Leadon vale cycle club ride 396 Sunday 12th December 2021. Please can I start with we have a change to the Tuesday ride it has been decided to introduce an extra ride at a slightly steadier pace with Maggie, so please take advantage of this. Also please can you inform Maggie or comment on here if you intend joining us next Sunday for Xmas ride finishing at Asleworth hub for bacon roll and mulled wine £5 which we all pay for on the day. I would like to welcome Owen Cooper to this Facebook page so now I can write about him and he will read it for a change, but he wasn’t out this morning. Today’s ride started off rather dull but passing the bus shelter in Staunton David was sat in there with his notebook in his hand, well I think it was his notebook so there I was thinking he is planning for another lockdown, so be prepared. Dave Hulbert was joining us again and was at the club all wheels inflated and shortly after David turned up and I asked him about the notebook and he said it was his jam sandwich so panic over. Alan and Bob set off on the sporty ride both dropping off before the end, Mat and Adrian set off on an Advanced ride and the rest of us on the Intermediate. With cloudy skies threatening we were off through Tirley and on to Apperley the wind helping us set a good pace as we dropped down through Deerhust the roads damp but not too bad. We joined the A38 for a short while to Cursey lane and it was along here that we felt the full force of the wind and things to come, Cursey lane is a little messy with a bad road surface in places but it bought us out on the Stoke Orchard road and now into the force of the wind to the Gloucester old Spot and on round Boddington road through Staverton village. We joined the cycle path along the Cheltenham road which I must comment on cars parked on the path bus stop signs in the middle of it which both made it interesting but it did get us to Down Hatherley Lane safely and now on quieter roads past Hatherley Manor hotel and rejoining the Tewkesbury road towards Norton. The wind made progress swift and saying goodbye to David in Norton, which just happened to be by another bus shelter so who knows how many jam sandwiches he carries with him on a ride. Wainlodes behind us and along to the Ham road and halfway along by the wildlife sanctuary we came across the well publicised tractor run which had just started to leave so we stopped and watched 101 tractors head towards Ashleworth a sight you don’t come across every day, but we followed after the last one had left and dodged them by going the opposite way into the village where we said goodbye to Frank who was out on his first ride for a while. This is also where we bumped into mr Cooper who was looking for the sporty ride but we said there wasn’t one so he joined us back to the club, so 5 mile cooper was his nickname today but he did enjoy the chat and biscuits back at the club and I think he also managed a Caramel Freddo so probably he needs a few more miles in the week. It wasn’t long before Mat and Adrian joined us and Adrian commenting on the standard of Mats jokes which helped the ride pass in no time. With everybody back and refreshed it was time to lock up, and reflect on another enjoyable ride. Thanks to everyone who rode and helped out today. Yellow leader.
