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This coming Saturday is the yearly big SheCycles Member’s ride at Swinley Forest, actually they are pretty regular now, but this time last year we had a storming turn-out with nearly 30 women riding. It was great fun and well organised by SheCycles Forum regular, Old Bird (Elaine). You can read all about
last year’s ride and check out the photo gallery to whet your appetite.
Everyone is welcome to the next ride and we are promised some new trails too, there’s loads of hype on the Forum too so log in and sign up on the Swinley Forum Thread.
There will be three speed groups so everyone will be catered for and nobody gets left behind – isn’t that the best bit about riding with a group of women? There’ll be plenty of chance for chats and socialising before during and after the ride plus if you have a male friend or partner who wants to come along, there’ll be a separate blokes ride too….nobody needs to get left out!
Want to test ride a women specific saddle?
Bex will have the SheCycles Saddle Demo range on offer so you can have a test ride on a women specific saddle. Just rock up a bit early so you have time to fit the saddle and see how it rides. Check out the saddles on offer in the
SheCycles Saddle Demo Center.
Where is Swinley?
Swinley Forest (aka The Discovery Centre/The Look Out) is situated on the B3430, just off the A322 Bagshot to Bracknell road. It is just south of Bracknell with easy access to the M3 and M4 motorways. The nearest train station is Martin’s Heron and is approximately 2 miles away.
What you need to bring
You need to be ready to ride at 11.00 am. If you arrive early, the Cafe will be open from 10.00 am so I am sure there will be some of us in the car park with our carry-out coffee having a pre-ride chat! Plus it’ll give you time to check out the range of women specific saddles available to test ride, courtesy of the SheCycles Saddle Demo Center.
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Message from the ride organiser, Elaine…
To ride at Swinley, you must purchase a day permit, price £1.50, and this goes towards maintenance of trails including purchase of specialist equipment and supplies. This is available from The Discovery Centre building and you can also purchase a map although this does not show all of the singletrack but is useful for getting your bearings.
The Discovery Centre building opens at 10.00 am, it has award-winning toilets (we kid you not) and there is a Cafe which sells reasonably priced hot and cold food as well as hot and cold refreshments.
We will split into three ability groups (depending on numbers), each with a leader and sweeper. There will also be a partners ride with a leader and sweeper. Each group will stay together and nobody will be left behind. The emphasis is on having a good time and nobody has to ride anything that they are unhappy about.
The trails at Swinley are maintained by a local mtb club and due to the sandy soil, tend to remain in good condition throughout the year. This year we will be riding a fresh set of trails. We will endeavour to meet back at the Cafe at around 1.00 pm for lunch and there will be more riding in the afternoon for those that want it.
The lovely local bike shop (Mountain Trax) are offering complimentary tea and cakes in the afternoon, together with a 15% discount voucher (but there will be terms and conditions). If you have to dash off afterwards, the voucher will be valid for 12 months. So please make sure you get the voucher from me before the start of the ride.
On the Sunday, there will a Gorrick race taking place at Swinley, check out www.gorrick.com for more info. These are very popular and well-organised if you fancy a go!
I am certainly looking forward to meeting new people as well as the girls who came last year and made it such a success. It would be really useful to have an idea of who is coming so I can make sure that I have sufficient leaders and sweepers, including the partners ride. Please let me know on the Swinley Forum Thread.
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