Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Nigel writes: Tonight was our final evening ride of the winter season. These rides have been once a month, on the Wednesday evening closest to the full moon, and have taken place entirely in the dark. In a few weeks time the clocks will go forward and we will once again be able to ride in daylight, so this was our last opportunity to enjoy the special charm of a night ride.
Joining me at Brookside for this special occasion were Yasmin, Seb, Sven, Alex and Dimitris. It was a dry, mild and still evening, and the combination of excellent weather conditions and a well-matched group made this a fast and highly-enjoyable ride.
We followed the usual club route south to Ickleton and climbed Coploe Hill, reaching the summit at 7.30pm and leaving ample time to continue to Catmere End and complete the full loop via Littlebury Green and Ickleton before descending back down to Chrishall Grange and Fowlmere.
One interesting feature of the ride was the temperature: although it was quite mild for most of the time, every now and then we would pass through a bank of still, cold, air and feel a sudden chill as we did so.
We stopped for food and drink at The Green Man in Thriplow. This pub is one of my favourites, and tonight it did not disappoint, with our food orders handled efficiently and served remarkably quickly.
Food and drink at The Green Man, Thriplow
After a pleasant meal we set off back to Cambridge via Newton and The Shelfords. I arrived home at about 9.50pm, having cycled 55km (
34 miles).
Nigel Deakin
Download
GPS track (GPX).