Leadon vale cycle club ride 439 Sunday 12th February 2023.
The club was exceptionally warm on our arrival at the club thanks to the footballers who had forgot to turn the thermostat down, but it would still be warm on our return from our rides, Owen was back out after a couple of weeks off the bike to join the Sporty ride where also Alan was back from his adventures in colder parts of the world skiing and Bob and Andrew would join them, the rest of us were attempting the Advanced. We followed the Sporty group away up the Ledbury rd, they turned through Lowbands and we continued up the Down house hill and up into Redmarley a climb which certainly warms you up before pushing on through Bromsberrow village to Brooms Green, the roads were quite dry with the odd wet stretch which just got the bikes dirty enough to need a clean, David and Steve were setting a good pace through Leddington emerging after some dodgy roads by the Ledbury Rugby club and a quick drop down to the the town the long steady climb began firstly up through town to the cross then up the Malvern rd where we turned off and climbed to Cut throat lane where we said good bye to Steve having to be back for a pre arranged meeting leaving the rest of us to continue up and over on to one of our favourite lanes great views of the back of the Malverns the British camp looking really clear and I’m sure you could see walkers on the top. Michael and David now taking up the pace through to Mathon a beautiful little village lying under the hills spoilt a little today by some muddy wet roads but this was a small price to pay for being in such a wonderful part of the world, this road led us out to Colwall as did the Sporty ride who decided to go off piste and add on a bit more climbing up on to Jubilee Drive and on to the British camp before descending past the Colwall junction where we had emerged from and on to Eastnor and the climb up Holybush Michael and Ken kept me company on the climb Chris and David had pushed on But we’re waiting at the top where we rewarded with a lovely decent to Rye Cross only for David’s chain to come off at the top too many quick gear changes he said, but he soon caught up as we were deciding who was going back up to see where he was. Now it was straight back to the club on the main rd the south westerly wind was making its self felt when you were on the front and thankfully after Pendock Chris led us home, where Gill Adrian and Di had returned from their Scenic ride, Owen arrived back not long after deciding the British camp wasn’t for him today, then the other Sporties all got back safely and enjoyed a brew and a chat, and even Maggie joined us back from her skiing adventures.
I hear a lot of chat on my rides sometimes not being able to take part as I’m out of breath but I do listen and sometimes little anecdotes or sentences stick in my mind and while we were freewheeling down towards Mathon Ken came out with a little one that made me chuckle he was recalling a certain Politician who I think he quite liked and said Quote ” he was my favourite politician until he wasn’t ” can’t quite remember who they were on about only he was a red head.
Thanks to everyone who rode it was a good day in the saddle..
Yellow leader.