Club run reports - 2nd October

Category 6 ride led by Alex Powell

Four began, glad that the rain was definitely staying just short of Hertfordshire. It was made all worthwhile, giving the musculoskeletal bits and bobs a severe test on the B1000 cobbles, as we could see a rider waiting at the meet point for the hill climb participants. OK, it was Peter Bloomfield, which meant I had to be on best behaviour for the rest of the ride, and felt duty bound to obey his commands to go faster as Franco was still keeping up (Franco did a brilliant ride all day, having also come over from Hoddesdon). I don't think Peter realised that Franco was e-bikeless; possibly an early victim of the energy crisis caused by years of under investment in renewable power and the clubs policy of requiring everyone to only be able to go out with a power hungry Garmin. Highlight of the outward leg was Offley Holes Hill (used by Hitchin Nomads as their hill climb), which has a chevron on the ordnance survey map. A slim young person of about 20 passed us on an e-MTB and I enjoyed the thought of a certain club member frothing at the mouth with anger at the way he wasn't experiencing our suffering and so missing out on the camaraderie this brings. If you, like me, you also like a good froth I recommend you read the article (in Cycling UK’s cycle magazine) about the Cycling UK staff member doing a sportive in Flanders on an e-bike as he hadn’t felt bothered to do any training for it - I especially liked the picture of him going past, with a smug face, two riders on a hill, one of whom looks totally bemused. Just before we got to the Barn, Peter picked up a sharp ticking stone in his tyre, and despite my near tearful suggestions that he stop before it went all the way through, he carried on to the Barn and proved me wrong by removing the cm long tooth without puncturing. He later told me he had brought his tyre glider tool and so I think he was hoping for a puncture to give another demonstration. Arriving at the Barn, we were just after what looked like the whole of the Hitchin Nomads club (perhaps they had done the hill climb). As none of us had done the Queen’s funeral queue, we were severely undertrained for the wait (as well as the cycling). Luckily it was already sunny and warm - so none of us troubled the NHS. It was with glee that we set off knowing the way back would be tailwind wind assisted, and flatter, and shorter. We took Peter back to his car despite him telling me off for not obeying his Garmin. The rest of us made our way back to Hertford and it was only then that it occurred to me that I would have to ride home alone with a reverse tailwind, do'h! Adrian, Kate, Peter and Franco had all done great - everyone carrying some sort of pre-existing injury to knees, ankles, shoulders and, in my case, also the mind.