Friday 15 December 2006

Gran Fondo Northumberland



Gran Fondo Northumberland



Please Read These Safety and General Notes

Event Dates - 31st March 2007 to 1st April 2007


Please train for the event! This might sound obvious but 200 miles over 2 days in hilly terrain is a considerable undertaking by anyone's standards. If you want to know how long how have left to prepare click here.

Please try to come on the Winter Century Ride as preparation on 4th March 2007 to check your form. To find out how long you have to train for it click here.

Please wear a hard shelled cycle helmet that meets an internationally accepted standard.

Please obey the Highway Code at all times.

Please give your name, an emergency contact telephone number, and your mobile telephone number before the start in case of accident or other emergency.

Please wear a neck lanyard/dogtag or other readily accessible form of ID giving emergency contact and medical information as applicable.

Please do not cycle more than two abreast and ride in single file if the roads are narrow.

Please if at all possible indicate hazards such as potholes and dangers to following cyclists.

Please let someone know if you or another rider is struggling to keep up, we don't want to leave anyone stranded.

Please ensure that you and your bike are adequately insured in case of loss or accident to yourself or others. Contact the CTC for details.

Please do not ride away from the front of the group unless you are sure of the route and if you do please wait at a suitable point for the main group to catch up.

Please do not overlap the rear wheel of the cyclist in front of you, a change of direction will almost certainly see you hitting the deck.

Please beware of the "drop kick"! When ascending do not cycle too close to the rider in front of you, if he or she suddenly rises from the saddle to stand on the pedals their bike may suddenly slow leaving you to touch the rear wheel with the usual painful consequences.



Please check your bike before setting off, in particular:


  1. Brakes.
  2. Tyres (pressure and condition).
  3. General lubrication.
  4. Gear adjustment.
  5. Sprocket wear.
  6. Chain wear.
  7. Headset play.


Better still have your bike serviced before you set off by someone reliable such as Mark Breeze, you will get a professional job done at a reasonable cost.


Don't forget that the annoying rattle you have been putting up with may well develop on a long hilly ride into something you wish you had dealt with sooner. If your gears are "slipping a bit" they will almost certainly end up slipping a lot and you will wish you had fitted that new chain and block. If you are not using a compact chainset and have been thinking about it this is as good a time as any to make the jump, you'll be pleased to have those spinning gears in the second half of day 2!




Please bring the following with you, or make sure someone else does!


  1. Food.
  2. Drink.
  3. Consider a recovery drink or shake for the Saturday evening, may well help your legs on the Sunday!
  4. Appropriate clothing.
  5. Assos Cream or similar chamois cream to put on the bits where saddle sores develop, it makes for a far more comfortable ride.
  6. 2 spare inner tubes.
  7. Puncture repair outfit.
  8. Carbon dioxide cylinder and tyre inflator chuck, if used.
  9. Pump for daytime emergencies. A track pump will be available on Saturday evening.
  10. Tyre levers.
  11. Multitool.
  12. Chain tool.
  13. Emergency lights such as these. They weigh virtually nothing, occupy hardly any space, and at least allow you to be seen in an emergency. If you really want to go to town the latest multi-LED versions have been given very high ratings by users, front and rear units are now available.
  14. Mobile telephone with adequate credit available.
  15. Cash.
  16. Route map.


Take advantage of the rider(s) in front of you where possible to save energy. By riding in the slipstream (draughting) of another rider you can save 20-40% of your energy at a given speed, the closer you are the greater the gain, but also the greater the danger!


Remember that you are responsible for your own safety and security, and please ride with consideration for others at all times. Please plan ahead to ensure that in the event of a breakdown you have made arrangements to ensure that you are able to summon assistance and are able to arrange recovery for yourself and your bicycle if this is necessary, make sure that anyone who might be called upon to assist knows where you are going to be!


Remember, this is a pleasure ride, not a race or a test of speed.

Above all, be safe and enjoy yourself!


Quentin Field-Boden
December 2006


Last updated 09:52 15/12/2006







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