The Bidlake Memorial TT Sept 18, 2016

There's still time to enter the Bidlake Memorial TT, to be held at Charlbury (Oxfordshire) from 10am on September 18 (more details below).

I rode the course yesterday with event founder, writer and cycling historian and historian Peter Whitfield. It's a simply beautiful Cotswold course with long, undulating stretches of country road, some drags and a climb out of Shipton, a couple of exciting descents where you can recover a bit, and an 18 mile long course that you do twice for 36 miles total.

Peter Whitfield, Charlbury, September 09, 2016

We rode it on 48x18 fixed wheel bikes, but very much as a recce. You'd want a geared bike but once again it's one of those sporting courses where the advantages of a TT rig over a road bike are marginal rather than obvious, particularly in light of the sections of climbing or descending, where handling comes into the equation.

Here are full details taken from the Oxonian CC website:

Bidlake Memorial Time-Trial

18 September 2016 - 10am

Bidlake Memorial Time-Trial takes place on the H36/18 based on Charlbury. This is the same course on which we run our April hilly, an attractive and challenging ride, entry must be made before 6th September.

The full course is two laps, 36 miles, but a one-lap version of 18 miles is also available. It’s a 10 am start and the HQ is the Charlbury Cricket Club. Full details on the CTT calendar ( https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/race-details/12657 ), with on-line entry, plus old-fashioned entries and any further info from Peter Whitfield: peterwychwood@hotmail. co.uk, call: 01608 810837.