A Group – 7 April - Ride Report

 

When I first recced this route a couple of weeks ago the lanes were awash with runoff, but in Cranleigh the sun shone, and it was a pleasure to sit on one of the benches and enjoy my lunch. Yesterday the lanes were bone dry but the wind and temperature had us all huddling in whatever shelter we could find. A genuine all-seasons experience.

We had 23 riders signed up in four groups, impressive given how cold it was all day.

First Off – Dave Bartholomew

6 of us left Cobham as soon as all were present, a minute or two before our scheduled 10.30 start, and the designated route rolled by quickly, with plenty of chat among the group as we all caught up after so long. Apart from a dropped chain in Shere, fixed in a few minutes, our ride was uneventful and we arrived in Cranleigh for our lunch stop comfortably before 12. Some of us had brought our own lunch and others made use of the various options for food and drink and we took our lunch in a sheltered corner in the main square. Whilst not warm by any stretch of the imagination, it was a definite improvement on the snow and biting wind encountered on our recon earlier in the week. 

Was it really that cold or was it just the effects of an al fresco lunch, but we all suddenly felt much colder on the return ride. The miles again passed quickly and we arrived at the routes end at Denbies just before 2pm. Nobody really fancied outdoor refreshments again so we gave tea a miss and all went off to make our separate ways home.

Many thanks to all in the group, and especially to Janice for back-marking

Second Off was Steve Duffin.

Frances, Brian, Mark, Patrick, Neil W. and I set off from Cobham at bang on 10.50 am. Earlier I had a little sun, but was in full winter thermals because I noticed my bird bath was frozen solid. I also set what I thought was a slightly faster pace so that we could all keep warm in the cold air. My 'faster pace' amounted to a time of 1 hour 25 minutes, about 15 minutes slower than the recce. 

 

Anyway we were grateful for hot coffee and bacon sandwiches and visiting the warm loo at Wild & Green, while Patrick and Neil visited the fish and chip shop for filled rolls. We quickly started to shiver after eating so got on with the return stage to Ryka's cafe. Neil and Patrick stayed for a hot drink, while Frances, Brian and Mark pushed on home. All the riders in my group were chipper and we suffered no mechanicals or punctures. Thanks to a good circular route, we all appreciated the novelty of nice scenery and company. The cold transformed the ride into an exercise in keeping warm, but also a measure of how painful riding has become after lockdown. Hats off to my fellow riders and for a route that limited the hills.

Third – Mike Reynell

Quote from a satisfied peloton member “I think we probably had slightly less of a headwind on the way home today - with thanks. The advantage of having Mike R as our sub leader was that there is plenty of shelter behind his wheel. The disadvantage was a punctured tubeless tyre latex shower, but at least my jacket is now more waterproof”. More to follow.

Finally -

A full 6 in my group including first time rider Jackie – welcome; and I hope we can tempt you back for future Wednesdays. We left Cobham about 5 minutes early as we were all well chilled by then. We rolled along pretty comfortably, stopping briefly near the Duke of Kent school to admire the view of distant South Downs.

In Cranleigh Wild & Green’s coffee and bacon sarnies proved popular, and their luxury toilets even more so. Following the previous groups’ example we huddled for shelter behind a brick wall, gradually cooling off until the temperature forced us to get on the road again.

Return was via Weare St, as attractive for its shelter from the wind as its wild flowers. Three of us stopped to tea in Ryks’s, while 3 opted to keep moving.

Thanks everyone for your company, especially to Dave W for back marking to Cranleigh, and David J in the afternoon.

And thanks to my Co-leaders who worked hard in challenging weather to make the day a success.