Cycling events in Swansea Bay area

Events
Unless noted otherwise the events should be free. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult on rides.

September 2008
For a table summarising CTC's September rides click CTC September rides.
19.00, Monday 1 September: Wheelrights Working Group meeting
Yacht/Sub-aqua club, East Burrows Road. All interested members welcome.
Sunday, 7 September: Three Valleys Fun Cycle Ride
Meet on Sail Bridge between 8.00 and 10.00am. This is a 35 mile sponsored ride in aid of the Noah's Ark appeal for the Children's Hospital of Wales and other children's charities. It is organised by the Rotary Club of Swansea Bay. Cost £5.00 for early registration, £6.00 on the day. Click here for an entry form and more information.
18.30, Thursday 11 September: Llandarcy Explorer ride
Meet at Tower Hotel car park, Jersey Marine. Cycle to LLandarcy; visit the Harvester pub. 5 miles (8km). Leader: Eifion Francis (Phone: 01792 796735).
10.30, Saturday 13 September: European Mobility Week (EMW) ride.
This is a ride to advertise the 16-22 September EMW. Assemble in Blackpill car park near the cycle crossing for departure at 11.00am (prompt) to ride to the City Centre. You will be provided with an A4 poster to pin on your back with a message to let passing motorists know that 16-22 September is EMW. The ride will end at the Sail Bridge. At least some of the group will be returning from there to Blackpill along the coast path. Click here for a poster about the ride
13 and 14 September: Sylfaen Cynefin open days.
Various buildings featuring the work of this (Gordon Gibson's) Company will be open to the public. To view/download a 21 page brochure giving details click brochure. This event is of interest to cyclists as Sylfaen Cynefin specialise in the design of streets for pedestrians and cyclists. Those taking part in the EMW ride on the Saturday morning will be well placed to visit venues in the City Centre after it.
16-22 September: European Mobility Week.
During this week people are encouraged to leave their cars at home and use other means of transport. Various events to encourage this are planned. In addition to other events of interest to cyclists there will be activities in Castle Square/Wind Street from noon on 20th, ie after the Adult Beginners Class (see below). Links providing details will be provided here when known.
9.30am, Saturday 20 September: Wheelrights Adult Beginners Class
in County Hall East car park. For a flier with details click here. Note: the contact phone No.s are as for the Explorer rides; see Wheelrights below.
18.30, Tuesday 30 September: Llansamlet Explorer ride
Meet at The Pod car park (opposite B&Q). Explore cycle routes around LLansamlet and visit the Ramada Jarvis Hotel bar. 4 miles (7km). Leader: Nick Guy (Phone: 01792 476178 - evenings).

October 2008
For a table summarising CTC's October rides click CTC October rides.
Saturday 4 October: ride to consecrate Bob Burn's bench
This is a ride from Blackpill to the location of the Bob Burn memorial bench beside the North Gower path opposite the Sea Gardens restaurant. (There is a tribute to Bob in Wheelrights Newsletter No. 5. This can be viewed /downloaded from the Various page.) Leave Blackpill (by the cycle crossing) at 11.00am to cycle to the location or meet us there at noon. Afterwards we will retire to a pub in Gowerton.

November 2008
7.00pm, Monday 10 November: Wheelrights agm
This will take place in the Environment Centre, Pier St., Swansea. Following the formal business a round-table discussion on a proposed Swansea cycling map is planned. The idea is to pool ideas, in particular to collect information on what roads in and around Swansea should be shown as preferred cycling routes.

Providers
Wheelrights
As noted on the About us page the events which Wheelrights lay on comprise their cycle beginners' classes, some rides and evening meetings.
This year we are providing a programme of short social evening Explorer rides. These are primarily for beginners, eg those who have attended our beginners' classes, but they are also for more experienced cyclists who are expected to come along, if not just for the ride then to visit the hostelry which each ride includes. See above for the rides coming up or click either here for a flier with the complete programme or visit www.wennol.co.uk where the rides are listed along with the CTC rides. Just turn up at the start (on your bike!) - no need to let us know beforehand. But if you want specific information phone the ride leader (given above) or failing that try Veronica Wood: 01792 206617, Rhian Evans: 01792 510470 or Sustrans office: 01792 454491. (Three numbers in case your call languishes on an answer phone.) These rides should provide a stepping stone to CTC's Easy rides (included in the CTC ride summaries above).
The evening meetings will be for the most part Working Group meetings to plan our activities. We do not have a formal committee and the Working Group is open to any member who feels they can play a part in helping us achieve our aims.
Sustrans
Sustrans main role is not to organise rides and events but rather to create such important things as the National Cycle Network and Safe Routes to Schools. They do however organise work days and work camps to improve and add to the NCN. They also lay on occasional other events, such as their 30th birthday ride which passed through Swansea last summer.
CTC
On 1 January 2008 the local CTC group ceased to be a District Association and became the Swansea and West Wales CTC Member Group. The old sections disappeared so that the rides which used to be the responsibility of the sections are now organised centrally. They continue to take place on Sundays and Wednesday. They are, however, now classified as "Easy" (E), "Medium" (M) or "Hard" (H). Generally there are E and M rides on Sundays with now and then an H ride (which sometimes take the form of a 100km or longer Audax ride). The single Wednesday rides are mostly M.
There are two ride coordinators: John White (Phone 01792 520896) who looks after the Sunday rides and Bob Evans (Phone 01792 297463) who covers the Wednesday rides. Bob is also the Chairman. (He took over from Trevor Boylan who sadly died of a heart attack while riding with the Club on 14 November 2007). Martin Brain (phone 01792 207800) is the Secretary.
Information about the rides can be found on Bob Evans website: www.wennol.co.uk; follow the cycling links. They are also summarised above: the programme for a particular month can be viewed/downloaded as a single A4 sheet. Just click the month in the events section.
Other
Other events gleaned from wherever are included on this page.

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Page updated on 16 September 2008