Club run reports - 5th January

Category 3 ride led by Tony Howard

It was forecasted to be a 5% chance of rain, now let me think, oh yes that means we stood a 95% chance of it being dry, wrong! During our 30 miles, 2 hours of riding from Ware to the Shed at Sawbridgeworth the 10 riders endured around an hour of unpleasant drizzle. You’d be correct in thinking Ware to Sawbridgeworth can’t be 30 miles, but I padded it out by heading off north through Braughing and Furneux Pelham before tracking south to Much Hadham, along the B1004, Villiers Sur Marne Avenue, down Pig Lane, through Hatfield Heath onto Sawbridgeworth. This is where a strange man appeared and said “I had a puncture in my garage and took a short cut”! Sorry Barry, you’re not that strange!

Food was served in a flash (because our table apparently ate another table’s food) and we were on our way. Again the route home was padded out, to include Threshers Bush, Magdalen Laver past Harlow Kebab, Broadley Common, Roydon, arriving back in Ware at 13.30. No messing today, no mechanical problems (apart from the garage puncture), 52 miles at an average speed of around 15.2 mph. Thanks for the company fellas!

Category 5 ride led by John Farnham

Despite being a chilly, overcast and slightly drizzly day 9 Wheelers and 2 guests assembled at Hertford to burn off some calories after the excesses of the festive season. Our hilly route through Bramfield, Datchworth, Aston, Walkern, Halls Green and Graveley was certainly lumpy enough use up a few calories, most of which were then replenished by large platefuls of food at the Four Leaf Clover cafe in Hitchin. A different variety of hills on the return leg, notably the long and occasionally steep drag from Gosmere up to Preston, followed by a high speed descent down through Hitch Wood. Another climb up to Shilley Green and thereafter slightly flatter back to Hertford via Nup End, Oaklands and Bulls Green. 41 miles, no punctures or crashes and just a couple of slight mechanicals to attend to.

Category 2 ride led by Peter Howard

Four intrepid cyclists synchronised watches and left Allenbury’s at precisely 9;00 heading north on their travels to the land of the educated (Cambridge)

On what proved to be an uneventful outward bound journey (no punctures, near misses or moaning…but a few arguments with my Garmin) we rode through Cold Christmas (saying hello to Graham, as he flew past us at a rate of knots that would put Olympic athletes to shame), Stocking Pelham, Elmdon, Duxford and eventually arrived at The Orchard Café in Grantchester….a place that is great in the summer…but after arriving it seemed somewhat bleak and uninteresting in the winter.

After a quick coffee and refuel (yes…cat 2 had a coffee stop…what’s the world coming to), we then mounted our trusty steeds and rode into battle against the south westerly winds on the homeward bound journey. Don’t you just love a headwind for 30 miles…?

It was a battle that took us through Triplow, Barley, Barkway (Oh we love those hills), Braughing, Thundridge and back to Ware.

A somewhat slower average than normal @ 17.2mph…but considering the hills and headwinds…not a bad effort…and it was the first ride of the year.

Category 6 ride led by Tony Dos Santos

The year is 2020, no one is in a robotic body! Wow! And onto the ride report! 

We are the magnificent 7! Yes that’s Franco, Danny, Adrian, Graham, Lynn, Suj, and me. I couldn’t believe it, on the first day back after the festivities, we only had seven riders. 
We set off at such a pace that even Lynn couldn’t keep up! I know it’s madness isn’t it. No mechanicals on the way to Cafe at Shenley. 
Food was ordered and arrived swiftly; we were in and out within 30 minutes. 
On the way back we all had a lovely chat. It was really nice to ride with Suj for the first time. 
Oh, and this time Graham didn’t go the wrong way! 
All in all an uneventful ride, with no mechanicals or anything. Sorry if it’s short, but I’m watching Dr. Who and that takes precedence over everything in life, the universe and everything. 

Love and kisses.

Tony