CYCLISTS' Touring Club Torbay has enjoyed a busy winter and has been battling the elements on recent club rides.

One ride had to be virtually abandoned when most of the roads on Haldon were covered in black ice.

However, on February 15 the conditions were more favourable when Jackie Brodie led a ride to the Giants Chair sculpture on Dartmoor. The large wooden structure, erected on the hill between Jay's Grave and Natsworthy, has planning permission to be there until the end of March, but an application has been submitted to have it a permanent landmark.

Thirty two riders were at the Ullacombe Farm barn café near Haytor, and the moorland scenery was still enhanced by plenty of snow and sunshine.

The final few hundred yards to the Giants Chair were covered in about a foot of snow, but it was a sunny afternoon with hardly a breath of wind.

After visiting the Chair the club returned to Hound Tor for a cuppa at the Hound of The Basketmeals takeaway, and then rode the final few miles home via Bowermans Nose, Manaton and Bovey Tracey.

The attendance on the Sunday rides regularly exceeds 25 riders, and the club is now as popular as it was back in the 1950s.

This weekend, February 28, 57 riders are going across to Roscoff from Plymouth to join three organised rides in France as part of CTC Torbay's annual Tour of Brittany. They will travel on Brittany Ferries' new vessel Amorique.

The club has just printed its calendar of events for 2009 with 16 different events comprising of distance touring rides and other competitions such as map reading and freewheeling competitions.

The events are supported by Devon County Council's Travelwise initiative, and begin with the Mad March events in Exeter on March 8, a 200km ride up over the Quantock Hills in Somerset or a shorter 100km event. For off-road riders the Devon Dirt is being sponsored this year by Bigpeaks at Ashburton. The event will start from their car park in Ashburton on Sunday, April 19, and take in a route over Dartmoor to the infamous ford at North Bovey. The distance will be about 65 km or 40 miles, with food and goody bag provided for the riders.

Entry forms and details can be obtained through local bike shops, or by visiting the clubs websites at www.ctcdevon.co.uk and www.devondirt.co.uk or you can call 01626 367977 for more information.