Club Run Reprt, long route, 29th March 2015

Credit where credit's due. Grudgingly after lambasting the weatherman last week for constantly changing the forecast, this week they had been calling it right from about Tuesday, and they weren’t calling it pleasant. A strong westerly meant the route selected was the old faithful off to Grendon.

The rain started almost immediately after the first turn of the pedals from home and with the double whammy of the clocks going forward I was wondering whether I was going to be the only person on the Sq.

As it was, numbers were surprisingly good and six hardy souls set off for the long route. The rain was at its heaviest for the first hour or so of the morning with my gloom matching the gloom above. No one was sporting mudguards, so the moral high ground was left vacant this week but a few valuable lessons were learned.

  1. No matter how large the letter waterproof is written, overshoes are not waterproof. The design flaw is three gaping great holes.
  2. The waterproof jacket that resembles a black bin liner courtesy of HDC is equally as porous
  3. Dress according to the forecast

Once the rain started to ease we continued to battle the wind along the section up to the A6. Has that bit ever been pleasant?

The turn was made and the difference was night and day with speeds and moods rising. The wind actually increased as the morning wore on and I think I would have been hanged on the Square. if I’d chosen an Easterly route. The miles were steadily eaten up and we had the perfect situation where riding with the wind at that right speed it becomes completely quiet and that buffeting you’ve had for the last two hours becomes a distant memory.

The route is another one of those where you think you’re almost home then it turns away from the homeward direction. This time we weren’t having it so we went the direct route through Thurleigh that shaved about 5 miles off.

Richard had done a Captain Oates earlier in the ride with his legs complaining bitterly about his previous day's efforts and Simon turned off for home after Thurleigh that left four of us to contest the Bushmead road. Michael opened a gap that Tim bridged, I didn’t go immediately and once I did I managed to close some of the gap but the legs that had been feeling crappy all day refused to play once proper questions were being asked, the two of them soon pulled away to contest this week’s honours.

Caffeine and shelter was very welcome and it proved an ideal opportunity to reflect on how poor my waterproof wardrobe is.

Gary Newman