About 15 of us gathered at St. Ives for the start of a route not many had done before, including me. In my briefing before the start I tried to be very clear that although Low Road was passable as the water had subsided, the slippery surface made it treacherous in parts. Unfortunately Andy & Paul came to grief on the ice, and Palo had a near miss. The good news is there was no serious damage, to bodies, bikes or (in Andy’s case) expensive clothing!
From that point on we tiptoed along, gingerly touching brakes only when necessary. The combination of freezing temperature & surface water run-off making life very ‘interesting’ in parts!!
I think some turned back at Low Road (recreational group?) – pity because with initial care there were no further incidents due to the weather, and you missed a good ride. However when I looked back (not easy to do whilst riding in given the conditions!), there seemed to be quite a few more riders in the group than there were at the start – I guess people joined along the way. This is not a big problem, but it is preferable if we can get together at St. Ives for the start so we can get into groups of appropriate sizes & abilities. Whilst on the topic of organisation, I’d like to remind members that you should have the means to navigate the route by yourself. These are not escorted tours, and you should not rely on others (definitely don’t rely on me!) to navigate for you. Either bring a printed route sheet & map or (preferably) use a Garmin (other products are available!) so you don’t have to keep stopping to consult the directions. Thanks for your co-operation with this.
Shortly after crossing the A10 after Shepreth, we passed a group of Ashwell CC riders – one of whom seemed so surprised to see us he road into the side & fell off! The only other point of note was Chris snapping his chain on the climb shortly before Ickleton. Obviously the power is already back in his legs (if it was ever lost). I understand Tom & Gary were on hand to sort things, so thanks for that guys, much appreciated I’m sure.
After a stop at the Riverside Barns (my verdict – good quick service for hot food, good cake, good prices, a little bit chilly, ‘interesting’ toilet arrangements – shed a short bike ride away!!), we headed for home. The tailwind & improving road conditions meant the speed wound up. As far as I know there were no further incidents before I turned off for Cambourne after the climb out of Bourn. Hope you all made it back home OK.
All in all – a good ride, despite early mishaps, on a good route with a good stop. Hats off to Mark Roberts, the Garmin file worked seamlessly. I can’t vouch for the route sheet as I don’t use these other than for a quick overview of the route beforehand.
On that note, I will be introducing a NEW ROUTE in the near future, kindly put together by Alec Rankin, stopping at the Café in the Marlow Car Park of Grafham Water. This will not have a Word route sheet – time does not permit putting one together, but it will have mapping files & a written cue sheet – but frankly who navigates by holding a piece of paper either bouncing along or continuously stopping to check details? Thought I would throw that thought out there 😉
Hope to see you on the road soon.
Best Wishes.
Richard Neil (SICC Club Run Captain)
