I am indebted to John Austin, Terry Lowe, and Tony Hooker for kindly agreeing to lead sub-groups (John's Jets, Terry's Tornados and Tony's Thunderbolts) on this ride and to Tim Court for acting as ultimate back marker.
My own group, Dave's Dynamos, was due off first at 10.30 am, and I was very pleased that everyone was ready to set off on time. Tim Gibbons kindly volunteered to be our back stop just in case, but, in fact, we kept together very well, in a properly spaced out sort of way, and n'er a corner needing marking on the whole ride. It was a shortish and quite well-shaded route to lunch with just a few ups, and I thought we kept up a pretty steady pace, and kept stops to a minimum, keeping to the allotted hour and a half, so I was just a little irritated when John's Jets rolled up to lunch at Horsell scarcely ten minutes after us! Then, to add to the humiliation, Terry's Tornados pitched up well before my group were ready to leave. But of Tony's Thunderbolts I saw not a trace after elevenses, and I began to wonder if that had been a mirage!
Everyone who wanted it had managed to find a bit of shade over lunch, but the heat hit hard as Dave's Dynamos set off on a (thankfully) shorter, uneventful ride back to Walton. We arrived well before 2.00 pm but had barely cleared the queue for soft drinks and ice cream before the second and third groups once again rolled in right behind us (I suspect they cut the corners), but it all was good fun, and everyone seemed to have enjoyed their ride, the sunshine, and the pleasant company. It was great to be back on something approaching a normal club ride again, and thanks to everyone for your support.
3 comments:
Great day out and very well planned.
Well played David! Your planned group departures and arrivals seem to work like clockwork. New cycling jerseys for the teams next week?
Very nice route with nice long stretches of shade and a few roads I'd never knowingly cycled on before. The Village Hall is an ideal picnic spot on a sunny day. Thanks Dave.
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