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Summer Chaingangs 2024
Hello everyone
Welcome to the 2024 season of Ashwell chaingangs... The joy/pain/summer vibes/fitness/road race skills/hell. Delete as applicable.
Never done a chaingang before? Come on down and give it a go. Newbies always worry about getting dropped. Don't worry. We will try and be as inclusive as possible. They are a great way to maintain and improve your cycling fitness, and the gateway drug into road racing.
The Chain Gang season goes from the beginning of April to the end of August. Riders depart from outside The Three Tuns pub in Ashwell at 7.15pm
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There are three essentials to note:
1. Every rider needs to read, agree to, and comply with this ride Risk Assessment. Link:
https://tinyurl.com/ChainGangRA
2. Every rider needs to be over 18. Note: there is a Youth/Junior chaingang on Tuesdays too.
4. Every rider should join CC Ashwell. You can join as a "2nd Claim" member for just £10. Link:
https://tinyurl.com/ashwell2024
More details…
7.15pm - Depart Ashwell, Three Tuns at easy pace.
7.20pm - Meet up with those waiting at Steeple Morden pub/church and begin the chaingang.
We will split into two groups if turnout is high. We generally rotate the chain anti-clockwise all the way. If there are fewer than 4 riders, it's probably better to make it a TTT instead of a chain.
Feeling the burn? Before you blow up, sit out your place in the chain and simply hang on at the back saying 'Last!' so the gang knows to miss you out. Enjoy the recovery off the front for as long as you like, and rejoin the chain with a clear shout.
Aim for smoothness: the pace line is only fractionally faster (1mph) than the resting line, don't spring out of corners, don't overlap wheels, be super alert at all times and call out every hazard and manoeuvre.
Get close to the wheel in front of you. Just remember not to get too close. Never overlap your wheel with the rider in front, and aim to be a little to one side of the wheel in front and not directly behind the wheel so, that if they brake suddenly, you have nowhere to go.
"What if I get dropped?"… It can happen - and that's fine. You are still officially bad-ass for turning up and having a go. Solo TT or team up with anyone else who got dropped. Come back next week and you'll see you can hold on for longer.
The 9-mile lap. There will be between 1-3 laps:
https://www.bikemap.net/en/r/996158/
Text me, Martin, if you want to join the Chain Gang WhatsApp group - 07977652247
Welcome to the 2024 season of Ashwell chaingangs... The joy/pain/summer vibes/fitness/road race skills/hell. Delete as applicable.
Never done a chaingang before? Come on down and give it a go. Newbies always worry about getting dropped. Don't worry. We will try and be as inclusive as possible. They are a great way to maintain and improve your cycling fitness, and the gateway drug into road racing.
The Chain Gang season goes from the beginning of April to the end of August. Riders depart from outside The Three Tuns pub in Ashwell at 7.15pm
--
There are three essentials to note:
1. Every rider needs to read, agree to, and comply with this ride Risk Assessment. Link:
https://tinyurl.com/ChainGangRA
2. Every rider needs to be over 18. Note: there is a Youth/Junior chaingang on Tuesdays too.
4. Every rider should join CC Ashwell. You can join as a "2nd Claim" member for just £10. Link:
https://tinyurl.com/ashwell2024
More details…
7.15pm - Depart Ashwell, Three Tuns at easy pace.
7.20pm - Meet up with those waiting at Steeple Morden pub/church and begin the chaingang.
We will split into two groups if turnout is high. We generally rotate the chain anti-clockwise all the way. If there are fewer than 4 riders, it's probably better to make it a TTT instead of a chain.
Feeling the burn? Before you blow up, sit out your place in the chain and simply hang on at the back saying 'Last!' so the gang knows to miss you out. Enjoy the recovery off the front for as long as you like, and rejoin the chain with a clear shout.
Aim for smoothness: the pace line is only fractionally faster (1mph) than the resting line, don't spring out of corners, don't overlap wheels, be super alert at all times and call out every hazard and manoeuvre.
Get close to the wheel in front of you. Just remember not to get too close. Never overlap your wheel with the rider in front, and aim to be a little to one side of the wheel in front and not directly behind the wheel so, that if they brake suddenly, you have nowhere to go.
"What if I get dropped?"… It can happen - and that's fine. You are still officially bad-ass for turning up and having a go. Solo TT or team up with anyone else who got dropped. Come back next week and you'll see you can hold on for longer.
The 9-mile lap. There will be between 1-3 laps:
https://www.bikemap.net/en/r/996158/
Text me, Martin, if you want to join the Chain Gang WhatsApp group - 07977652247
Comments
It will be just 1 quite easy lap, I expect. Bring lights!