I had completely underestimated the improvement in fitness and speed attained by three months of riding up and down Farthing down every day and was in the Memorial Park at Redhill before anyone else and had a little wander, using the toilet facilities at Sainsbury's where there was quite a queue, and taking a picture to record the serious piece of history behind the Memorial Park.
When I returned the eager A Flyers were raring to go and Terry, earmarked for my group, was in the coffee queue. Christina and Steph rolled in and when I saw Tony Hooker I was relieved; we had us a convoy.
Terrible storms were threatened but the weather was cool and grey, good for medium distance cycling if a little too humid. Since Dave Vine and I had last week on my full recce sorted out the way out of town, Tim had suggested an amended route which I tried out the day before and it turned out really well. Everybody enjoyed starting at a gentle pace along the gravel path beside Redhill Brook and then up Chilmead lane around the cricket ground and past the idyllic Inn on the Pond; Shepherd Neame's, too! Remember the days when we could sit outside watching the cricket and sipping the Bishop's Finger?
Soon enough we were climbing Church Hill and we had an undulating ride through the foothills of the Surrey Himalayas. I am used to leading Beginners and at the first turn we gathered and discussed pace; it's a reasonably challenging ride for anyone who has not been riding much in Lockdown. The consensus was to keep on at a decent lick to beat the thunder and that is what we did, and what a joy it was to be breezing past the historic windmill at Outwood (I believe it is the oldest functioning windmill in the country; its twin, built alongside, collapsed in the sixties). Fresh air, not too much traffic, only one van trying to overtake on a blind bend and put me in the gutter. O joy! O rapture!
The restaurant at lunch was brilliant, the sandwiches exactly to our taste, the air conditioning superb, the toilets odourless and fresh, if a little short on warmth and a little brambly and nettly. We all agreed we should do this more often.
Even the A25 was traffic friendly, though we parted company there with Terry. The right turn down Little Common Lane was without difficulty and I had had time to warn everyone about Hilltop Lane, an undoubted challenge but similar to Ranmore in that when you see the sharp and daunting bend above you, do not despair, you are nearly at the top! Farthing Down was marked as road closed, but they had just put up the signs and we got through, seeing the storm clouds emptying themselves on everyone but us.
A historical stop in Coulsdon and a visit to DDs cafe on the very end of Chipstead Valley Road where Steph bought us milk shakes and the proprietor has two big rooms in which we sheltered from the rain, socially distanced. Afterwards we crossed the river on the footbridge and used St Andrew's Road as a more pleasant alternative to CV Road and climbed one last time, up Rectory Lane, to enter Banstead past the spectacular seven sisters hedgerow. There the women began their homeward journeys and Tony and I went for a relaxed coffee at Luigi's in the High Street. We even got a brilliant custard tart, and who should roll up the road to join us but Tim and Dave from the second group.
Both groups had kept dry, but we had to negotiate some pretty extensive flooding to get home. Frankly and in the circumstances, a wonderful day's cycling. For me just long enough, just hard enough (door to door 68Km with just short of 900m climbing; the others' Stravas were pretty similar). Thanks to Tim for suggesting the route and to him and John Austin for leading the other groups, and thanks to Steph and Christina, Tony and Terry for pleasant company. History had been made. We are back on the road! Cycling in a tight group might be a pain to organise but it is really enjoyable.
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