Club Run Report 30th March 2014
The forecast was for a warm sunny day but a cloudy start greeted the 30+ riders for today's club run. As usual, the majority plumped for the medium length 52 mile route while the short 30 mile and long 63 mile routes also had a few takers. As the groups were being organised it became apparent that myself, Alistair and Mark Colmer ended up as a group of 3, and we decided to go for the medium route.
However, the long route group caught us by Blunham and as our pace was quite similar we stuck together making a group of eight with the initial plan of making the split where the long & medium routes part. It soon because obvious that the group was working exactly as it should. Counter-clockwise rotation with no one taking more than a couple of minutes at the front, no one hiding in the middle or back. Compared to some recent club runs, this was a revelation!
Villages like Hatch, Thorncote Green & Northill rolled by without even a blink, I didn't even notice by the time we got to Shefford such was the pace and the efficiency of our work. Once through Shefford, we werein new territory for club runs and the roads through Meppershall, Shillington & Pegsdon provided an ever rolling new landscape for us to savour. The split was upon us but we decided to stay as one group and do the full 63 miles. We hit Hexton Hill, probably the biggest climb we've had recently and given the varying strengths of the riders within the group, we did get strung out but soon regrouped to cross the A6 towards Sundon. The group working impeccably still, we got a huge surprise with the descent towards Harlington. A long steep road where you could pick up serious speed, the braver members of the group got over 50 mph!
Again, we all regrouped with our adrenaline well and truly in full flow, complimenting this week's route creator, Gary. Back across the A6 (and back onto the medium route) into Barton-Le-Clay, more rolling roads, through Gravenhurst and Campton back towards Shefford. In the distance, the airship hangars at Cardington loomed ever closer. Some weary legs were starting to appear (including mine), a split was suggested but everyone decided to stay in formation and the pace slackened a little to give us a little respite. Through Cardington & Cople, we arrived on more familiar roads.
Past Great Barford & Roxton, over the A421, you could see there were distinctly two camps. One was shaping up for the sprint while another was focused on just getting back to Nero's. A little assistance from Wayne & Alistair was much appreciated by yours truly to get me back. We arrived at midday. 63 miles done in 3 1/2 hours is something I would never have thought about doing when I got to the market square this morning!
And therein lies the moral, a group of riders who genuinely worked together and looked out for each other can go much faster and further than it would if they didn't. No one was going for Strava 'glory', nor was anyone struggling because they were out of their depth. After recent discussions, this was a club run as it should be. If the 16th was a concerto then this was a symphony with a well drilled, harmonious orchestra. A good group on a good route makes for a great Sunday morning.
Tony S
