Thursday, 10 June 2021
Simon writes: What a lot of new faces the club is beginning to see now that the lockdown is being relaxed!Every time I've led this new-era Thursday ride so far, we've met either someone new to CTC Cambridge, or someone completely new to the Cycling UK and its affiliations, and thankfully they're all sending me advanced digital copies of their guest rider form. This avoids the eventual leaning on people's backs with borrowed biros, that don't work well in the wet, to leave the leader hoping to tease apart a ream of paper-mâché when he/she gets home.
Anyway, down to business.
There was a full complement of eleven expectant riders waiting for a leader when I arrived at Brookside. Normally this number would fall foul of the café's allowable limit of six per group, but both Ray and Yasmin had offered to lead a second group.
So to that end, Peter, Jeff, Gavin, Yasmin, and Phil B set off with me in the "A" group at 9.15 am while Phil N, Liz, Rachel, Anne and Ian W set off with Ray's "B" group a short while thereafter.
As before, I tried to group people by their guesstimated native speeds, setting off the faster ones first, so as to avoid clumsy, unplanned regrouping.
The route we took was initially the same as last time, except on this occasion Phil B's chain decided to marry his rear wheel at the top of the Gogs, and a short struggle therewith, left Phil sporting some curiously new tattoos in the shape of his chainrings. This route also included the unmissable Hadstock to Bartlow lane, converging with the old Stour Valley railway line before the Beeching cuts. From here however, we headed out on the Camps road, in order to do a little loop through the beautiful and quiet village of Steventon End.
Touching Ashdon only momentarily, the equally quite Red House Lane from Ashdon avoids a lot of the busy (and hillier) Ashdon road to Sewards End.
The staff at Mocha were prepared for our arrival and their service was smooth and very efficient, so many thanks to James and his staff.
My Mother lives in Saffron Walden. She scours the club website for forthcoming rides and knows when we're venturing near enough for her to pounce on us like a trap-door spider, as experienced club members will attest. See photo
If the weather wasn't perfect enough before coffee, the afternoon brought another five degrees of spanking 'perfection' as we set off up the high street, towards Wendons Ambo, Arkesden and a secluded little capillary through to Dudenhoe End, where of course, the tail wind quickened our pace to a 'business-class' 13 mph21 km/h moving average.
Ray has since applauded today's experience, saying that he and his group felt very satisfied with their ride, it being the same as ours only ten minutes behind, but apart from a fleeting exchange in passing when they arrived for coffee, the two groups remained separate.
Maybe if we can organise an open-air venue for our club's centenary this summer, we could all meet and catch up. I'm hoping my partner and her parents will do it, as her mother makes the best cakes, in abundance when she happens to have an audience with an appetite for it. I mean, cyclist and cake? They're practically tethered together! Simon