A cloudless, bright but very cold early Sunday morning attracted a good turnout of 71 riders to participate in the 9^th annual Charlie Westlake Sportive bike rides. 43 cyclists opted for the 50km route and 28 for the 100km route. Compared to last year’s event the weather was ideal with very little wind and a gradual increase in the temperature. Frank Jefferson manning the first control near Belmont reservoir did a great job in checking through all 71 riders from only 45 minutes into the event. Peter Roscoe at the second control at the Britannia roundabout had to ensure that riders departed in the right direction as it is here that the 100km riders go one way towards Blackburn and the 50km riders go another towards Haslingden.

The 100km riders arriving in Downham were greeted and checked through by Mark Cranshaw. At Waterfoot, Jim Holden and Roy Turner interrupted their drinking at the Duke of Buccleugh pub to check through the 100km riders at their last control before the finish at Owd Betts.

At around noon the first of the 50km riders started arriving at the Owd Betts finish to be checked in by John Butterworrth - soon to be joined by Phil and Vera Rigby. It was 4.30pm by the time the last of the 100km riders had been checked in – all finishing within the 7 hours allowed.

Many riders have their own tales of punctures and going off course but all enjoyed the wonderful scenery that the route provided. Only a few failed to make the finish.

Thanks to entry fees and contributions from the riders we managed to raise £413 for Bury Hospice. A big thank you to all involved. Photos can be viewed on the Charlie Westlake Rides page of this website.

Five 'B' riders turned out for the planned ride to Dunsop Bridge. However lack of miles in the legs and a cold chill in the air forced a decision to take an easier shorter ride to the cafe near Cliviger. We took a direct outward route through Rochdale towards Littleborough before which we turned left to take the high road which is closed to motor traffic due to subsidence. After descending to the valley road we sped along into Todmorden.

After a brief stop to regroup we climbed towards Cliviger Gorge noticing with sadness that the Staff of Life pub, venue for many club Christmas lunches in the past, had closed. We climbed through Portsmouth and Cliviger Gorge and after descending through Holme Chapel we stopped at the cafe (except Stan who decided to carry on home). The others entered the cafe which was crowded although it was only 11.50am. After an enjoyable hour here we took the ‘easiest’ route home up to Burnley summit, Rawtenstall and Edenfield to conclude a pleasant cycling excursion of around 40 miles.

You thought it was all over – it isn’t yet!  Winter just won’t go away. We awoke to yet another covering of snow which ruled out a ride for most members. Better luck next week.

Nigel Hood writes: Having sent out an e-mail to see who was likely to be out for the A ride I was fully expecting to be faced with Hobson�s choice of do the A ride on my own or wait an extra half hour and ride with the B�s; Mark was �getting the miles in�, Mike was on valentine�s duty over in Leeds and Adam had cried off fat un-fit. However, when I got to the meeting point at Wilky�s I was quickly joined by Phil and Alan. So it was that three riders set off for the train station cafe at Delamere. The plan for the morning was simple, just ride straight through Manchester on the A56 to Bucklow Hill and pick up the lanes from there, its a route that Mike and I used last Easter without any problem but today it was so bad that Phil voted it the worst route I had ever taken him on.  Once in to the lanes it was a lot better, luckily for us route 70 goes through to Hatchmere so all we had to do was look out for the little blue signs. From Hatchmere its just a couple of miles to the cafe.

Alan ate his sandwiches then came inside for some pudding and custard, Phil opted for a Turkey baguette and I had an all day breakfast. Last to be served, I was just polishing off the last forkfuls of my meal when the waiter came out with another for me! Tempting, but not this time.

Fed and watered we saddled up for the ride home. Phil had been complaining about his new saddle from the off and with 40 odd miles covered and 40 plus to go things were going to get sore. In Frodsham we picked up route 5 and as the back road turned into a restricted by-way and that into a dirt path Phil�s moaning got louder, luckily it did not last long, the path that is, Phil�s moaning lasted the rest of the ride. After another section of the A56 we picked up the B5356 that took us through to Lymm. Back on our regular roads we crossed Warburton Bridge and spun our way to the Heritage tea rooms for coffee and cake. By the time we got home I had 88 miles on the clock with plenty of daylight left and no need of an early start.

Meeeting at 9.30, the six strong B group split with Beryl and Brian opting for an easy ride to Haigh Hall and the others, led by Phil and Vera, decided on Roughlee with the usual outward route via Rawtenstall and Acrrington being taken. John diverted off half way down the descent into Burnley for a shorter homeward run via Todmorden.

Eight riders turned up outside Wilkinson's for the "B" ride and none fancied the destination on the runs list - Sowerby Bridge, perhaps it was the thought of all those hills that we still weren't fit for this winter.

Phil (on his new Trek bike) and Vera were going to Roughlee but the rest of us decided on Tockholes where there is a good, cheap cafe. We followed the off road route past Peel Mills before threading our way onto Brandlesholme Road. At Walves we turned for Edgworth and Belmont and the switchback nature of the route made for slow progress up the steep climbs. Quicker progress was then made on to Tockholes where we tarried over the wholesome fare and debated over our return route.

In the meantime the mists had descended and the nearby Darwen Tower was no longer visible whilst the atmosphere was decidedly cold and clammy. We retraced our outward route as far as Belmont but then continued along the main road. The cold descent to Astley Bridge made fingers tingle but we warmed up again on Crompton Way, returning to Bury with some 40-odd miles covered.

