Sunday, 10 July 2022
Ray writes: The first CTC Cambridge ride set off from Brookside on 11th May 1921, so this year marked our 101st anniversary. What better way to celebrate than by organising some cycle rides and a birthday tea?After several months of planning, Haslingfield village hall was booked for the teas and we had six rides lined up, from a 14 mile family-friendly ride to a 101 mile challenge ride.
10 Jul: Centenary tea and rides
Centenary ride (family-friendly) to Haslingfield
Centenary ride (101km) to Furneaux Pelham and Haslingfield
I had volunteered to lead the 101 km (62 miles) ride at a leisurely-plus pace and planned a route taking in some of my favourite lanes (and a few climbs!) to the south of the city.
Mark, Lalli, and Jim signed up for my ride, making for a nice number on the road. The weather forecast was for light winds but temperatures approaching 30℃, promising to be the hottest day of the year so far. The day before the event, Simon announced the cancellation of the 101 mile ride as almost everyone had dropped out (one person because of the high temperature, another because they thought it was the perfect weather for a 600km audax, and another because they fell ill). The remaining two riders decided it would be more sociable to join one of the other rides, so Simon rode out with Rachel's 101km ride to Clare while Nick joined my group for our ride to Manuden.
Jim, Nick, and I set out from Brookside at 9.30am, and a few minutes later picked up Mark and Lalli along the route.
Even this early in the morning, the sun was blazing down and there was not a cloud in the sky. Our first climb of the day came about 12 miles into the ride, the familiar Coploe Hill.
We carried on following NCN 11 south, up to Catmere End and Littlebury Green, then down to the B-road before climbing over the hill to Arkesden.
Next came the gently undulating roads to Rickling Green where we picked up the lovely single-track road to Manuden. From here we followed another quiet lane past Maggots End to Furneux Pelham where we stopped for a picnic lunch.
When planning the route, I had used Google Street View to follow the road in search of a suitable bench for our stop - it was entirely by luck it happened to be in the shade.
After a relaxing lunch in the shade we set off again, pausing at the church to fill our water bottles. At Little Hormead our route turned north for Anstey and Nuthampstead, then Shaftenhoe End and another familiar climb up to Great Chishill. Now we were rewarded with excellent views and a fast descent to Flint Cross. Rather than taking the direct route from Shepreth to Barrington, we turned left for Meldreth and the road to Malton and Orwell - not only is this a nicer route, it also gave us the extra kilometre or two we needed to make up the distance.
Of course after Barrington came another climb, over Chapel Hill to Haslingfield and our well-earned tea. We were greeted by platters of sandwiches, a great selection of home-made cakes, and friendly volunteers serving hot and cold drinks. Most of the rides had already arrived, with Rachel's coming in a few minutes after us, so it was lovely to spend a relaxing hour or so in the sun catching up with everyone.
I had no more surprises up my sleeve, no more loops and no more hills: it was the direct route home from tea via the Barton Road cycle path, bringing us back to Brookside after a fantastic 101km in the saddle. Thanks to everyone who came along and helped to make the event a success, and to all the volunteers for their hard work in putting it together. Until next time! Ray