Thursday, 24 June 2021
Ray writes: the Thursday city start rides continue to be well supported, with twelve signed up for this week's ride and only one cancellation. Like last time we split into two groups, with Simon leading the first 6 and me following a few minutes later with the remaining 5 (the aim is to keep numbers manageable on the road and to have a staggered arrival at the cafe so as not to overwhelm them).
The route I chose for today is a variant on Rupert's Meesden and Langley route, modified to go past the cafe, and takes in some of my favourite lanes around Nuthampstead. When I have ridden this in the past I have stopped with a flask of tea at one of the benches in Langley Lower Green, but today I made my first visit to Poppy's Barn. We had booked in advance and were given a warm welcome, and were very happy to see proper Sheffield racks to park our bikes. We enjoyed a selection of cakes, scones, and hot sandwiches, and teas (good quality loose leaf!) and coffees before setting off for home.
We set off in two groups, again with a slightly staggered start, but it wasn't long before we had the front group in our sights and when we got to the top of Coploe Hill we found them admiring the view from the layby. This led to a bit of mixing between the two groups as we rode back, but it wasn't long before people started breaking away to make their own way home in different directions, and there were just a handful of us left by the time we got to the railway station.
It is great to get back into club riding and catch up with friends again, and I hope to see many more of you out on the road over the coming weeks. Ray M