Club run reports - 5th August

Category 3 ride led by Peter Bloomfield

After last week’s rain-fest it was back to sun, sun, sun for the club runs this week and the category 3 ride attracted ten sun-lovers for a sixty mile loop around Hertfordshire and Essex with a stop for refreshments and plane-spotting at the Thremhall Park Café (mmm, pork pies…).  Not only sunshine but hardly any wind  -  what more could a cyclist want?  There were some fast legs in the group, including two guest riders who showed good form, and we fair sped along.  The only blot on the ride was a long delay at Roydon level crossing  -  car drivers saying they’d been waiting 20 minutes and turning round in the road to escape what they said was a gate failure .  After ten minutes or so we were beginning to ponder our options when the gates miraculously opened and our enforced breather left us ready to tackle the climb out of Roydon and then over Holly Cross Road and home.

Category 5/8 ride led by John Farnham

Despite the prospect of a very hot day seven Wheelers and a guest assembled at Puckeridge for our occasional ride to the Hertfordshire / Bedfordshire border country at Farrowby Farm Hinxworth. Outward through Great Munden, Wood End, Ardeley, Halls Green, Weston, Clothall, Baldock, Bygrave, Ashwell to Hinxworth, where we met Ian S who had ridden out directly from home. Fortunately we were able to sit outside but in the shade and were soon fed and watered. Return via Ashwell, Slip End, Sandon, Buntingford, Westmill, Great Munden back to Puckeridge. 42 miles, no punctures and only 1 mechanical namely a chain derailment.

Category 6 ride led by Danny Hood

Don't ya just love this weather. Don't cha, don't cha!! A baker's dozen of suntanned, sunscreened, sun worshippers set off for the March Hare Cafe at Hare Street. This is a café we'd used only a couple of times before due to the slow service. How times change..... nothing. I had done a recon mission in the week to notify them that we would be arriving on Sunday. The owner seemed pleased and on the ball; if only she'd told the staff or at least arranged for more than two to be working when we arrived. The staff tried their best but an hour and twenty minutes for our stop is pushing what's reasonably to be expected. Especially when two or three still didn't receive their orders. The fact we were sitting in glorious sunshine and that our sugar daddy captain Bob had treated us all to brunch, (happy birthday captain) made it much more bearable. Even trying to pay by card took ten times longer than usual, lack of signal or WiFi being the excuse.The food that did arrive was rather good and it's a shame that some cafes just can't seem to organise the proverbial pi## up in a brewery. A blast back through Puckeridge and Cold Christmas meant we got back to base at a reasonable time. 
31 miles at about 13 mph.