past small fields and overhanging groves of (help yourself) oranges. We wound upwards to the hill top town of

Castiglione di Sicilia where houses cascaded alarmingly down from the church and fort. Mafioso territory I pondered? A chill wind tested our resolve as we edged ever upward before the inevitable drop back down to the rat run of suicidal car drivers and appalling roads. 81 miles. What’s Italian for ‘wanker’? That’s what the drivers were as they cut you up, pulled out, did random manoeuvres, or overtook with a generous 10cm to spare or generally did their damndest to kill you. After battling an awful section, we escaped onto a quiet coastal back road to an off-season beach resort. Tunstall’s finest son crooned on an ancient juke box as we rested for a deserved refreshment. Venturing on, we sweated up a steep section to the picture postcard town of Taormina, set as it was on an impressive bluff. A sweeping bay and white capped Etna gave a majestic back drop to the ruined Graeco-Roman theatre. Thankfully being off season tourists were thin on the ground. A topographically challenging return via Piedmonte and Nunziata brought us back to the mayhem of busy

roads and dodgem cars. Miraculously we got back safely. 62 miles. Back at the hotel we sampled pizza with an awful bitter radicchio salad with token couple of sorry tomatoes. It hardly made for the fine Sicilian cuisine

we had been hoping for. Only on the last night were we to stumble upon a cheap back street cafe, plastic table cloths and tv in the corner, for a cracking meal. Our last day, let’s make it a biggy we agreed. Up to Etna Nord. A prompt start down the main SS114 road a few klicks and thence up and away into them thar hills. Fitter and younger - most are these days - lycra lads eased past us. We were reunited in a bar, sipping caffeine ladened drinks ready for the big push. It might come to that. It didn’t disappoint as a deserted route led us through woodland to an alien landscape. My legs were begging ‘stop’ as we edged ever upwards. What a relief then to reach Refugio Civelli at 1741m and a rest and snack. Patches of snow on the ground here.

The inevitable cold descent took us to Linguaglossa and downward to a cracking coastal route home. Only the teeny section back on the main road proved an issue. In the darkness I lost Ange. I pulled into the hotel car park alone. She was behind me only minutes before. Had she fallen or been knocked off? A panicky search back up the road revealed no flashing lights nor bloodied corpse. What a relief then when she eventually appeared having just missed the last turning. 83 miles.

And so endeth our Sicilian bicycle v car adventure.

It all started with... - Andy Baggaley (2016) (see - www.coxbankpublishing.com/your-stories) It all started with being given a diagnosis of MS, a debilitating illness that can take over your life. I was lucky; told that I have what’s called relapsing remitting MS. The best kind, I suppose, if you have to have it.

MS affects your stamina and I was told that I would not have as much as I used to, and they were right. For years especially in summer time I would be like I’d just been unplugged, no energy whatsoever and it wasn’t getting any better. I was rather fed up with it, so I decided to try to do something. So I bought a bike, a mountain bike.

Work was a 10 mile trip one way, and so I thought I would start there. It took me nearly an hour to get to work and I was absolutely shattered and pouring with

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sweat, but I did it. After a ten-hour shift (nights) I had to pedal back, I felt an overwhelming sense of achievement as well as being knackered. Some said I was mad but I hope I inspired many others, as later that year three or four blokes from work bought bikes through the cycle to work scheme, and started doing the same. Not everyone kept it up, going back to their cars after the first attempt. Giving up more like because they were unfit and it was hard work at first, but perseverance pays off -keeping at it made each time easier. I didn’t do every day to start with, maybe two or three times a week. But every time seemed to get easier. This is now a regular commute for me and friend Tony, who I meet up with on the way and we cycle together to work. I was beginning to enjoy it wanting more and more, so much I found the local leisure rides run by Sustrans volunteer Mike Barr. I took my daughter on them too, and they were great. Not only are they very social, but they show you all the cycle network around the city. It was very interesting to know where you can get from or to not ever touching a main road. It really opened my eyes, and Mike is an encyclopedia of local knowledge. I got to know Mike quite well and was hungry for more miles. He told me of a group he was in called North Staffs Cycling, and told me they went on longer rides on a Wednesday and Sunday. Well, Wednesday was my regular day off so we arranged to meet for a ride, and I bought my friend Tony from work with me. Now these guys were not young, most retired some in their late sixties. They were all on road or race bikes, and we were on heavy mountain bikes. We went on a 74 mile ride with these guys and it was great, except for the route back which went through Hanchurch woods. This is quite hilly with some good climbs, and we did struggle. We were both knackered and we just wanted it to stop, and the two guys who were going our way just left us young studs in the dust and waited for us at the end of the road. Being out-ridden by guys twenty years older than us. I was flabbergasted by their stamina and strength to carry on as they did. They did say we did well to do that kind of mileage on our mountain bikes, and we did enjoy it. So much so that I talked my Mrs around to letting me get a road bike, and I would regularly join them on a Wednesday for a ride. Oh yes, it is a lot easier on a road bike than a mountain bike. I now go out with friends from work, and my family for rides. Three of us from work went out last month, John, Tony and myself. It was suggested by John that we ride all along the canal towpaths to Liverpool, and