Nigel Hood writes about the 'A' run:-

On Saturday I had been doing some gardening in a t-shirt and been tempted to take that off as the sweat trickled off my head but Sunday was back to the reality of winter. With the North West Passage audax only two weekends away and the first control of said audax being our destination for the day (Settle) I decided to use some of the same roads to get there. Unfortunately it was a reminder of what I don’t like about the audax. Having reached Settle via a mainly ‘a’ road route the return route had Mark, Mike and Nigel going ‘off piste’, Wham, Long Gill and Toss Side were all visited on a seldom used route through to Sawley and the cafe at Waddington.

An overnight freeze and a sprinkling of snow caused a few riders to change their minds about riding but Mark, Adam and Nigel set off from Bury with high hopes of some blue skies and sunshine.

The forecast included a northerly breeze giving a slight headwind on the way out to Beacon Fell. To counter this a direct route was used taking us over round hills and through Longridge. Leaving Longridge it might be tempting to follow the signs for Beacon Fell but this is the route for motorised traffic. Half a mile out of Longridge on the road to Chipping we turned left and entered a network of quiet lanes eventually reaching Beacon Fell Road via Carwags Lane.

At the visitors centre Adam bought three breakfast barms but he let Nigel eat one of them. Mark made do with just one. After lunch the sun had finally arrived and with the breeze now on our backs a longer route could be tackled. Leaving Beacon Fell via Rigg Lane we headed for the back road into Chipping, pausing briefly to watch as a glider came into land. As was the case in the morning, a few patches of ice had to be tackled where drainage water had frozen across the road. Adam’s front tyre went flat heading up the climb of Bowland-with-Leagram but Mark and Nigel had pressed on ahead. At the top of the climb Mark stopped to take some photos while Nigel continued to the junction at the bottom of the climb. With no sign of Adam at the top the roads were retraced and after assisting with the inflation of Adam’s tyre we headed towards Chaigley. From here it was the usual route of Whalley and Accrington arriving home mid afternoon but not before Adam’s tyre had flattened again.

Nigel Hood

Sunday morning brought unforecasted rain and so it was that 5 riders turned up outside Wilkinsons with 3 "A" riders intent on going to Croston and another going home this left your writer with a free choice of destination.

Like many members I was turning out for the first time in several weeks and with rain likely to be around all day I opted for a short local ride. I climbed steadily out of Bury towards Walshaw and continued to Affetside from where there are usually views all around the area but today the hills were shrouded in mist and low cloud. After a fast descent to Walves I turned right for Holcombe Brook and Ramsbottom where the rain had stopped. At Stubbins I headed for Strongstry where I got onto the Sustrans route on the disused railway line as far as Irwell Vale. On the way to Haslingden I saw Stan coming the other way and after four circuits around Helmshore I headed for home with 30 miles covered arriving in time to miss the next wave of rain.

Steve Willetts

At last a thaw. Most members took the opportunity to get some miles in after the recent snow and ice. Early on there was a risk of black ice and main roads were reluctantly kept to. John set off from Holmes Chapel to ride back to Bury after an evening away. The A50 from Holmes Chapel to Knutsford was quiet early on as far as cars were concerned but very busy with various cycling clubs out in force. Cycling club life is still very healthy in this neck of the woods.

Not everybody stayed off their bikes during the snowy Christmas and New Year period as the following report from Nigel Hood makes clear:

20th Dec. Jordan and Mark set off from Wilkinson's, having first phoned Nigel to see where he was (in the warmth watching telly). At Edenfield they were joined by Nigel but a little way out of Rawtenstall Jordan called it a day. The snowy weather had closed off most of the minor roads so a main road route was chosen with a stop at the DiNe cafe at Cliviger to kill a bit of time. After a coffee and a toasted tea cake we set off again, still expecting the B group to be making their way from Bury. As we started the long descent towards Todmorden the conditions on the road started getting progressively worse and then it started snowing. A quick stop by the side of the road in Todmorden was taken and the decision was made to head straight for home and in the unlikely event of meeting anyone coming in the other direction we could always change our minds. Needless to say no one else was daft enough to come out and we were lucky to have a relatively uneventful struggle back to Bury.

27th Dec. decimated by the Christmas holidays and poor weather, Nigel and Mike T setoff up Walmersley road on this 'combined run' to Tockholes. A reverse of Charlie’s short ride was chosen and a swift pace to try and keep warm. Luckily the roads were clear and the cafe was open. The snowy car park at the cafe put a temporary block on my pedals and it was a full 3 miles before I could clip my feet back in.

3rd Jan. could the weather get any worse? With Snow covering the minor roads and even patches on the main roads I opted to use my mountain bike with a knobbly tyre on the back for the club run although I was kind of hoping nobody else would turn up and I could just come straight home. Unfortunately for me Mark was already waiting at Wilkinson's. Thoughts of cheap, good food and good looking staff made a return to the DiNe cafe an easy choice. A slightly different route was used, heading first for Whalley then through Padiham. A few patches of black ice were enough to have heart rates racing but not as much as when the waitress bent over. This time the route home through Todmorden, Littleborough and Rochdale was without blizzards and snow.

10th Jan. yes, the weather can get worse but the severe cold has prevented the normal thaw/freeze cycle that leads to icy roads so conditions on the main routes were ok. That said my own street, like many in the region, was still covered in a thick uneven layer of snow so I opted to ride my mountain bike once more. As I rode along the rock another set of tyre tracks could be seen in the snow and Jordan was waiting outside Wilkinson's. Jordan was after a short ride and an early return and who could blame him. Main road routes are becoming a habit but I figured that there would have been enough cars going through Rivington to make the roads rideable and this proved to be the case. After breakfast at the village tea rooms we headed for the A6 and yet more main roads and it was a bitterly cold head wind as we headed back East towards Bury. Thanks to Jordan I was able to watch the afternoon’s snow flurries from the comfort and warmth of my front room.