The Tandem Club

The Tandem National Rally will be held in Corsham, Wiltshire from Saturday 23th May - Saturday 30th May 2020. The rally website is now available for information and bookings are open ! Tandem 2020 National Rally in Corsham

2020 International Rally Information
Details on booking the campsite and for the rally are now available and you can book for this event.

Bookings can be made for the 2020 Easter Rally, which is being held at Greenhill Leisure Park, Bletchingdon, just north of Oxford.

Please book early to be sure of securing a  pitch on the campsite here.

We are always looking for ways to raise awareness among potential new members who don't know there is a Tandem Club. 

 In the latest copy of the TCJ are 5 Club stickers in a white envelope.  Please put these on your tandem (on all your tandems if you have more than one).  People admiring your tandem out on the road are sure to spot them and ask about the Club. This is your chance to tell them about what we do and get them interested.

If you need more stickers please get in touch.

Thank you for helping to raise awareness of the Tandem Club amongst potential new members.

Peter Weeks Publicity Officer

We have been working on making the website more mobile phone friendly. Its not complete yet, but hopefully most pages should display better on these devices.

LA Group February Ride - Weather Update. Heavy showers and gales are forecast for Cumbria on Sunday with gusts in excess of 60 mph. Please check the What's On for updates or contact the leader before considering travelling. There is a high probability that we may have to rearrange this ride.

Richard and Michelle organised the January ride for the Taunton Group starting from Wiveliscombe. Organising a winter ride can have its challenges - namely weather conditions and lack of open cafes. Two days before the ride our concerns were the very wet and muddy lanes, however, on the day it was the cold and ice. Five tandems plus two solos set off towards Bampton on a road that was supposed to have been gritted. One icy patch resulted in a few walking but everyone stayed upright. The Toucan Café, in Bampton, kindly opened early for a coffee stop. Bikes were safely stored and we thawed out before continuing. Although a few were up for following the planned route along the lanes the general view was to stick to the bigger roads so we looped round to The Black Cat and Exeter Inn before heading back to Wiveliscombe where we jumped in the cars and drove to The Globe in Appley for lunch. Nick and Rachel joined us in Bampton for the short loop and then drove on to lunch on the original route and confirmed that we had made the correct decision! Driving on from the pub was also not very pleasant.

Tandem Club Runs List for LA, PR and FY postcode areas 2020

RO Stephen Webb Mobile 07940 372433     Landline 01539 729660     email stephen.webb001@gmail.com

Date	Start	Time	Coffee	Lunch	Miles	Leaders
9th February	Kendal College Milnthorpe Rd, Kendal LA9 5AY	9.15am for 9.30am	Beetham Old Post Office	Carnforth	36	Stephen and Jeanette Webb 07940 372433
8th March	Carnforth Meet at Railway Station Market Street LA5 9ET	9.15am for 9.30am	Woodies, Crook ‘O’ Lune Picnic Site	Ashton Hall Garden Centre	30	Paul & Jeannette Rodman 07768 647745
5th April   Note : First Sunday in April	Across the Ferry to Wray Castle               Start Kendal College LA9 5AY	9.15 for 9.30am	Cafe Ambio, Ings	Wray Castle NT property	42	Stephen and Jeanette Webb 07940 372433
10th May	Great Eccleston Square, post code PR3 0ZB	9.15am for 9.30am	Light Ash Myerscough	Scorton	35m	John & Anne Hall 01253 592136
14th June	Padiham leisure centre, Park Rd, Padiham Lancashire. BB12 8ED	9.15am for 9.30am	Café by the River, Read garden centre	The Old Stables, Towneley Hall.	36	Malcolm & Gillian Noon 07805 078360
12th July	Waddington Fell       Start Scorton Picnic Area PR3 1BU	9.15 for 9.30am	Puddleducks, Dunsop Bridge	Waddington	44	Simon & Hayley Brown 07757 203423
9th August	A Circuit of the Howgills Start Sedbergh	9.15 for 9.30am	Orton Scar Cafe or Chocolate House	Ravenstonedale	44	Mike & Helen Nott 015242 61566
13th September	The Eden Valley       Start Crosby Ravensworth	9.15 for 9.30am	Mrs Millers, Culgaith	Upfront Gallery and Coffee Shop, Unthank	45	Paul & Jeannette Rodman 07768 647745
11th October	Sunderland Point Lancaster Park & Ride at M6 J34	9.15 for 9.30am	RSPB Reserve Leighton Moss	Heysham	38	Simon & Hayley Brown 07757 203423
8th November	Beetham Nurseries, Pool Darkin Lane, LA7 7AP	TBC	Start with a coffee at Beetham J	Grange Over Sands	30 - 35	Mike & Helen Nott 015242 61566
13th December	Club Dinner – The Crooklands Hotel	12:30 for 1:00pm	Where would you like to go in 2021?  Please bring along ideas for rides J			Potential pre-lunch ride. TBC.
10th January 2021	January ride to finalise 2021 rides.  Start : Hornby	10:00 am for ride, 1:00pm at the Cafe	Ingleton (TBC)	Bridge House at Wray 1pm to 2pm Short ride back to Hornby after lunch	21	Stephen and Jeanette Webb 07940 372433
14th February 2021	Kirkby Lonsdale and The Arnside & Silverdale AONB                          Start : Carnforth	9.15 for 9.30am	Kirkby Lonsdale	Arnside	32	John and Janice Cowburn 07518 656919
14th March 2021	Kirkby Stephen and Brough Castle Start : Crosby Ravensworth	9.15 for 9.30am	Kirkby Stephen	Brough Castle	40	Stephen and Jeanette Webb 07940 372433

 

The Taunton group met at the Walnut Tree at North Petherton for their Christmas Meal and ride – a record number of 40 people attended the meal.  

The fancy dress/decorated tandem competition is always amazing. Rob and Sally stole the show dressed as oven ready turkeys. They cycled the 18 mile route and must’ve roasted! Other costumes included Christmas trees with flashing lights, reindeers, and of course Santa himself.

Coffee and biscuits is a great way to start then Ian led the ride with daughter-in-law Sarah as his stoker to provide much needed pedal power - Lisa had just had a replacement shoulder operation and will be back in action later in the year.  Heavy rain delayed the start but fortunately the sun came out as 14 tandems and 2 solos cycled to North Newton. We then continued across the levels and up the ‘steep’ hill into North Curry where we re-grouped.  From there we made our way to Burrowbridge and then alongside a very high River Parrett up to Huntworth and back to North Petherton.  A lovely ride with lots of friendly chatting and numerous comments from those watching us pass by.  Thanks must go to Richard and Michelle for keeping the group together.

The Christmas Meal was as good as always and it’s lovely to see so many people attend. The trophy for the most rides done in the year was awarded to Nick and Rachel who rode 9 out of the 11 rides in 2019, including the successful 100 mile Tour de Dartmoor weekend organised by Andy and Anita with help from Karl and Lisa. The Christmas quiz was won by Tim and Mary and Ian and Lisa were presented with gifts in appreciation of their work as Regional Officers.