Club run reports - 26th October

Category 6 ride led by Ian Bailey

The ride began almost on time as Daniel Horn (born 1961) arrived at the start in Much Hadham almost on time.  The ride leader had earlier been almost on time arriving at the meeting point for the hardy riders starting the pre-ride in Ware. We were wind-propelled through the Herts and Essex countryside, pausing only to reflect on the future of humanity in the event of the development of general artificial intelligence.

We were greeted at the Polo Club with a stressed server giving us the alarming news that they were ‘too busy’, that we needed to sit outside and that they were serving ‘only cakes’. One or two of our number glumly ordered and moved outside. But no such restrictions for Polo Club whisperer Dan (born 1961), who charmed another member of staff into both serving hot egg and bacon baps and clearing an area in the corner for us all to sit in style in large, comfortable armchairs.

Thus fuelled (or at least those in the queue behind Dan 1961 were) we stormed back to Much Hadham, fighting gale force headwinds. Kevin decided to stop in Much Hadham as he had earlier missed a planned pre-ride coffee due to the almost on time arrival of the ride leader. Dan (b 1961) headed off home and the rest of us climbed back to Ware, home in time for the 2 o'clock Premier League kick-offs. Kevin later reported that he had arrived home alive.

Category 3 ride led by Ian Bembridge

The forecast was uncertain for Sunday’s ride to Shenley, where the Café in the Orchard was awaiting the three hardy souls that braved the cold morning breeze to join the cat 3 ride.

It was a hilly start, waving goodbye to Bayford station before the climb to the village, only to double back through Wormley West End for one of Hertfordshire’s short but testing climbs up Holy Cross Hill. Bruno was in fine form, energised sufficiently to race to the top with time to spare so he could film Ian and Graham grinding their way up!

But it was the next hill, the 12% climb up to Newgate Street Village that really livened things up when the ride leader's chain decided to jump off both front and rear cogs. Not the most welcome morning experience, but something that was repeatable, as it happened again on the taxing climb up Vineyards Road to Northaw.

Riding through the woods between Northaw and Brookmans Park is always special, which is more than can be said of the road past Potters Bar station, pothole parade! But the bridge over the A1 near Borehamwood is interesting, where Graham reminded us that we needed to look out for the motorcycle bandits that had been robbing cyclists in the vicinity of Borehamwood.

The trio managed to get to the café without being robbed, joining the long queue at 11:20, only to be told whilst still in the queue at 11:30 that the breakfast menu had now finished so it was lunch only from now on. The protests fell on deaf ears, but we managed to get food and drink, only to discover Bruno’s flat tyre on leaving the café.

Once this had been fixed, it was a relatively uneventful ride back to Hertford, taking in Tewin and Bramfield Woods on the way home.

A very enjoyable morning, good company, cold but fun….and as one rider used to say, “There is no such thing as cold or bad weather, only bad clothing!”