that’s exactly what we did. But on the way up I was in front riding along a non-existent towpath, (it was just a narrow strip of grass), and all I heard from behind was “Arrrrrooooo” SPLASH! I spun my head around just in time to see John climbing out of the water with his bike above his head, just like he was holding Excalibur. Yep, John had gone forward somersault into the canal. He didn’t see the concrete block in the grass and, well, it was funny, especially when a woman who had heard his screams from across the road came across and offered him a towel and some dry shorts. He kindly refused as they were … pink! We did get to Liverpool, well Runcorn just outside Liverpool, and we caught the train back. Bloody expensive: you really need to book in advance to get the cheaper rates. I try to get out as much as I can, with my mates John and Tony from work. We did Ashbourne, Buxton and Leek one glorious sunny day this year, remember the one. We like to do charity rides through the year, including the Dougie Mac Llangollen ride which is about 110 miles. I did this ride the first time in 2015 with John and Tony. I rode it for my father who had died a couple of months previously from cancer and Alzheimer’s. It was the furthest any of us had ridden. We collected nearly seven hundred pounds between us that year. This year Mike joined us - and another friend from work, Richard, who had only ever done sixty miles once. He did really well, and yep he made it all the way. Next year I will only be doing the 50 mile ride, as my fifteen-year-old daughter Hannah, wants to have a go so I said I would take her. She’s not quite ready for the 110 yet so, we agreed on the 50 mile.

Andy & daughter Hannah, Dougie Mac Ride 2015

Maybe the year after perhaps, you never know. Cycling has improved my fitness and my stamina, I can easily get to work in less than thirty minutes now (my record is twenty-eight). I enjoy long rides with plenty of climbs, I just look at every ride as a challenge and one that I’m going to win! I have even tried the killer mile at Mow Cop, which is a VERY steep climb. I had looked at the record for the killer mile on Strava, a cycling app. It shows you the best times on different segments of road. The record was around five minutes, but it was only a mile.It took me over twenty minutes to get up that one bloody hill, but I did it where many have failed. I’m going to do it again, and hopefully beat my own record. But I think the overall record is safe for now.

Tony, Mike, Andy, John and Rich: D Mac Ride 2016

Cycling has made me fitter, faster and stronger, (up yours MS!) It also creates a good social life; making new friends and meeting other cyclists, who just seem to enjoy sharing experiences. They all seem very friendly. Coffee stops are a must. It’s a lot better than social media sites, and more personal. At the end of the day even illness doesn’t have to hold you back. You can take over it, before it takes over you, by getting on yer bike!

CTC Birthday rides 2018 a Yarnfield - Mike Barr

2018 is the 140th anniversary of the founding of the

CTC in August 1878. This is celebrated with an annual

week of “Birthday rides” and this year they were

based at Yarnfield conference centre. Approx 300

cyclists came for the week, either staying in

conference centre accommodation or bringing their

own motor homes, tents etc. The cyclist are offered a

choice of 20 self led rides of different lengths. The

Birthday Rides’ organisers are volunteers and rely on

local cycling groups to provide local knowledge about

routes. The Birthday riders were previously held in

Yarnfield in 2013 and members of North Staffs Cycling

(Mike Barr, Dave Barker, Geoff Cartlidge, Geoff Kilford

and Alf Joynson) provided the route sheets and gpxs

for the rides. So in 2018 our input was mainly

confined to updating routes to reflect new roads, one

way systems etc. The weather was kind and the

feedback from the riders has been very positive.

However there were fewer riders in 2018 than 2013

and the majority of riders were in the older age range.

Also the committee of volunteers who organise the

rides are themselves in their seventies and will not be

organising any future birthday rides, so it remains to

be seen whether the rides will continue and if so in

what format.

Bert Bailey Memorial Veterans ride 2018

This annual 100 mile led ride for over 55 year olds has

been organised by Chester and North Wales CTC

group for many years. Several of our members have

said that this a really well organised ride and this

persuaded me to have a go this year. So on Saturday

30 June 4 of us (Mick Bennett, Geoff Cartlidge, Phil

Norcop and me) rode out to a pleasant farmhouse

b&b near Tarporley. We extended the day by going

via Chester where we had a relaxing sunny stop for ice

cream by the river. In the evening we walked in to

Tarporley for a meal and drink at the very agreeable

“Rising Sun” inn. The next morning after a full English

we cycled a couple of miles to the Duddon & Clotton

memorial hall where we met our ride leader and the

others in the group, including several from Two mills

CTC. There were 4 groups each with 10 people and a

leader and our group set off at 8.15 am. These

numbers were well down on previous years where the

event’s limit of 100 riders has been regularly

oversubscribed. The catering can not be faulted and

Mick Bennett is quite right when he says that the

main challenge on the ride is eating all the excellent

food provided at the 3 stops on the way round.

It was a lovely hot and sunny day and the ride route

was very scenic, mainly on flattish lanes and headed

south, roughly parallel to the Welsh Border. We

arrived back at Clotton around 6 pm where we

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received our certificates before heading back to the

B&B and a walk in to Tarporley for a drink and yet

more food. I can thoroughly recommend the ride.

