Club Run Reports

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

Seven riders today - Hurrah! The route to Café 19 in Duxford was from the club's RWGPS archive, at least it was until I decided to give it a little tweak to include a favourite road. Sadly the tweak also routed us down an apparently notorious piece of road which seemed more suitable for a tank proving ground than a bike route. Don't tweak!

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

Last week's road closure saw us hacking our way through swampy pampas grass past a flood in order to avoid going back down the long hill we had just come up. This week we were confronted by a giant chasm in the road up to the Dream Bean café. The proprietors of this hole had surrounded it with tall metal fences and omitted to leave any convenient corridor for cyclists and pedestrians.

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

Just three riders again for cat 3 after a recent flurry of increased numbers. We must rely on quality not quantity, therefore. The three who turned up were, at any rate, brave enough to defy forecasts of thunder, lightning and torrential rain - none of which materialised.

Category 6 ride led by Tony Dos Santos 

If this were a daily tabloid the strap line would be “It’s all about Kev”. Intrigued? Read on. 

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

This was our second successive foray into the Chilterns (Pyreneen trip looming for some of us!) 

This time we started in Ware under gathering clouds which delivered rain once we reached Hertford. This persisted while we bounced uncomfortably over what passes for a road surface on the B1000 to Welwyn but soon eased off. 

Category 3 ride led by Ian Bembridge

Something a little different this week. We decided to start from the free car park in Wheathampstead so that we could focus on riding in the Chilterns rather than riding to the Chilterns. So, Graham, Brian, Peter and Ian headed west from the start up the hill past the Brewhouse.

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

I seem to remember a spell of weather a few years back when dismal, rain-soaked weekdays were interspersed by glorious, sun-drenched Sundays. False-memory syndrome perhaps but it deters me from complaining too much about the Arctic northerlies and predominantly grey skies, following a week of sunshine, that were a feature of today's ride. 

Category 6 ride report written by David Smith

Our Service today was led by the Reverend Kevin McPheat (alias Rev. Kev) assisted (so he claims) by Honorary Deacon David. There were no less than 10 hymns (and 1 her in the person of Jane (spouse of Bruno – Patron Saint of pipe-smokers).

We assembled at the Shrine of St. Allen of Bury at 9 o’clock and processed somewhat informally up the well-worn aisle of the A1170, deviating to pass the College of St. Edmund the Martyr in Old Hall Green.

Category 6 ride led by Ian Bailey
 

This worked out rather better than expected.  Firstly, for mysterious reasons, the ride failed to make the weekly email and I was late learning that I could put it on the website. Secondly, I realised late on that our return journey would be into strong gusts of wind. Thirdly, was it wise to choose one of the most popular cycling cafes in the county on such a sunny day?

Category 6 ride led by Ian Bailey

The club’s visits to Thremhall Park form a chequered history. On the one hand, it’s in a good location for a number of routes, circling Hatfield Forest on good lanes. The food is generally pretty good.

On the other hand, service has on a few occasions echoed Fawlty Towers, with rules about where to put helmets and some comically long waits and confusion (eg shouting ‘Americano’ into a room full of cyclists leading to almost everyone standing up to collect).

Category 6 ride led by Kate D'Arcy

Category 6 ride led by Ian Bailey

A proper spring day, ideal for a gentle circular ramble through country lanes to Vanstones and back, with plenty of hills, which of course we all enjoyed immensely.  The ride was marred only by the ride leader complaining about his sore thumb (dishwasher injury).

Category 6 ride led by Tony Dos Santos
Today was going to be very cold. I had put on three layers plus a jacket. I turned up at a desolate  Allenbury's. Bull rushes were blowing across the car park and there was a gun fighter standing there, waiting for a gun fight. OK, OK, none of that actually happened apart for the desolate part. 

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

It was certainly cold at the start - below zero - and the roads close to my house were white with frost. Caution needed therefore. However, once I reached the A1170 into Ware the road surface was wet, not frozen, thanks to gritting. The main impediment to speed was now wind-chill which was remedied to an extent by moving my buff from my neck to my head.

Category 6 ride led by Tony Dos Santos

Today was going to be epic. Yes, epic! Lisa and I were endeavouring to herd thirty seven Wheelers into Mill End Plants.  We both agreed it would be like herding cats. Obviously, not all were coming on the cat 6. Each category was either leaving earlier or later, but converging (big word, eh) between 10:15 and 10:45. 

Category 3 ride led by Ian Bembridge

I set a new record for entrants today. There was one rider - me!

A couple of late apologies (sent this morning) were received, but I did not see them until I got home as I only have Pumble on my laptop. When I am leaving home at 08:30 I don't have time to fire up my laptop to see who has pulled out.

Category 6 ride led by Tony Dos Santos

Today was the day I could test my new power meter, but there’s too much else in the report to write about it this week. OK, I’ll tell you. Nah, next week (laugh emojis)

Category 6 ride led by Ian Bailey

It turns out that Strava now gives an AI-generated report on rides. This is what it has to say about the work of today’s intrepid foursome:

Looks like you had a solid ride out to the Mayfields Farm Bakery, battling some decent headwinds along the way.

Your average speed of 11 mph and elevated relative effort of 144 suggest you really pushed yourself on this one.

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

After bumping along with two or three participants all summer our ranks swelled to five this weekend - we love the cold!

Cold it was at the start, but the temperature rose throughout the day, it stayed dry and the sun occasionality managed some modest shining. We took a long way round to Royston heading out to Datchworth then up to Weston, Baldock and Bygrave - nice views up there. After the fast descent to Ashwell it was west to Royston via Littlington and the exciting hell-for-leather race along the A505.

Category 6 ride led by Tony Dos Santos

Well, what can I say, this was a ride of two cafe’s. Intrigued? Read on.

The weatherman advised (even on the Met Office app) there was to be no rain today. Such a liar, eh!