Leith Hill NO DRILL...

Ciao a tutti,

Few weeks I was at the Leg of Steel cycling event organised by Ful On Tri and I have some people from the community of Leith Hill,a cycling mecca for Londoners & non Londoners...but for those HILL CLIMBERS....

This what they say about the drilling at Leith Hill.

RISK TO WATER SUPPLY

Drilling through aquifer – Sutton & East Surrey Water objected on grounds of “risk to water supply” (BBC News)

RISK OF SERIOUS AIR POLLUTION

Gas aring “permitted between 7am and 7.30pm except in an emergency”

IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO ANCIENT SUNKEN LANE
Coldharbour Lane is hundreds of years old, near unique and only 3.8 metres wide in places – a recent survey shows landmark trees at risk

TRAFFIC CHAOS & ROAD SAFETY

Over 1,000+ HGV movements up and down Coldharbour Lane, including a massive self-propelled oil rig 19 metres long and 60 tonnes crane. Safety concerns for cyclists, mountain bikers, walkers and joggers

WIRED-OFF COMPOUND ON PUBLIC LAND

3 metre high security fencing around C. one hectare of natural forest woodland supporting threatened species of ora and fauna – the area will be clear felled

35 METRE HIGH MASSIVE OIL RIG

Nearly twice the height of Leith Hill Tower, it is so tall it needs an aircraft warning light and 24 hour oodlit compound

DESECRATING YOUR AONB & GREEN BELT

Proposed drill site in Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a place of great landscape heritage in the Green Belt. The impacts
of the development could not be wholly reversed - it’s estimated it would take 25 years to replicate the appearance of the site.

RED LIST SPECIES ON SITE

Birds that frequent the site are on the
RSPB Red List as globally threatened with severe decline (up to 50%) in UK breeding population and loss of range in last 25 years

LOCAL DEMOCRACY OVERRULED

A sustained community campaign won a public inquiry in 2012 but was overthrown in 2014 by a High Court ruling in favour of drilling “in the national interest”

EXPLORATORY DRILLING OR FULL SCALE PRODUCTION?
Planning permission to date is for exploratory drilling but the oil company refuse to rule out full scale production

METHOD OF EXTRACTION

Conventional drilling may give way to novel extraction methods through ‘acidisation’ – toxic chemicals pumped deep into the earth to loosen the so-called ‘tight’ oil

MASS INDUSTRIALISATION OF THE WEALD


Referring to ‘tight oil’, Stephen Sanderson, CEO of UK Oil & Gas Investments (UKOG) says “This type of oil deposit very much depends on being able to drill your wells almost back to back so it becomes very much like an industrialised process”

SURREY HILLS AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY OIL PRODUCTION

Other sites in planning, preparation or production include Brockham, Horsehill, Albury, Broadford Bridge, Palmer’s Wood (Godstone), King’s Farm (South Godstone), and others. Brockhamoilwell.co.uk

NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PROPERTY PRICES

“There is no compelling need for oil site in Surrey Hills” public inquiry told.

THIS NEED NOT HAPPEN BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP...

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Share this with story with your friends & family.....Save the Cyclists & Non Cyclists...

Save your Segments,KOM,PB

SAVE YOUR LIFE FROM LORRIES

 

Helping young people with Causeway Foundation

Ciao A tutti,

It has been a while since the last blog.

Few months ago Andrew from Causeway contacted me in reference making a kit for their epic ride Land's End to Bourne End.

The Causeway Foundation was established in 2011, primarily to support and relieve the needs of disadvantaged and exceptionally talented young people. Through funding, event organisation and use of our expertise, we strive to help them develop their skills, capacities and capabilities, to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals.

One of the organisations that has benefited from the Causeway Foundation is the Infant Jesus Convent Health Centre in Bangalore. So far, we have provided funds and assisted with the building and conversion of a hospital maternity unit, providing necessary equipment and by sponsoring / funding a full time on-site doctor.  

If you like to support this great cause please visit this link.

Until next time be safe on the road.

SD Team

Chiltern Cycling Festival 2017

We are proud to announce the collaboration with the Chiltern Cycling Festival.

From this year the event is under the Human Race Cycling Section and will definitely bring interesting aspect to the event. 

The date to pin to your diary is the 16th of July,location with be the lovely Penn House in Buckinghamshire. The rides will start from this amazing location to lead you into the stunning & romantic scenery of the Chilterns with challenges hills to keep your heart pumping.

Around the field of the house there will be food stalls,beer tent and a big screen to watch live stage 15 of the Tour de France.

We have designed a lovely jersey for the event that you can pre-order here.

You have a chance to win a free entry to the event if you purchase any items.

But for now if you want to enter you can have a discount code "musette" to enter the event.

We hope to see you there for a great day of cycling & fun.Dont forget to bring all family,there is plenty of cycling for everyone.

Ciao & Arrivederci

Ride 100 2016, by Guest Blogger John D.

SaddleDrunker John D,talk to us about his Ride 100 2016.

Early last year I met Stefano in my local coffee shop and was interested to see he’d been cycling, a week or so later and I’d joined SaddleDrunk and was back on my bike after a break of nearly 30 years. I’m the sort of person who is driven by challenges so in a moment of madness I signed up for a place on the LondonRide 100. That was over a year and some 5,000km ago, we cyclists like to use kilometres not miles but that’s about 3,000 miles. When the opportunity to sign up for the LondonRide 100 came up again I signed up the same day, this time with confidence.

I was assigned a late start, just minutes before the last riders, 9am. I managed to find my colleague Reuben and slipped over into his group, with some 29,000 riders the chances of bumping into each other again was slim.

The weather was superb, as a Londoner being able to ride through London on closed roads is superb but you’re conscious that you have another 90 odd miles to go (145km). Like last year we had a few unfortunate delays due to accidents. It’s a horrible thought but with so many riders it’s almost a statistical certainty that someone will be less fortunate. Being stuck in several thousand cyclists was actually quite amusing, very friendly with Mexican waves and even went blackberry picking.

The first major hill is Newland’s Corner, not the worst but a good wakeup for your heart, Leith Hill is easily the toughest and the highest hill in South East England, once you’ve done that Box Hill seems just like breeze. Knowing it was my last real hill I was able to give it a little more “oomph” and started racing up the last 100m (300 feet) of climb. Last year I found the most tiring part of the ride was the last 20 miles, simply because you think getting to London is the end but the course winds through South London for some considerable distance, dragging out your finishing sprint.

See the video here https://youtu.be/IN8fW9X0Zok .

The last few miles, down the Embankment, up Whitehall, round Trafalgar Square and into the Mall are worth every hour of suffering, I guess if you’ve run the London Marathon you’ll know what I mean, I haven’t I must add, but to cycle through crowds of people cheering, bands, megaphones and the incredible reception on the Mall almost makes you want to take a second lap, almost…

Organisation was superb, everyone started within seconds of their planned time, all the roads were very well staffed, plenty of watering stops and even nutrition stations, not exactly food but cyclists will know what I mean, just what you need. My name is down for next year and I’ve now signed up for a ride in South Africa, at over 50, not exactly athletic build I’m hooked.

Thank you John,well done again & see you in Cape Town.

SD TEAM.