A group ride report 22 July 2020

Phew! I now realise how much goes into organising these multi-group rides, with leader and multiple sub-leaders doing a recce together, sharing GPX files which don’t upload properly, organising subgroups with staggered start times, liaising with the lunch venue on their Covid19 status and precautions, etc, etc. So, “chapeau” to the committee for getting these rides started again, and to all my predecessors who have led rides since the lockdown eased. Having said all that, what a wonderful day it was, the weather was superb, and everything went smoothly on the day (apart from a puncture before the start for NeilW which necessitated a quick change of group and start time). Starting from Denbies, we climbed Leith hill via Coldharbour to warm up the legs, then it was plain sailing via a reversal of the May Flyer route all the way to the Sun Inn at Dunsfold, where they catered very efficiently for 19 of us sitting out on the common land in front of the pub (with full social distancing). There was a very strange token-based system for the toilets which I didn’t really understand, but at least everyone who needed them could use them! After lunch there was a sharp climb through Hascombe then plain sailing again until we reached the dreaded Combe Lane. Tea at the Medicine Garden in Cobham (sadly closing at the end of this month, apparently to become an upmarket health spa).  Many thanks to all the sub leaders (Janice, Hans, DaveB) and back markers (Fiona, DavidV, et.al). I had clocked 70miles and nearly 4,000ft of climbing by the time I got home - some riders went further/higher. Here are some pics from a fab day out: