Just over a month from now members will be opening the cyclist’s alternative to socks - a gift of inner tubes. With a bit of luck you end up with the right size! Before that joyous occasion we have a month of build up, starting on Friday with opening the first window of our advent calendars. Expensive adult ones are apparently the latest craze. And I thought the days of advent calendars were numbered.
The previous week the group had arrived at the cafe in dribs and drabs, but formed a tight efficient peloton on the way home. This week it was the opposite as the group arrived en bloc at the Buntingford Cafe. After refreshments there were multiple options, longer, shorter or the designated route. No incidents, no reports of arrivals after dark. The main group rode 35 miles.
I have done a couple of Audaxes that I call "Reference Audaxes". One was a 300 from Poole 3 years ago where the wind was so strong and the hills were so tough that I finished with 20mins to spare. Now when I encounter steep hills I "reference" Poole and tell myself I can get up the hills. Now I've got another one for when it's exceptionally windy.
I'm not sure why I entered this. Thirty miles of racing in October shouldn't have appealed to me. But some inner demon persuaded me to give it a go. A forecasted very windy day did nothing to convince me that I'd made the right choice, but the A11\A14\A11 can be a weird course, and it turned out to be a bit of a flyer.
Talk about 21st century problems… Garmin failure left your intrepid ride leader bereft and lacking the magic maps that would guide the party unerringly to the café stop in Redbourn. Luckily the assembled Cat 3 company contained a wealth of local knowledge, which combined with my reasonable recollection of the route allowed us to make our way successfully through Essendon, Welham Green and Sandridge then skirting Harpenden before the dive down the hill to Redbourn and The Hub.
Today's ride saw the return of Jane to the cat six fold. I don't know what she's been up to, but whatever it was, it has been working, as she pulled us along all day - EPO? Come on Jane, own up! The usual route or through Moreton to Ongar was delayed only by Paul's chain jamming between cassette and frame. It was caused by his hanger being bent a few weeks ago when I pushed him over. Well that's what he thinks, him being a gooner and all that. Lots of hills but fast roads meant a very reasonable average speed was kept up by everyone.
After the 81"\Scrubbers\Unrestricted race around Cole Green, three Wheelers set off for Puckeridge via Walkern. The first puncture was outside Watton, the second at Moor Green. Mine was the latter and after changing the inner tube and being unable to pump it up I had more difficulties as I couldn't get the tyre back off. Ian saved my day! After advising the others to "go on ahead" I eventually got myself sorted and got to Puckeridge. We rode back together to complete a moderately Cat 3 short ride of about 35 miles.
Thirteen set off on a glorious Indian Summer morning via Bramfield, Datchworth, Aston and Walkern for the café stop at the very welcoming Mill End Garden Centre. Lots of baked goodies thanks to Cathy’s tip off to them that we were coming; my apple pie contained apples that had been minding their own business hanging about on the tree earlier that morning. How fresh is that?
Back home via Benington and High Elms Lane to Watton, then straight home along the A119 after we’d collected Bruno from the road up to Datchworth.
With a choice of events, either on the A63 (Hull - V718) or the A11 (Six Mile Bottom - E2), I went for the former as I'd done the E2 many times (never quickly) but had only been to South Cave once before. The weather was not good as I made my way north. What I hadn't realised (in the car) was the strength of the wind. Got there to hear various tales of woe from the early starters about the rain, the difficult return into the wind etc.