Might need to book early for the 7 July 2019 ride

because it is a “triennial” year – see

https://www.entrycentral.com/chesterctc

PS: There is another annual well organised and

catered ride that starts from Farndon (sports and

social centre) and does a 50 mile figure of 8 loop

between Kinnerton and Overton. This ride is self led

and will be on Sunday 14 April 2019 – contact Janet

Gregory on 0771 928 2243 of North Wales and

Chester CTC/Two Mills group

Campaign

Cycle funding

Cycling UK says that Current Government spending on

cycling and walking in England has fallen from £95m in

2016/17 (£2.07 per person pa - outside London) to

just £33m in 2020/21 (just 72p per person pa). In

contrast, spending on roads has increased from £40

per person pa to £80 per person pa over the same

period

A parliamentary committee report in 2013 made clear

that to achieve a significant increase in cycling would

require a cycling budget comparable with some other

European countries of £10-25 per person pa.

Transforming Cities Fund.

Stoke has been shortlisted as 1 of 10 cities to bid for

access to £840 M for funding improved transport

connections. This bid inolves transforming Stoke-on-

Trent Railway Station into a major transport hub,

improving public transport links – including between

the station, city centre and Etruria Valley – and

enhancing walking and cycling links across the city.

Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plans (LCWIPs)

In 2017 the government “Cycling and Walking

investment strategy” aimed “to make cycling and

walking the natural choice for shorter journeys” and

for cycling to become perceived as “safe, normal and

enjoyable ways to travel”. It recognises the benefits

of more cycling and aimed to double cycling (to 4%)

by 2025. The government also produced guidance for

councils to prepare Local Cycling and Walking

Investment Plans (LCWIPs). The key outputs of LCWIPs

are:

• a network plan for walking and cycling which

identifies preferred routes and core zones for

further development

• a prioritised programme of infrastructure

improvements for future investment

• a report which sets out the underlying analysis

carried out and provides a narrative which

supports the identified improvements and

network

Both Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire councils intend

to prepare LCWIPS but have not made any progress so

far. The North Staffs Cycling campaign thinks that

LCWIPS can provide the sort of long term plan that is

vital to achieve a network of safe convenient cycle

routes that allow most people to cycle to work or

school or wherever. This network would be a mix of

greenways, cycle paths/lanes on main roads and quiet

ways (low speed/ low traffic flow roads).

Schemes

Some suggested schemes are shown on the campaign

section of our website

and a priority list has

been submitted to Stoke

and Staffordshire

transport planners for

consideration.

One suggested scheme,

the improvement of a

section of the Biddulph

Valley Way, is being

investigated by Staffs CC.

Local Sustrans volunteers

recently got 5 local

councils to contribute to

printing a leaflet

promoting the BVW

designed by the

volunteers.

National Cycle Network (NCN) review 2018

Sustrans launched the National Cycle Network (NCN)

in 1995 with the aim of linking all towns and cities in

the UK with safe cycle routes. The NCN now extends

to 16,500 miles and Sustrans surveyed the quality of

the Network in 2015 and published “Paths for

everyone” in 2018. This found that the ”traffic-free”

routes (about 1/3 of the NCN) are generally of good

quality but that most “on road” routes (about 2/3 of

the NCN) are of poor quality and need to be made

safer or safer alternatives found. The report hopes to

see this achieved by 2040.

NSC rides 2019

Start location Sun 6 Jan

9.30 am

Silverdale (junction of Silverdale Rd/Cemetery Rd)

Sun 3 Feb

9.30 am

Westport Lake car park

Sun 3 Mar

9.30 am

Barlaston (“Plume of Feathers” PH, Station Road)

Sun 7 Apr

9.30 am

Stockton Brook (Caldon Canal/Leek New Road

Sun 5 May

9 am Silverdale (junction of Silverdale Rd/Cemetery Rd)

Sun 2 June

9 am Caverswall Square

Sun 7 July

9 am Westport Lake car park

Sun 4 Aug

9 am Barlaston (“Plume of Feathers” PH, Station Road)

Sun 1 Sept

9 am Caverswall Square

Sun 6 Oct

9 am Westport Lake car park

Sun 3 Nov

9 am Silverdale (junction of Silverdale Rd/Cemetery Rd)

Wed 6 Nov

7.30 pm

North Staffs Cycling AGM

Sun 1 Dec

9.30 am

Barlaston (“Plume of Feathers” PH, Station Road)

Wed 4 Dec

7 pm Annual dinner

Public liability insurance (PLI): Please note that riders

take part at their own risk. NSC is affiliated to Cycling

UK and this provides PLI for its ride organisers BUT

NOT for individual riders. All riders are STRONGLY

RECOMMENDED to get their own PLI. NSC can arrange

PLI for you for £24 via its affiliation to Cycling UK. This

gives PLI but NOT full Cycling UK membership benefits

(see Cycling UK website). Cycling UK full adult

membership is £46.50; OAP/unwaged is £28.50;

Young person/ Student is £21.50.

Merry Xmas and

a Happy 2019

to all our

readers