Golfing cyclists conquer Europe
The four members of Chipping Sodbury Golf Club have just finished their cycling golf tour across northern Europe, completing the 520km cycle ride plus playing five rounds of golf on five different courses in just over five days. The challenge commenced on Sunday with a game of golf on the undulating down-land course of Lewes Golf Club in Sussex. The cycling began the next day with an 82 mile cycle ride, beginning at Bexhill on Sea and cycling along the coast past Hastings towards Dover. Following the short ferry crossing the second part of ride began in the port of Calais and came to an end at St Omer Golf and Country Club in France at 8.00pm – a long but good start to the tour.
This superb setting was to be the venue for the first mainland European game of golf on the Tuesday morning. A stunning venue and golf course that had just finished hosting the Open de St Omer was very welcoming for the start of this part of the venture. Completing the golf by lunch time the cyclists then set off on their second day’s cycling; meandering through the wonderful, albeit undulating, countryside. The team set their sights on a 90 mile trek with an aim of getting past Ostende and as far into Belgium as they could. This task turned out to be probably the hardest day of the tour, an intricate route involving French and Belgian canal routes with a detour around Ostende the 90 mile cycle eventually finished in De Hann at 9.45pm. Little did we know that all restaurants and cafes finish serving at 9.30pm! Never mind the kebab van exists in Belgium as well as good ol’blighty. Whilst a great sense of achievement was felt, there were still three days to go.
Day 3; this was deemed to be the rest day. An 8.30 start at the very impressive Royal Zoute Golf Club in Knokke, Belguim was a great way to start the day. This established club dating back to 1909 is well worth a visit with some stunning holes to remember. With the sun high in the sky and temperatures creeping up a short cycle ride into Holland was the target, the small matter of an England world cup game was to interrupt the cyclists. Once again a “scintillating” game allowed at least one of the cyclists the chance to gain a ‘power-nap’ before we set off again on our merry way. With direction routes taking on a Dutch flavour and the lack of a compass (thanks to Daryl!) meant we were once again Lycra explorers lost on spokes. The day ended in Holland after another 42 miles in the saddle.
Day 4; Probably the hottest day of the week and our hosts from the De Woeste kop Golf Club, just outside of Axel in Holland welcoming us at 8.00am. Once again the golf course is first class, with a mixture of tree lined fairways, delicately placed water hazards and imaginative dog-legs this course required full concentration to score well. It was here on this course that we witnessed what could have been the longest drive ever. John Clapp playing his approach shot into the 13 green didn’t quite make the contact he was hoping for and saw his ball bounce into the open window of a people carrier just about to drive off. With the ball nestled in the foot well on the passenger’s side, John asked for a ruling! Which, as one would expect he got – especially from the driver!
Following great hospitality from our hosts we once again set off in the mid-day sun, something about mad-dogs and Englishmen comes to mind. The target today was to reach Ypres and see the 8.00pm Remembrance Ceremony at the Menin Gate. Again a mix of Dutch and Belgium cycle route signs needed to be conquered, but our map reading skills were improving as we made our way back across the border into Belgium. Selecting another flat canal route seemed to be a good idea at the time. However with the back-up crew unable to find us and water supplies beginning to run low we started to see mirages of water fountains in the distance. Needless to say the unsung heroes of the back-up crew eventually pulled out all the stops and located the cyclists with only minutes to spare before dehydration set in (not over dramatising at all!).
With a deadline to meet for the Menin Gate Ceremony we eventually prised ourselves away from the saddle at 6.30pm after a 60mile cycle ride. Whilst Tuesday may have been a longer cycle ride, this was just as gruelling, mainly due to the intense heat. Our appointment at the Remembrance Ceremony was kept; at this point we were joined by the Club Captain Dennis Spicer and the Club President Ken Douglas. An excellent gesture to come and support our cause that was appreciated by all the team. I am sure that anybody who ever has the chance to visit this town and the ceremony will remember it for the rest of their lives. It is a truly moving experience and one that probably should be put on the ‘To-Do list’.
The Final day; The only problem with meeting in the wonderful town of Ypres and wining and dining in the outside cafes is that you overlook the fact that you still have to play golf the following day AND cycle another 40 miles. Going to bed at 2.00am is not the best preparation - although I think we were ready for a few beers. In a way I think I was actually quite disappointed that this was going to be the last day that we would cycle together, those times when you keep egging each other on, telling stupid stories or even playing silly guessing games about famous people with the name STAN. (John - I’ve just thought of another one).
Our golfing host for the final day was The Golf & Country Club de Palingbeek, situated just outside of Ypres; whilst the clubhouse was extremely imposing unfortunately the golf course did not compare with the quality of our previous experiences. The one hole that did stand out was a superb dogleg 18 that finished with the second shot over the lake to land on the green in front of the clubhouse balcony - well that was the theory!
A quick sandwich and our final 40 miles was about to start – or so we thought! On attempting to leave the golf club we were confronted by red warning tape and all roads blocked off. Not to be deterred, our cycling explorers were ready for anything that came before them, anyway what’s a few road blocks between friends. That was until we realized that we were in the middle of the Ypres Car rally, a fully blown rally with modified and extremely fast cars about to come around the corner at a speed our bikes would have trouble dealing with. It was when the helicopter was hovering above us and the marshals car stopped us that we realised we ought to find a different route. The group’s map reading skills were again put to the test as we attempted to out smart the rally organisers and find our way back through Belgium and into France where the final destination was St Omer Golf and Country Club. After much debate our newly appointed Head of Directions, Daryl Spicer was to use his highly trained tracking skills; needless to say he took us up the biggest hill of the whole five days, which is just what we all wanted after 5 days in the saddle. It was only when he realised the name ‘Castille’ implied that the Castle may be on top of a hill…….. never mind, not far to go.
With 500km our target it was not long when we realised that we would reach this well before the end of the ride, hence the extra distance would only add to the pain – or is it ‘no pain, no gain’. With the Captain and the President plus the back up crew ready with a warm welcome a real sense of achievement was enjoyed by all concerned; plus the odd beer or two.
On reflection the task we set ourselves was quite an onerous one, and certainly one that pushed us all the way. But if we can raise the funds for the selected charities then I am sure we will feel it has all been worthwhile. Many thanks to all those who have donated to the cause.
This was a team effort and extreme thanks go to all concerned: The back-up team – Chris Pearce – Head of Transport, Pete Ball – T.O. Tour Organiser, Dave Busby – Head of Provisions.
The Captain Dennis Spicer and the President Ken Douglas for their support.
Synwell Boxing Club for the use of the Mini-Bus
Bristol & Avon for their sponsorship of the Mini-Bus
The Golf Clubs and Hotels for their support
Saddleback for their cycle maintenance support
Finally, of course, the cyclists for their efforts John Clapp, Daryl Spicer, Rhys Tamlyn and Bob Williams.
