Sunday, 13 January 2019
Tom writes: It must have been the mild 13C weather that brought everyone out: we kicked off with thirteen riders, despite this being mid-January.
Initially it didn't feel that warm though - a 19 knot westerly headwind provided a wind-chill factor and slowed our pace as we pushed off into it, leaving Cambridge, Barton and Toft behind.
We split into two groups for the Barton to Bourn section of the route to help motorists overtake and to adopt a safer cycling approach.
By the time we approached Bourn the temperature was picking up and we were all getting much warmer so we stopped to remove layers and merge back into a single group. Here Andy C and Jeff B left us to return back to Cambridge whilst the rest of us pressed on into the wind, the thought of coffee and cake helping to drive us forward.
At this point John I pulled up alongside me and we had a catch up on our general news as we rode. Just to add some fun to his ride, John I had two full panniers that not only added a good dose of extra weight but must have acted like sails working against him. John assured me this was good training for a potential cycling trip in South America later this spring! I am sure it was but I personally felt much happier with one lighter pannier!
We rolled into Potton for coffee with us all looking forward to a short break and the change in our directions of travel that would follow. To our dismay another large group of cyclists had just beaten us to the café and were queuing up ahead of us. A short break turned into a slightly longer one than expected.
The five of us heading onto lunch were now running somewhat behind our intended schedule. So we took a shortcut to lunch in the hope that we could stick to the intended route home rather than heading back the way we came. Rupert's recommended shortcut worked its magic and we arrived at the The Ambience Café at St Neots spot on one o'clock. The café promptly served us some hearty meals, quite enough to keep many a good rider stuck at the bottom of a hill, except for Alex B who was resolutely sticking to his New Year diet and selected this lighter pudding option instead.
Once over the hill as we left St Neots and with the wind now right behind us, the route back was quicker and very enjoyable. As we swung back into Cambridge from the north west we took a very pleasant alternative route to the guided bus way which seemed to be enjoyed by all. We entered Cambridge, via Girton, at about 3.45pm, just as the light and temperature was fading.
Tom
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