Beacon mini tour to Weston-super-Mare, 29 to 30 June 2024 – Joeal Subash
There’s a long tradition in the Beacon of rides to Weston-super-Mare, from reliability trials through to more relaxed trips. In late June, a group of club members headed there on an overnight tour organised by Alan Weaver. Joeal Subash sat down to reflect on the experience…
It’s been a good four weeks since the Beacon Weston weekend and two words come to mind when I think about the weekend: camaraderie and chafing. Camaraderie because we were a cohesive group, always looking out for one another. The chafing made me feel I was sitting on a hot plate for two days.
The planning was meticulous (thanks, Alan), starting months in advance, and of course there was a corresponding WhatsApp group (with some questionable opinions). This still exists – I guess everyone is hoping for a rerun? I’m happy to do it again but will have to wait until the new saddle arrives…
Pre-ride preparations
Three days before the ride, I got the indexing on my bike sorted and the day before packed some sweets along with a t-shirt, trousers, toothbrush and flip-flops – precariously tied behind the saddle with a yellow nylon rope. I went to bed feeling anxious as to how my body would cope riding over a 100 miles, let alone two days in a row, but then I thought, YOLO!
Day 1
The morning was colder than expected and me Eugene, Jonathan and Neil started promptly at 06:00 from the Black Horse, picking up first Alan, then Paul and Rob and the Redditch boys (Paul 2 and Rob 2) en route. The ride pace to Tewkesbury was faster than I was used to and time went by swiftly as we got to know each other. Dave Cole joined us at the pub breakfast stop.
Just after the first group riders set off after breakfast, I met the second group at the pub fixing a puncture on my front tyre, having returned after buying a pair of gloves. We were a good five to eight minutes behind the first group when we set off and then it began: with the aim of catching up with the others, the riders at the front started pushing the pace, and after about three miles my legs started to give in. Kudos to Paul 2 and Rob 2, who kindly slowed down a bit and dragged me into the front group. I barely held on until we approached a set of traffic lights in Gloucester and I saw a flash of the Beacon jersey from the first group about 100 meters ahead. My legs stopped pedaling immediately and my heart did think about taking a break but the brain must have stopped it.
From eye-balling the speed on my free Strava account, the average on that 10-mile section looks like about 18.5 mph. I was glad it was over and also chuffed about having been able to ride that distance at that speed, albeit on someone else’s wheel. We pedaled on further past the canals in Gloucester and through villages and towns, and two café stops and a few sprints later we were less than 10 miles from the Weston pier. We got to the pier at 18:00 sharp and took the obligatory picture (below). Cheers to Dave Cole, who bought everyone ice cream at the pier. The Grosvenor Hotel looked after us very well and most of us celebrated with fish and chips accompanied by beers. I did go to bed thinking of cycling to Bristol the next day and taking the train back, which would have been so much easier.
Day 2
After a sound night’s sleep (it was interrupted by a fire alarm at about 06:00) and a early breakfast, we were ready to hit the road again. The Bristol idea was bashed by the YOLOness spirit and we were on our way back by 08:30. It was overcast most of the morning, which we didn’t expect. With the aim of being able to watch at least some of the England match that evening, we took a much shorter route down the A38 out of Weston, peeling off and joining it back on multiple occasions.
A few miles after Bristol, the front of the group paced ahead, leaving Eugene, me and Rob keeping each other company. I did briefly attempt to bridge the gap but didn’t want to empty the tank, which was already into its reserve. After this, we kept hoping Rob would catch us up as he usually did after a climb but this didn’t happen. He did catch us up at our long stop in Tewkesbury, which rid me of the guilt I was feeling until then. The front group stopped and waited for us a few miles short of Gloucester. After a refreshing drink outside a convenience store in Gloucester, we pedaled on into Tewkesbury, the horse sculpture on a roundabout and other landmarks on the way giving me joyous flashbacks of what was endured the previous day. About 12 miles away from the Black Horse, my tank had tanked. I was barely able to put any power out but my comrades slowed down and sacrificed the first half of the England match in doing so – kudos to everyone!
Afterwards, it took a couple of days for what I’d achieved to sink in because for the first two days, I kept telling myself what you’ve done is trivial when you look at the others on Strava. But then I looked at Office for National Statistics numbers, which estimate that the UK population averaged 88 miles of cycling a year in 2022. The group racked up two-and-a-half times that in two days, which when you think about it, is simply brilliant. Thanks to the Beacon RCC and its members who made this happen. I think camaraderie is what makes this club brilliant and I feel this only having joined the club a few months ago. I shall end this with a well-deserved thanks to Alan Weaver, who organised this trip and sailed a tight ship as we chugged along – or should I say cycled a tight peloton.
Enjoyed this touring report? Check out Dave Cole’s write-up of an earlier overnight tour to Coalport here.