The Inaugural ColVelo Coffee & Canvas Ride

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10/01/2016 – The Inaugural ColVelo Coffee & Canvas Ride.

And for Sunday….Something a little different.

Over the last year ColVelo has developed a reputation as a club who favours long distance riding and embracing the more challenging conditions our corner of Great Britain can throw up. Certainly not a bad thing. The inception of ColVelo promised to give our members exactly what they wanted, and our ride philosophy has always been to explore the full extent of East Anglia.

Comparatively, ColVelo still works from a condensed membership base, and given we push on with our riding all year, this has seen many of our rides increase in distance and intended speed as our regular riders strive for new challenges and milestones. Which, it could be argued has made the ability to ‘start out’ riding with ColVelo a more challenging prospect.

What hasn’t changed is the great spirit and sense of fun we maintain on every ride. So with the help of club stalwart Andy Colsell, This Sunday saw our first Coffee & Canvas Ride. A 53km jaunt around the lanes of North Essex.

The name….Coffee is an easy one, the canvas, a nod to tourers of old, and relaxed days out taking in some of the great countryside we have in our doorstep. C&C rides will be based around inclusive speeds, strictly no drop, plenty of good coffee, cakes and stunning riding. Just without the vast distances.

ColVelo Coffee & Canvas rides will run two Sundays a month and hopefully serve as an entry point to the world of ColVelo, and a well earned recovery ride for those who may have gone big on the Saturday.

This week an extended start list of attendees made up by regular riders and new faces likely intrigued by what was on offer was a great sight. Lead out by ride leader Andy Colsell on his stunning touring bike, decked out with double Carradice, we rode on an anti-clockwise loop via Wormingford, Bures, Assington, Nayland and finishing the official ride at the Dedham Rose tea rooms for the coffee and cake stop.

We couldn’t be happier with the first Coffee & Canvas ride. The pace was perfect and it would seem all that turned out had a great day. If you want to get involved and find out about all that is planned for ColVelo in 2016, pop down for a C&C ride soon. The next one rolls out on Sunday 24th January. Check out our events page soon for full details.