RSF - The Off Road Cycling Club

The Adventure Starts Here

1996

“The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world.” — Susan B. Anthony, US women’s rights activist BikeRadar / Immediate Media

 

All content in the journals is copyright either of the RSF or the author or indeed both. It's use without permission will result in a stiff memo. If you would like to use an article or images please contact the general secretary in the first instance

1996 Jan-Feb Vol 41 No.1
 
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I have finally succumbed to car ownership, decades after passing my driving test at 17. During all the intervening time the bicycle has been my only pack animal, accompanying me on every holiday and faithfully transporting all that is needed to make a home from home. This used to include a tent, but a few years ago my husband Alan introduced me to the greater flexibility of the bivvy bag. Its advantages are particularly great for the solitary cyclist who wishes both to travel light and to slip quietly and unobtrusively into a sleeping place at dusk.
1996 March-April Vol 41 No.2
 
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Those people who holiday in New Zealand and say that they never have a drop of rain are either extremely fortunate or have a short memory. We had arrived in Queenstown intending to walk the Routeburn and Greenstone tracks. The first morning was spent arranging the hire of rucksacks, enquiring about permits to use the Department of Conservation’s huts and sorting out transport to the start of the tracks at Glen Orchy. We also booked in at the youth hostel for the following night so that we could leave our bikes and surplus luggage for safe keeping.
1996 May-June Vol 41 No.3
 
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We stopped at Loch Morlich Youth Hostel at the start of our tour. This was a mistake. We should have stopped at Aviemore because we started our journey on a route that was not what you would call a cyclist’s route, not even for rough stuffers. We set off bright and early but, unfortunately, the weather was far from bright and we had to cape up from the start. The rain was torrential but the capes didn’t last long before we reverted to racing capes because along came the 40 mph winds to go with the rain.
1996 July-Aug Vol 41 No.4
 
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Following the precedent of the ‘Dent’ Weekend, the Mungrisdale event went walkabout and ended up in Newbiggin. Not everyone knew that.... Who were the hapless pair, reported but not seen, who spent the weekend hunting for us? Our illustrious Chairman, being a man of leisure, arrived a day early and enjoyed a solo jaunt along High Street The downside of his extra day was that he had to endure the ritual abuse that attends his high status. Thick skinned, these Chairmen.
1996 Sept-Oct Vol 41 No.5
 
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Reading an increasing number of reports of rides to Cape Wrath, Scotland’s north-west extremity, had whet my cycling appetite, and for a last holiday fling in September 1965 it only needed a week’s preparation to have me heading north on the night sleeper to Inverness. An excellent breakfast at the station there the next morning and a browse round the town, then I was ready to continue by train to Lairg. This must surely be one of the most scenic routes remaining in the country, skirting the Firths of Beauly, Cromarty and Dornoch
1996 Nov-Dec Vol 41 No.6 (Index)
 
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Stout shoes are essential. Personally, when roughstuffing in this area, I carry climbing boots and socks, and change into them where necessary. A cyclist pushing his machine whilst wearing climbing boots may well look a little incongruous. A cyclist wearing shoes, lying beside his machine with a broken ankle, looks even worse and brings little credit to the cycling movement. A compass, a one-inch map, food, warm and waterproof clothing, should also be standard equipment It is well to remember that weather conditions in the Lakes can change hourly

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