Wednesday 28th October 2020
Post date: 20-Oct-2020 10:46:09
After a wet week riders were lucky to awake to a bright autumn morning which produced a turnout in the high teens.
The longer ride: (Report by Keith)Cyclists: Mike, John & Bryan
A last minute on the spur of the moment saw us set off towards Keyworth and be passed by Howard and his group in Hathern as they charged along the road whilst we had taken the cycle path.
A climb against the wind saw us make the turning to Long Walton where we then set off to Diseworth, Tonge and Breedon where we picked up the Cloud Trail to take us Melbourne and the tea rooms where we stopped for refreshments.
Leaving Melbourne Hall we made for Ticknall and a ride through Staunton Harold with a short stop to show John the Ferrers and Garden Centre since he’d not been there before. Leaving against the traffic flow we the made for Worthington, picking up the last part of the cloud trail with Mick taking us to view the quarry.
The ride was finished by climbing to Top Brand and crossing to drop into Osgathorpe, Belton and returning to Loughborough along the Garendon Trail. Mick and I dropped of in Thorpe Acre leaving John to make his way home to Quorn in the rain which started as we left the trail.
Stats : 39 miles; 1800 ft climbing; ave 11 mph.
Intermediate ride 1: (Report by Phil)
So it was that Philip, Miles,Alan, Michael and Robert followed Howard on an intermediate ride to Castle Donington. Travelling west back to our old meeting area, we then turned north and over Forest road onto the University campus. Crossing the Ashby road, we travelled through the estate and I mused on the Blackbird pub, now sadly long gone. Across to Gorse Covert we rode and turned northeast to ride under the A6 and emerge at Loughborough Rugby Club. From there it was along the A6 turning left towards Long Whatton. Travelling through Diseworth, and waving to Terry and Anne, we eventually emerged onto the A453 turned left and at the traffic lights by Donington Park, transferred onto the cycle path, towards Castle Donington.
Gosh! They've put in a new road along which we rode and many new houses leading to the warehouses and industrial units, some of which are aviation based, without telling me! This new road crosses the road out to the priest house at right angles and here we turned towards town. This road has a large number of individually designed homes including an attractive art deco pastiche and several others but nothing seriously to trouble Pevsner. Then it was left and right into the town centre and break at the cafe on the corner. Philip arranged the tables and chairs and masked up, ordered his coffee and bacon roll and paid... In thin autumnal sunshine, the loss of public toilets in both Castle Donington and Kegworth was lamented and the use of spats to reduce heat loss from feet discussed. Alan remained in his shorts but suggested that their days are numbered this year and until the weather improves next. Howard revealed his double layer of insulation that kept his legs warm. Some were disappointed about a relative lack of climbing but Howard pointed out that was so that people could max out their watts ... At this point Philip admitted his current obsession with achieving Strava trophies and that he would be peeling off in Stamford to add in some extra miles.
A short discussion was then held of a Friday evening trip two summers ago inspecting a number of pubs beginning with the Lockkeepers Rest. This will happen again. So it was back via Hemington, Lockington and The Jolly Sailor, highly commended for better times. Travelling along cycle paths, we negotiated the A50, M1 , and Eastern side of The A453 in that order. This is one of Howards favourite cycle paths. Long Lane still appears closed. From Kegworth it was out to Sutton Bonington and Fox Hill before the group split with the sensible riders heading back towards Loughborough and the sole Strava obsessive towards Barrow. Well done Howard and thank you. A sadness of the present circumstances is that tough decisions have to be made about which friends to drop to ensure one is in the appropriate group in which to ride. A situation that is not going to improve immediately. Take care everyone, I feel a second tsunami is imminent but even the darkest night will end and the sun rise. Stats: Approx. 28 miles and 1,000 feet of climbing
Intermediate ride 2: to Nice Pie, (Report by Graham)
This was my first time with the group for several weeks, and having read of ever earlier departure times, I arrived at Holt Square at 09:20 whereupon Field Marshall Catt swiftly assembled my pod of 5.
So myself (Graham), Rob, Robert, Trish and Marcus headed through town and out past Cotes Mill, before turning right and taking the quiet roads through Burton-on-the-Wolds, Wymeswold, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds and over the A46 by the go-kart track. Then right onto Nottingham road towards Old Dalby, where we came across an imposing looking van with flashing lights coming towards us. I slowed, (alright, I braked), fearing the road was going to be closed, and almost causing a 5 bike pile-up on the greasy, pot-holed lane, but in fact they were just filling in potholes. So shaken but not stirred we continued to the end where a left turn onto Six Hills lane brought us to our destination at Nice Pie.
Fancying an outside table, we went inside to order, where the home-made sausage rolls were too much for 3 of us to resist, but when we went back out, the weather may have been dry but the seating was anything but, so back inside we trouped where the next challenge was to decode and complete their fiendishly complicated track and trace paperwork. Obviously, Wednesday cyclists are far too technologically retarded to be able to use the new fangled “App”.
Anyway, guilty about the amount of calories consumed (by the menfolk at any rate), we opted for a longer return route than I’d planned, turning right out of Nice Pie, then right again onto route 48 through Saxelbye to Asfordby. Then we turned west into the teeth of a force 2 breeze, which I spent on my imaginary aero bars getting a tow off Robert through Hoby, Thrussington and Ratcliffe, pausing at the top of Humble Lane to take the group photo I’d forgotten to take earlier.
The final leg was the most scary in terms of traffic, as through Cossington and past Eric’s we played an uncomfortable game of leap-frog with a bus, followed by a game of chicken with a refuse truck, then had to negotiate a tree surgeon’s van and trailer stopped on the zig-zags outside Silelby Tesco’s. He had his hazard lights on though, which made it totally fine.
I peeled off at Mountsorrel to return home to Woodhouse through Swithland, and covered 37 miles all told, the Loughborough contingent possibly a shade less.
Short Ride
After the other groups had departed the green at Holt Drive was occupied by just John, Jeanette, Rosalind and Derek. it was decided that it might be a good morning for a ride through Bradgate Park as half term was over. (As it turned out a rather foolish assumption).
The riders headed south to Quorn and then took Wood Lane, past the quarry, to the Ridings where they turned right for Swithland, from where they took Leicester Lane for Bradgate Park. The park was rather busier than anticipated but, tempted by the promise of cake, the group decided to wend its way to the Jade Tea Rooms. Shortly after arriving the car park full notice was put up at the entrance to the park.
After some excellent refreshments (that has to be queued for) the riders decided to avoid the park and returned via Anstey, Swithland and Quorn, arriving back in Loughborough at 12.30.
N.B. The pictures are in the same order as the ride reports, but don't necessarily align themselves with the ride reports.
