Pedallers go off-road and Spinners take some advice

Take, for instance, the recent Sunday morning MTB ride out to Harcombe Bottom, which comprised eight miles off-road linked up with 14 miles of lanes, via Trinity Hill woods and Carswell Bottom towards Whitty Hill. It's a great workout, taking three hours.

Sunday, February 5 was a mini away day road treat for the 8.30am riders. It's always refreshing to pedal somewhere away from home turf. This outing started from West Bay and headed towards Weymouth via the Bride Valley, then climbed Goulds Hill and returned via the Roman road and the lofty Spyway Hill. The riders enjoyed brilliant, sunny weather and, regardless of being a cyclist or not, it's worth a visit for the fantastic views from Spyway.

It's always good to have some aims for the year and it looks like there are plans in the pipeline for a coast to coast, Portland Bill and Cheddar gorge, all three rides are in the region of 100 miles. They will start and finish in Seaton. 

Meanwhile, the AVP midweek social cafe rides have a strong following, usually taking place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. These riders are a hardy bunch, rarely put off by whatever the weather is throwing at them!

March takes the Pedallers across the channel for the French Foray. This relaxing trip to St Malo is a very social, cafe-centric adventure, and it's been a popular annual event for many years now.

Elsewhere in the cycling scene, Honiton Spinners are preparing for summer road riding in 2023. Ciclo of Colyton hosted an extremely useful bike maintenance evening for Spinners of various cycling abilities and knowledge, covering everything from how to clean and re-lube a chain, to mending a roadside puncture.

Gary and Suzi provided welcome snacks whilst demonstrating practical tips and advice. A useful question and answer session featured information on a range of topics, including different types of brakes. For more details, please visit www.honitonspinners.org or www.ciclopro.co.uk.