Sunday Ride: Annual Freewheel Competition
/CTC Lancaster and South Lakes – Ride Report – Sunday 2nd November 2025
The prospect of the annual fun event, The Freewheel Competition attracted a healthy turnout of 15 riders at the start at Halton Station. Or maybe it was the intermittent sunshine that was the draw. In fact the weather proved kinder than expected, with the only rain coming whilst we were indoors having our lunch.
Two separate groups set off, the main party heading along the Lune-side cycle track to the Crook of Lune, then through the delightful pastures of Halton Park, before the lung-busting pull up the steep climb to the Kirkby Lonsdale Road, then two right turns took us onto the Aughton road, where we met the second group who had opted for the more direct and less steep route up from Halton Village. Our meeting point was the traditional starting point for our annual Freewheel competition, in which we see who can drift the furthest from the top of the hill, without pedalling. So there is no real skill involved and everyone has a fair chance of winning. There had been some question that those on E-Bikes might be at an advantage because of the additional weight of their bikes. However the winner was Ian Wood on his brand-new road bike, with Mark Pearce coming second. Neither were riding E-Bikes.
Having congratulated everyone for taking part, we continued into Hornby Village Café where we had an excellent reception, with a large table set out for us and wonderful fresh scones and delicious coffee and teas. We shall be making more use of this excellent café in the future.
Suitably refreshed we resumed our ride, now heading to Kirkby Lonsdale via Wray, Wennington and Wrayton. The countryside was beautiful in the autumn sunshine and the miles quickly passed. As we cycled the last few metres into Kirkby Lonsdale the first few drops of rain fell, so we were glad to get indoors at the Brewery Barn for our lunch stop. We don’t often go into pubs on the club ride, so it was a good opportunity for some to have a drop of ale, but there was also some excellent hot drinks for those who preferred it.
The homeward route was on the B6254 through Whittington to Newton, where we turned right, heading towards Docker Park. The sun was out again and we stopped a few times to take photos and enjoy the scenery. We returned to our various homes via Capernwray and the Kellets. A total of 38 miles from Bolton le Sands, and over 40 for the Lancaster residents, which is a comfortable distance for the time of year.
We welcome new riders on our club rides. Please see our website for further information: www.ctclancaster.org.uk