LEADON VALE CYCLE CLUB RIDE 449 Sunday 30th April 2023.
The last ride in April and it wasn’t very Spring like, raining and overcast but the forecast said improving so we were on. The Glos city 25mike time-trial riders were speeding past the club and Jane almost gave me a coronary as I unlocked the door to the club startling me, but with the urn on and a few in the carpark and the rain easing we were ready. It was decided we would all do the advanced, so with Bob Steve and Chris I knew it was going to be a faster ride than we were used to, me David and Chris would sit in and hope. Corse lawn and straight to Tewkesbury and as I thought the pace was strong, but the wind was light and the rain had stopped, David was briefing me about the tour which all sounded exciting and I’m sure still time to join us. Bredon and through to Eckington where Chris stopped to remove a layer the pace starting to tell, but time to grab a drink before we dropped down into Pershore and took a Turing off the main rd a sharp climb up to Rebecca rd all the way to Croome D’abitot which we needed explaining what the D’abitot meant as we have a Redmarley D’abitot, but Brucie was nowhere to be seen when you need him. Croome court next managing to get everybody past the cafe and working our way back round to Earls Croome and the new roundabout on the Upton rd, and with the new cycle lanes which were very confusing and seemed to be more hazardous than actually cycling around the roundabout itself and then I missed the new cycle path which actually ended quite abruptly making you cross the busy road again before continuing into Upton where lots of people with bells on there shoes were hitting each other with stick and waving handkerchiefs in the air must have been some pagan ritual so I was glad to get out of there and up the hill where we had a regrouping before riding to Longdon into a strengthening headwind now that seemed to sap the energy stocks and gradually down Longdons Marsh the gaps were harder to close and eventually the little climb up from Rye Cross the elastic was finally broke and Steve Bob and Chris gradually pulled away out of sight at Pendock, and some new Chipping’s just after the corner at the bottom off Gadfield Elm made that bit interesting, but with David pulling me back to the club just as the rain started again. A very welcome cup of tea was had and a realisation that sometimes the flatter rides can be as testing as a good hilly one in a different sort of way, probably a perfect ride for the conditions.
Thanks everybody who rode and helped out, see you all next week.
Yellow Leader.