Sunday, 18 April 2010
Tim Holmes writes: The afternoon ride started with a frantic bit of packing during which I realised that my new saddle bag, although larger than my old one wasn't really suitable to hold my cycle jacket for the return journey. I decided to risk the weather not turning too cold on the return leg and dressed accordingly for the warm sunshine, having left myself only 15 minutes to dash from Girton down to Brookside.
This must have been my sixth or seventh afternoon ride, and I'm starting to be able to differentiate between the regulars and the newcomers. After a few minutes after the scheduled start time we headed south along various cycle paths and routes, taking
in the cycle way past Addenbrooks, neatly avoiding any serious traffic until we were well out of the city and enjoying the south Cambridge country.
Abington, just after crossing the A11 bridgeHaving been brought up in the hills of Derbyshire I often miss a good hill, so it was a nice change to climb out of Linton past the Chilford Vineyard on our way to Balsham. There were no shortage of quiet, picturesque villages today, complete with Thatch cottages, quaint churches and interesting looking pubs.
Checking the map in Linton:I must confess to spending time gazing up at the clouds wondering if I'd see any passing clumps of volcanic ash drifting over from Iceland...
Stopping for a drink in West Wratting:Eventually, after a few checks of the map by our group leader, we arrived at
The Marquis Of Granby, for tea, sandwiches and cake... Whilst here, I was asked about my bike - it is a 2009 Giant Defy 4 which I bought from Chris's Bikes in Girton last year. I'm very pleased with it.
After tea, we made our way back to Cambridge. This is where my lack of cycle jacket came into play, as it was noticeably cooler. Fortunately I joined a group of two other cyclists who were keen on adopting a brisk pace back, so I was able to generate sufficient body heat to keep comfortable. As we rode through Stourbridge Common the sun finally made a welcome return.
My odometer indicated I had covered about
49 miles when I returned home to Girton.
Tim HolmesPhotos by Tina Filby.
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