Westerley Winter Warmer, Sunday 11 Jan 2026

[Frank Proud]

Dear Rider,

Thanks very much for entering this year's Winter Warmer.  

We have been checking the weather forecast for Sunday regularly over the last few days.  It has bounced around a lot, but the latest forecasts suggest the roads will be rideable on Sunday.  

To further reduce risk of ice, we suggest the following:

Long route - no starts before 9am, consider taking the Amersham Road to Great Missenden instead of the normal route, to give the lanes a bit longer to warm up.

Medium and Short routes. Start later - by 10am it should have warmed up a couple of degrees above freezing.

Today is going to be wet but tomorrow will be dry, sunny and windy, which should dry the lanes.  It is then forecast to freeze overnight, then warm up on Sunday as the wind turns to the South. That means that, on Sunday, there will certainly be ice in potholes and in the gutter, there may be small patches on the road but there are unlikely to be large sections of black ice.  Also, the early sections of the route are designed to avoid roads where ice normally forms.  We'll check the roads before the start.  We don't intend to set anyone off until 9am, by which time it is forecast to be above freezing, but if there is still ice, we may need to delay the start or even postpone in the interest of safety.      

Please read below for info on what to do on the day and potential hazards.

1. Before you come.  

Please see the attached start sheet below for your event number, which you will need to give to me at the start and finish, if you want your time to be recorded.  

Make sure you have navigation sorted out as we no longer put signs out for the route. We expect that most people will be using a GPS: tracks are available to download via the Winter Warmer page on our website.  NB please make sure you are using the latest versions as updated today as there are a couple of route changes.    

Only come along if you have already entered: there won't be entries on the day.

We encourage people to cycle to the start, but this year it does depend on your route - lanes first thing before it thaws are probably not a great idea.  If that isn't practical, there are several stations within a couple of miles from the HQ including Seer Green on the line to Marylebone and Little Chalfont or Amersham on the Underground. If you have to drive, please note there is no parking at the HQ but there is a large public car park off the main street, behind the Co-op, in the village. NB this is no longer free.

2. At the start.

The hall will be open from 8:30am.  You don't need to sign on but tea and coffee and some grab and go food (eg bananas, cereal bars) will be available.

Your start time will be recorded when you give the timekeeper (me) – who will be near the door in the hall - your event number. So only do this when you are ready to start.  Please memorise it if you want to get an official time recorded.  

The start times are 9:00am for the long route and 9:15-10:00am for other two distances.  Please note:
• Given the potential for ice before the roads thaw, we please do not start earlier than 9am, we won't start the timing system until then.
• We will start the long route riders first.  Medium and short route riders may start together.
• 10am is the last start time.

3. After the ride.

When you get back please give your event number to the timekeeper who will be inside the door of the hall to record your finish time.

There will be food (sandwiches, cakes, fruit) and tea / coffee – although we will have to start packing up so not everything will be available right until the end.  

All food / drinks are included in the entry fee so there is no need to bring money into the hall.  If a friend / partner comes to pick you up, they are welcome to join you for refreshment and can make a donation towards catering costs if they wish – but there is no obligation and this is only for guests, not riders, and cash only – we can’t accept cards.

If you decide not to complete the ride, or to go straight home and not return to the HQ, please let us know on 07904 486 525.

Official event times will go up on our website, Westerley.cc, shortly after the event.

4. Route and Hazards

When we did our route-checks we found the lanes were in typical condition with bumps, potholes and surface debris.  There are a few roadworks around which have led to closure of roads which we have tried to route around.  We did our last route check on Wednesday and have based the route on the situation on the ground then and the council website. Based on that we expect two sets of roadworks - on the main road just after Hazlemere, and in Fulmer, but there could be others on the day.

Watch out for ice on any areas where the course is wet, either left over from today's rain or snow, overflowing drains, streams or other causes.  

Some specific hazards to note:

1. At the start, the ramp down from the HQ to the road is steep and it could be icy first thing.  There is no shame in walking this!

2. After 0km, (long route) - to further reduce the small chance of encountering ice on the early sections, you could turn left in Chalfont St Giles village centre and take the Amersham Road, which is likely to be gritted, to Great Missenden, and rejoin the route there.  
3. After 4.2km (all routes), at Seer Green, there is quite a fast, downhill stretch which leads to a Give Way.  You don't see the junction until late on and, if it is sunny it will be in your eyes at this time of day, so please don't go too quick here or you might overshoot.
4. After 9km (all routes), after Beaconsfield, there is a right turn on a bend off a busy road where visibility is limited and it is uphill so you might be slow to get across.  You may want to consider turning into the far leg of the triangle as you can see oncoming traffic better from there.  If riding in a group at that point, check it is clear for you to cross rather than following riders in front.
5. After 15km (short route only), as you leave Penn Street after the split, the descent is ok but there are some potholes on the left hand side of the road.  
6. After 34 km (long route), the steep descent on Hale Lane is dirty with some debris in the middle of the road and a camber that pushes you towards the gutter on what is a blind corner.  Take particular care on this descent.
7. At 38km on the long route, just after Wendover, HS2 roadworks mean that the road layout has been changed for a short section.  Turn right onto the new road rather than following the old road, which is now blocked after the houses.  
8. Hatches Lane is in worse condition than in the past and there is now a sign at the bottom to warn of this.  There is frequently quite a lot of surface water at the top of Hatches Lane (68km, long route / 24km, medium route) - proceed with caution to avoid submerged potholes).

9. At 74km (long route) / 29km (medium) Roadworks with lights on A404 just after Hazlemere.  This is actually helpful as it slows the traffic for the right turn into Gravelly Way.
10. The lanes either side of Penn are a bit rough and dirty (77-81km on the long route, 32-37km medium and 17-21km short).  The worst bit is the last uphill section to Penn (Crown Lane) which is slippery in places, especially on the left.  The descent (Paul's Hill, after the church) is also tricky with gravel and a couple of bad potholes – and the sun may be in your eyes here.  This section of road is usually wet but it is south-facing and the forecast suggests it is likely to have warmed up by the time riders reach it.  The following sections (Bayley’s Bottom, Holtspur Lane) are similarly rough.  
NB If you wish to avoid this lane section entirely, you can do a short detour which adds about 2km.  Don’t turn right into Noakes Lane but continue on along Gravelly Way.  Then turn right, back up the hill you came down earlier in the day (Clay Street) to Beaconsfield; left at the top and through the town, before turning right into Gregories Road at the roundabout in the town centre (immediately before Costa).  After 1km you will then re-join the route where it exits from the lanes (Holtspur Top Lane).

11.  At 97km (long route) / 52km (medium) / 36km (short), the road surface on the last, downhill, bit of Stoke Common Road leading to the give way is in very poor condition. Visibility at the give way junction is poor when sunny.  

12.  At 97km (long route) / 52km (medium) / 36km (short) Roadworks with lights in Fulmer village.  This was not there on Wednesday but is due to be in place on Sunday.    

5. GPS files.

Attached, or can be downloaded from RWGPS in your preferred format using the links on our website: 

5. Start sheet with your event number

See attached file.  Please remember your number if you want your time to be recorded!

See you on Sunday,

Frank Proud

Westerley CC