LEADON VALE CYCLE CLUB RIDE 491 Sunday 31st March 2024.
Easter Sunday and the point to point cancelled due to the weather meant I could ride, but the weather once again meant the original ride I had posted had to be cancelled also due to flooding so it was the flood avoidance ride again, so sorry if it was familiar.
With the Majorca crew back home and looking keen, Wayne back from skiing numbers were good for what I thought would be a quiet week and more important I had a packet of Malted Milk for David when we get back.
Two groups, Alan, Bob and Owen on the sporty and the rest of us on the intermediate. The first thing I noticed on leaving the club was how cold it was but with Wayne riding with us you knew you would warm up, and sure enough by the time we had wound our way up into Redmarley we were feeling a bit warmer. Bromsberrow and with the wet pot hole filled roads on Beech rd leading us to the Ledbury rd which we crossed and after a short distance up the Leddington rd we took a left down a narrow lane a new one to most but probably better on the dry but we were careful only to be met by a man on what could only be described as wheeled short skies with poles heading towards us something I hadn’t seen before while riding. Now the drag to Preston Cross and the brisk easterly wind now coming into play, Adrian Wayne and Doc Mike led the forward party and we followed all the way to the Little Marcle rd where we regrouped and pushed on through to Ledbury, it was here that Micheal was coming towards us I instantly thought someone had forgot to change his clock but he insisted he had visitors, but it was good he could join us. We zig zagged through the bottom of town before climbing to the top cross and with the traffic lights being kind to us we went straight over and started the climb up the busy Worcester rd to a little lane which takes us off the main rd up to Cut Throat lane before rejoining the Worcester to to the Eastnor junction and the horrible rough rd to the Castle, and knowing that the Holybush climb was ahead and was going to be a bit tougher into the wind but we coped well and regrouped at the top before the decent made interesting by the wind and a couple of hikers walking out infront of Wayne at the junction,but a good road surface makes for a good downhill bit. We followed the Tewkesbury rd through to Church lane through to Pendock and the push for home was on all together to Gadfield Elm then Wayne and Adrian put the hammer down I closed the gap and tried to take a breath but then Wayne took the lead and that was that the gap widened as we got to the cross so rode home alone followed closely by the others, and shortly by the sporty group. David enjoyed his malted milk guarding them until he left, well he didn’t have an egg did he.
Thanks to all who rode and helped out it was a bit chilly but really enjoyed it. Let’s hope for some drier warmer weather soon.
Yellow leader