Club run reports - 2nd May 2021

Category 3 ride led by Graham Knight

Only four at the start! Still, it's quality not quantity that you want in a ride, so it was good to welcome Barry back after a long absence. Despite declaring a lack of long-distance rides he outlasted us all. The others were Richard, who did sterling work pulling us along between challenging himself on all the hills and Denis, who finally enjoyed a ride devoid of mechanical misfortunes.

Our destination was the quaint but ever-welcoming Megarrys in Blackmore. We followed the lumpy route to Matching Green via Sawbridgeworth then the flat Essex lanes through Abbess Roding and Willingale, arriving in good time for the table that had been saved for us. Now, if you have ever wondered what on earth "Covid safe" is supposed to mean then Megarrys us the place to go. Bikes left outside the eating area tethered to rings set in a wall (padlocks provided for those not so equipped). Masks de rigeur, hand sanitiser obligatory. Chairs set well back from a circular table and not to be moved. No wishy-washy laxity around the edge of the social distancing rules here! There were paper cups to drink from and wooden cutlery to eat with. Still, the cake was good and the sun shone on us - as least it did until it started raining but we were settling up and leaving by then.

The route back included the nice long descent from Stondon Massey to Ongar and the comedy roller-coaster after Toot Hill. That delivered us to the bottom of Stonards Hill and the climb up to Epping, which was not much appreciated by any of us. Very much not appreciated was the lunatic driver who pulled out in front of us from the petrol station in Jack's Hatch. We were travelling at speed and in fairly close formation at the time and I really have no idea how we avoided crashing into the car or each other. We were a little subdued for a while after that. Fortunately the weather intervened to distract us from dark thoughts by depositing the first significant rain for weeks upon us and ensuring we all arrived home a little damp.

Category 6 ride led by Peter Eldon

13 of us - unlucky for some, and in particular for the unnamed individual who went to Hertford instead of Ware and so missed the ride altogether - set off for Cammas Fruit Farm, a venue not visited by C6 for ages.

Having journeyed happily and drama free and with a very pleasing cafe stop, suddenly a serious threat emerges as we ride into Sawbridgeworth; a renegade group of North Road riders approaching from the south.

We eye each other up - these look a tasty bunch - but we have the numerical advantage, and as ride leader and standard bearer for the Herts Wheelers there’s no way I’ll back down.

I deploy a couple of our cohort to ride up close so they can see we mean business. We draw water bottles as insults are traded. Tension is high, the situation on a knife edge.

But then at Allens Green they turn right and we turn left, and a clash is averted

We’ve chalked up a moral victory - they’d have been serious squirted if it had all kicked off and they knew it. The honour of the club is upheld.

13 brave riders, 39 miles, decent pace. You don’t mess with C6……