Suffolk Tweet Ride

Well, Lance has done one or two, so why not me?  I can't promise over 1,000 people, helicopters and press, but one thing I can promise is a great day in the Suffolk countryside, beer and burgers at the Brewery Tap and coffee and doughnuts at Pump Street Bakery!

The idea for the Suffolk Tweet Ride came to me while I was whittering away my day on Twitter wondering what I could do to combine my love of cycling, the Suffolk countryside, beer and doughnuts.  Perfect.  A ride that takes in all three.

A pint of Suffolk beer in a Suffolk pub

I've got to know Mike at the Tap and Jo at Pump St solely through Twitter and this Thursday I'm going to be attending the Suffolk Twestival to meet several more people that I've met and worked with through my use of Twitter (5 years old this week!).

Quiet Suffolk lane

The plan is to do a circular ride starting and finishing at the Brewery Tap in Ipswich (plenty of parking or you can hop on the train from wherever you live and head into Ipswich) at around 9am on Sunday, 26 June, cycle out through Ipswich on quiet roads and bike paths through Martlesham to Woodbridge.  We'll be at Woodbridge by about 10:30am if you just want to meet us there.  From Woodbridge we'll be heading out into the countryside and aim to arrive at Pump Street in Orford at around midday.

Enjoy a coffee and a doughnut and hopefully some summer sun, and then head back into Ipswich with a view to getting back around about 4pm in time for a burger and a beer.  Bring a change of clothing or some warm clothing for the evening.

Here is a link to the Cyclestreets website which shows the route that we will be taking (with one of two variations that I can show on the day).

The Van.  The Brewery Tap

Hope to see you in June!!

Questions:

Is this an organised ride?

I hasten to add that this isn't an 'organised' ride with route markings, marshalls, feed stations etc etc.  It's very much a 'turn up and ride' type ride.  That said, I am a qualified cycling instructor and the plan is to take as quiet a route as possible so as to avoid too much crazy traffic.  While riding in traffic, I can help with confidence and road position, so don't be put off if you haven't cycled in traffic before.

Will we be riding on any busy roads?

 

I rode the route recently and we will be on dedicated cycle paths or marked cycle routes until we get to Woodbridge.  That said, there are one or two sections, notably through Rendlesham, where cars do go quite fast.  The main thing is to hold your road position and if you are nervous at any time, just pull over to the side of the road and let the faster traffic go past.

I'm not racing cyclist, will I be able to keep up?

The overall distance of the ride is about 50 miles in total (25 out and 25 back).  We'll be travelling at an average speed of about 8-10mph.  This should be within most people's capabilities provided that you cycle occasionally and are relatively fit.  Kids should have no problem at all keeping at this pace.

This won't be a race and we'll aim to go at the pace of the slowest rider, but with a view to cycling in a group of not more than 10 riders together.  If we get more than 10 riders, then we'll split into a couple of groups so that cars can pass safely.  

Are there any hills?

While most people think that Suffolk is flat, there are one or two cruel hills, not least of which is Cavendish Road about 1km from the start!  However, don't be put off, just get in your lowest gear and take your time. 

Will we only be riding on roads?

Some of the ride will be on bike paths and for about 500m we'll be on bridlepath/off road.  Personally, I wouldn't bring a road (drop handlebars) bike.  A hybrid or mountain bike would be best because they'll have the right tyres for this.  

Do I need to bring anything?

I'll be riding on a bike with panniers specifically so that I can bring a change of clothing, some money, some food for the ride (although if you fill up on doughnuts in Orford you should be fine!) and plenty of water.  I will also have a small toolkit (including pump) and spare inner tubes.

I would recommend a small toolkit, puncture repair kit, spare inner tube, water and some food (eg muesli bar) and appropriate clothing.  Given that we aren't racing, we may be going quite slowly, so something to keep warm (unless we have fantastic weather!!) will be just what you need.   Essentially you need to be self supporting and not need to rely on anyone else.

Feel free to ask me any other questions by emailing me.  Click here.