Saturday 14th November 9.30am club ride

DavidJ

Another windy one again tomorrow.

How about we go searching for some trees/shelter around Langley ? Something a bit like this....

Ashwell-Barkway-Nuthamsted-Meesden-Lower Langley Green-Littlebury Green-Arkesden-Clavering-Gt Hornmead-Buntingford-Sandon-Ashwell (45 miles)

I'll map out a garmin route later as there is a new road around Arkensden that we should all try

See you in the morning !

Jenny

That sounds like a good plan David. I'll aim to join the ride at Barkway. Fingers crossed I find you ok, I'm not sure I'd be committed enough to do a Graham-style chase!

SimonD

Trying to shake the lurgy, so I will probably go out on my own for a gentle ride (or just roll over and go back to sleep). Enjoy

Hardy

I'll meet you at the tuns

Nathan

DavidJ

ok here is the Garmin route:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/29417691

Jenny, we will see you in Barkway, we will wait at the Tally-Ho if you are not there.

Get well soon Simon, there is a lot of thie lurgy around at the mo.

DavidJ

Well I’m not sure how to describe this mornings ride........

Started well, dry, not to cold or windy. In hindsight should have probably just gone to the rhubarb for coffee....however

10 of us set off, the sky went grey. Met Dave and Jenny at Nuthampstead and it started to pour freezing rain out of the sky - great ! Still at least it was warm(ish) at this point. Carried on, out into Essex, rain got worse, then sort of stopped. This was good and also very bad as the rain was replaced with an icy gale force wind, causing the onset of potential hypothermia in our now soaking kit.....

By this point we all needed somewhere warm and dry, fast. Luckily we were saved by the sunflower cafe in Hare street, thank god it was open this morning. After defrosting we still had to get back with the by now raging freezing headwind doing its best to blow us back to Essex. Must be the slowest time back from buntingford in the history of the club !

So this is what we learned this morning:

Check the forecast before you leave
Waterproof gloves ain’t waterproof
Deer can leap out of the hedges at any point around here
Bob Marley didn’t have a welsh dad
23mm tyres are completely rubbish on rivers of filth

Thanks all for the blitz spirit this morning, this is one ride we won’t forget in a hurry !

timA

Well done David and everyone for carrying on, after peeling off at Elmdon it was a real ordeal getting back to Royston that seemed to go on forever, numb fingers and toes, brutal headwind. Never been more glad to get home.

Definitely a ride I will try to forget!

DavidJ

Could have done with some of these on Sat

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/carrera-subway-aw-heated-grips/

although a heated whole bike would probably have been better