To celebrate the LC__CC global ride out on Sunday 12th June, we invited a group of our most active members on a ride in the Surrey Hills. The ride itself was led by LC__CC’s Pro Coach, Chris Opie and Le Col Founder, Yanto Barker. Groups were split according to ability and all 25 riders headed out on the same route, a 65km ride which covered two famous climbs in the South of the UK – Box Hill and Whitedown. Our club colours didn’t go unnoticed on the road, and we shared compliments with other riders who we passed We chose to partner with a venue that’s as passionate about cycling as we are. The Queens Stage in Effingham has recently opened its doors to cyclists, hikers, walkers, and general pub-goers, and is perfectly situated on the doorstep of the Surrey Hills. Once we met the team we knew this would be an ideal venue for LC__CC club rides. The food is second-to-none and left riders feeling fuelled after breakfast and lunch, the staff were so helpful and made you feel at home as soon as you walked in, and the venue itself is clearly made for cyclists, with plenty of bike storage outside and bike racing on each TV inside. The team at Bike Hero, who now have a hub at The Queen’s Stage, were fantastic in providing pre-ride bike checks for our riders and were on-hand to help with any mechanicals on the ride. It gives a rider great peace of mind when a professional has checked over your bike for you, and the Bike Hero couldn’t be more accommodating. Chris Opie says “It was great to ride on new and different roads with new faces and meet other people that are active LC__CC members in their area. The highlight for me was seeing so many people wearing the new jersey out on the road. We had one climb that was a little antisocial, with Yanto thoroughly reminding me he always could go uphill a little better than I could on the final climb heading back towards The Queens Stage.”
