Club run reports - 7th May

Category 6 ride led by Bob Brown & Danny Hood

With scheduled leader Lee unwell, the co-leaders were Bob and Cube Danny. Bob led out to the café stop and Cube was in charge on the run home.
Thirteen set off from Allenburys augmented by two others who just mistimed their arrival at the start point. Out via Stanstead Abbots, Widford, Bourne Lane, Allens Green and the back streets of Sawbridgeworth, the group (minus Mark S who, being on a tight schedule, had turned around and gone home) arrived without mishap at The Village Tearooms, where Lee’s meticulous prior planning had ensured that we had reserved tables and quick service. Peter W, who had just got back from a 300k Audax in the early hours and had joined us for a recovery ride, chose to return with the Cat 3 group, who had also turned up at the same venue, and we lost Steve G somewhere on the way back (he did get back home!). Cube took us on a different route home, via Matching Tye and the southern edge of Harlow. Another great ride, 38 miles at 12.5mph. Well done everyone!

Category 3 ride led by Peter Bloomfield

Oops… looks as if this should have been called a Cat 2 ride, sorry everybody! The leader’s speed estimation was shown to be faulty when on arrival back at Allenbury’s the average turned out to be 16 mph, oh dear. Don’t know how that happened, used to be that no matter how I rode it always came out at 15 mph (or less!), I’m going to have to find a way to track it as I’m riding. Every time I turned round to check the bunch was still on my tail so I kept going and luckily by the end everyone was still there so well done everybody. 

Eight of us started out but with one only planning to stretch his legs with a ride to Standon. Seven carried on by a roundabout route to cover 27 miles before arriving at The Village Tearooms at Hatfield Heath. Owing to the arrival of the large Cat 6 contingent shortly before us, we had to put up with a long wait to be served but the food was good when it turned up. As mentioned in the Cat 6 report Peter W jumped ship from the Cat 6 group to ours as did Steve G (that’s where he got to Bob!) so nine set out for home suitably refreshed on a journey south through Matching Green, Moreton and Toot Hill to Epping. There we turned and travelled via Epping Green, Roydon and Stanstead Abbotts on our return to Ware. Weather was good, wind was less than recently and there were no mechanicals or punctures over the 55 miles. I hope a good time was had by all.