Thursday, 19 April 2018
Seb writes: The forecast today was for bright sunshine all day and temperatures in the mid-twenties (Centigrade!) and it brought out a dozen riders to the city start at 9.15. Summer apparel was much in evidence with shorts and short-sleeved tops, quite different from even the most recent rides.
We set off from Brookside at precisely 9.15, crossed Midsummer Common and rode out to Fen Ditton along the riverside. At Fen Ditton, our leader John split us into two groups of six for the ride through Horningsea to Waterbeach, and we stayed in the two smaller groups via Cottenham and Over all the way to our morning stop at the Compass Cafe in the Bethel Baptist Church at Swavesey. We arrived just after 11. The 'village group' having set off from Haslingfield were already there and someone counted 33 Cycling UK members, although not all had arrived together. The cakes were amazing!
Swavesey (Photo: Edward Elmer)
There was a re-grouping and some returned to Cambridge. The rest set off in two groups, but both heading on the same route. This took us via Fenstanton, the delightful Hemingfords, Godmanchester and Brampton and then towards Grafham. Here we crossed the extraordinary widening of the A1 on a new bridge. We all stopped to view the civil engineering works which seemed to stretch as far as the horizon.
The new bridge where the Brampton-Grafham road crosses the A1
After Grafham, we rode around Grafham Water to the cafe at Perry, arriving at about 1.15. I estimate we were about 20, causing slight alarm for the catering staff, who warned us there might be a delay. Even so, we all got our meals in good time, and prepared to leave just shortly after 2pm. Again at least two groups set off separately – John said he was going via St Neots and his group went. Rupert said he would lead a shorter route back and this was the one I joined. Just as we were getting ready, Avril announced she had a puncture. Mike and others said they would set off and let us catch them, but we never did. Meanwhile Avril and several helpers quickly replaced her inner tube.
West Perry
Once Rupert's group got going, at about 2.20, we were just six. By this time the day had really warmed up. Between coffee and lunch it was 26-27C, then after lunch it never dropped below 28C and my Garmin tells me it peaked at 32C around 3.30 pm. We rode back through Buckden, crossed the Great Ouse over the delightful old stone bridge at Offord Cluny, then made our way up to Hilton. Then we headed north-east towards Fenstanton. In my dreams we would have joined the guided busway and sped home. But Rupert had other ideas and we turned south, through Conington down to the Cambridge-Bedford road adjoining Bourn airfield. A light plane was just coming in to land.
Little Staughton (Photo: Edward Elmer)
We rode along the old road, through Hardwick, then joined the cycle path past the American cemetery before turning off to Coton and returning to Cambridge through the University campus and the Coton footpath. I arrived home at 4.40 having ridden 114 km or
71 miles. Many thanks to John (and Rupert) for leading the 'city' group.
Seb Macmillan
Download
GPS track (GPX).