Sunday, 15 October 2017
David writes: The weather played tricks on us today. Early morning was beautiful. As 1.30pm approached, the clouds rolled in and I for one packed a waterproof. But as the afternoon wore on, the weather improved and most of the ride was in warm sunshine with blue skies. A dozen riders gathered at Brookside: Sue H, Anne K, John E, Lali R, Mark T, Mike K, Neil S, Phil N, Ray M, Tim H, Dennis S and David S (Leader). Several shiny new bikes and my –not-worth-50-quid-town-bike. (The much-loved Orbit tourer I wrote off last month has not yet been replaced. If anyone has a large-frame tourer or relaxed geometry road bike for sale, please let me know.)
At the start
This afternoon's ride had been advertised as a short one, suitable for beginners. Apart from one wrong turn and an excessively fast start, everything went well until Ickleton, where the level crossing was closed. (Really closed – and not as I had assumed, closed to cars, but open to bicycles). The day was saved by Ray, who with his local knowledge, was able to lead us through Wellcome's wetlands to the next level crossing. A dozen curses for the leader, for not checking the route was open, were averted.
As a result of the delay, we modified the route and took Royston Lane and bypassed Elmdon. We got to Wyevale Garden Centre around 3.45pm. We thought we were only 15 minutes late, but Simon G and Simon, who had been waiting since 3pm pointed out that the website said tea at 3pm! A gentle ride through Shepreth and Barrington took us over Chapel Hill and back to Cambridge via Barton Road. The actual route, with all the detours, can be viewed on Strava and my distance recorded as
32.7 miles with 883 ft of ascent.
In summary a beautiful autumn ride in warm sunshine and a yellow card for the leader!
David Secher