A Group Ride 7th October

Eleven of us left Cobham; Brian, Ed, Graham, Jeff, John, John G, Mike, Ray, Vic and Will under the uncertain guidance of Aspirant Leader Mark, out for his first canter. The plan was a ride of four hills - two before lunch and two after. It was grey when we started, but the weatherman had been promising rain and then changing his mind for the last twenty four hours, and it was pretty obvious that we were going to get some before the day was out.

We set off along Downside Bridge Road, crossing first the M25 and then over Effingham Common to Effingham village. High Barn Road provided our first test hill - nothing too demanding at 15.6%, but good enough to blow away the cobwebs and we were soon on our way over the top of White Hill. In sunnier times the descent has been the scene of high jinks at high speed, but on a grey Autumn day with the surface slippery with leaves it was a different matter, and it was a cautious team that re-grouped at the A25 with a highest speed of just over 27 mph - and many went slower. Vic branched off here - his chest had been rattling on White Hill and he had decided to take Raikes Lane towards Holmbury St Mary and give himself a bit of an easier run to lunch. So we were ten.

We went along the main road for a couple of miles to Wooton Hatch - thankfully there was little traffic - and Mike signed off here. He too had a chest infection and didn't want to crock himself before his trip to Sicily next week. So now we were nine.

The morning's second hill was now in front of us, Sheephouse Lane, and Jeff the photographer nipped ahead to capture our smiling faces as we came over the crest. The clinometer shows 17.6% for this one, which doesn't sound much, but I think that all will attest that it's a tough little number and well worth a visit for the connoisseur of Surrey Hills. The rest of the climb up to Leith Hill was pretty straightforward by comparison and within a few minutes we were ready to capitalise on our climbing by enjoying a good whizz down to the pub. Then Jeff got a puncture. Nobly, he said that we should leave him and that he would join us at lunch. Naturally, the team rallied round.

'OK' we said, and left him. Now we were, at least temporarily, eight.

Within a few minutes - during which we achieved the day's highest speed of 35.6 mph - we were at the Scandrett Arms in Walliswood. They were expecting us and had reserved a table - and there was Vic sitting at it. Things seemed to be looking up - and indeed they were, in all matters but one. It was just starting to rain ... Still, a good lunch and it would surely pass.

For the next hour things went well indeed. Pete and Don arrived, followed by Jeff and we were a dozen at table. However, looking through the window it was evident that things were not getting better outside. It had started to rain, heavily at first but it soon got to really chucking it down. Three plans began to emerge to deal with the problem. We could:

- stay in the pub;

- ignore the weather and carry on; or

- shorten the route a bit and hope that the worst of it would pass over.

The last option was the one we took - or at least the one that the majority took. Will headed for home - he had some domestic duties to catch up on. Pete and John G decided to make their own way to tea; Ray and Vic headed for home through Holmbury St Mary.

So seven of us set off - Don had joined the amphibians - and we made our way towards Ewhurst dodging puddles in a torrential downpour. The original plan to go to Cranleigh to tackle Barhatch Lane (which is a fierce hill) was postponed for another day and instead we took the first part of Pitch Hill and then turned off towards Peaslake for a bit of a softer option in view of the conditions. At this point Ed dropped back to set an easier pace for himself - six - and we swept into Shere hardly daring to believe that the rain might be easing.

All that now lay between us and tea was Combe Lane (14%) with the curiously named 'Agony Corner' at the top - see pics above. It was wet, but well within our compass and we rolled down Green Dene at a steady clip.

The gods of cycling mishaps hadn't finished with us yet. Just as we passed Crocknorth Road Don got a puncture. He too said that he would sort it out himself and so the five survivors carried on through Effingham and the Bookhams to Leatherhead.

As we walked up the High Street to Annie's there was something of a fairy-tale ending. The rain had pretty much stopped, a string quartet was playing (no, really) and Pete and John appeared round the corner. Into Annie's, we so wet that we made the windows steam up, and Ed appeared five minutes later. He had seen Don who had presumably had enough. Tea, cakes and then off into the gathering gloom. Winter's coming.

Raw stats - 36.97 miles elevenses to tea; moving average 11.42 mph; 2594.4 feet of ascent and 1757 calories, which seems a bit mean, given all the effort.

Mark