I'm grateful for the following report from Howard:
Arriving just before 10am, I couldn’t help but notice that a
strong team of super fit Malmesbury Clarions had already assembled for the
start of the epic Saturday club run. The sun was shining, the weather warm and,
shock horror, shorts were in evidence, two pairs in fact! Oh well.
There were enough riders to form two teams and the slower,
recovery team set off immediately leaving the ‘elite’ group to await late
turner uppers. The aim was to get to the Relish (formally Coots {when can I stop
typing that?}) café by 11.45. This was to a greater or lesser extent achieved
but it wasn’t until after an epic battle on the rise to Garsdon where the
‘elite’ group put the recovery group well and truly to the sword. Riding along
quietly, and at our own pace, the peace was suddenly shattered by a war cry
from behind. Expecting the worse, we, the recovery group, were attacked, with
very little warning by the ‘elite’ group who used all sorts of dubious and
unprofessional tactics (mainly fitness and speed) to jump past us and leave us
for dead!
Where was the cycling camaraderie, the fellowship and encouragement
our sport is famous for? Well, absent if you ask me!
There was nothing for it, we in the recovery group had to
use devious methods to try to get to the café on time, and speed was not one of
them. The answer?, to put The route aside and take short cuts where possible.
By using local knowledge about four miles were knocked off the original route’s
distance and arrival within a reasonable time of the ‘elite’ group was assured.
They were still ordering coffee when we arrived.
This idea of having a set time in which to arrive at the
mid-point stop worked well for us. In fact three separate groups arrived at the
café, the other having cycled from a slightly different point meaning that, in
the end we formed a fairly large group for the break.
And as for the ride home, I have no idea. My car was waiting
for me at the stop and I had the dubious luxury of a drive home. On balance,
though, I would much rather have cycled with the other club members. What did I
miss?
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