CCC Route Schedule

At the core of what we do as a club is the route schedule. In this article I explain the rationale behind the selection of routes for the weekend rides.  

The fundamental principle that underpins the weekend schedule is that there is a ride that is suitable for all levels of riders. To this end we run a blue/red and an orange ride on Saturday mornings and a blue, orange, green+ and green ride on Sunday mornings. The criteria for deciding which routes are appropriate for the various colours is based primarily on distance although for green and green+, climbs like Bowden are avoided. The blue and orange rides on Saturday are slightly longer than the equivalent rides on Sunday because of the earlier 8am start time. The distance criteria are shown below: 

Green:     38km – 53km 

Green+:   52km – 66km 

Orange:   60km – 74km 

Blue:        70km+ 

Red:        77km+ 

It is worth noting that once a month the orange ride on Sunday (long orange) is the same ride as the blue ride but at a slower pace. Also the blue, long orange and red rides in the summer will include some longer rides than during the winter when, hopefully, the riding conditions are better. 

The next major consideration is to have a variety of routes, different terrain, hilly rides, iconic climbs, flatter rides, rides going in different directions with different lanes, views and of course different café stops. This is much easier to achieve with the longer rides than the shorter ones because obviously there is wider geographical coverage which opens up more lanes and more cafés. For example, there are some Saturday blue/red rides that we only do every other year. We also have to take into consideration opening times and the popularity of the cafés we use. For example, Pickleberry café at Bratton is a popular stop but doesn’t open until 10am on a Saturday and is closed on a Sunday limiting rides going in that direction. We have also introduced, by popular request, one gravel ride a month during the summer months.  Over the years we have built up a large bank of routes but are always on the lookout for new cafés and routes, so if you have a route that you think would be suitable for the club please send it to corshamcc@gmail.com for the attention of the club secretary.  

The last aspect of the schedule that I would like to draw attention to is how the route distances change through the course of the month. All the colours start the month at the shorter end of their relevant distance range and build through the month ending with a ride towards the top of the range. This is done for a number of reasons. Firstly, it makes planning the schedule a little easier. Secondly, it allows for riders to easily swap between levels. For example, if a rider normally riding green rides wants to progress to green+, then at the beginning of every month there is an ideal opportunity to try as the green+ ride is not going to be much different from the last green ride of the previous month. The third reason, which will have little or no interest for most members but is interesting none the less, is that it mirrors an endurance training technique called periodisation. Essentially periodisation is where you build volume and intensity for three weeks, drop down for a week to allow the body to adapt to the increased load and then repeat the process. The start of each four-week block is at a slightly higher level than the previous four-week block allowing for progression over time. For anyone wanting to build towards one of the club challenge rides, or their own personal challenge, cycling in Mallorca, the Alps, bikepacking through Europe or doing Lejog, for example, then the route schedule can be used as a tool to help prepare. 

Hopefully the route schedule meets the needs of all our members. All the routes for 2025 have been planned and are now on the website.