13th August 18 – How many will return on their bikes?!!

With The Tally Ho, Barkway being the starting point, 5 Windmillers were to turn out for this ride – Maurice, Andrew, John T, Sandra and Keith. Looks like it’s going to be a dry evening then!! Well I must admit, I had turned out anticipating an odd shower but my fears were put aside when Keith pulled into the car park.

With Maurice back on his electric stead, we set off towards Barkway Golf course, at the first hill, were there issues with this bike, as we all bunched up close to Maurice, expecting him to take off up the hill but NO, determined as he is to be back to full strength ASAP, it turned out he was using minimal power and the heavier bike slowed, crash averted and those of us keen to get to the potential watering hole carried on.

Trough Anstey to Brent Pelham and a brief stop for everyone to get back together or so we thought. No Maurice!! He did appear and the suggestion that he may have a technical fault were dismissed, NO, a slow puncture but also with minimal equipment to repair. It was decided that Maurice with chief assistant Andrew head back, pumping the tyre as needed, change to vehicles and meet us at the watering hole.

On through Brent Pelham, John T took the reigns thankfully and guided us through some muddy at times roads to Stocking Pelham, Berden and Little London with its delightful cottages on to Clavering, where both Keith and my phones had been ringing and the decision to stop and check out who it would be (I’m certainly not adept at riding while on the phone, so the best to stop first, don’t need another invalid in our household!!). It was Andrew checking on our progress, having collected Maurice now on ‘run flat tyre’ on the back of his bike. A slight change of plan and instead of The Cricketers at Clavering for timely refreshment, let’s meet at The Bull, Lower Langley, which we did. Mid pint and John T decided to depart and leave Keith and myself to finish the route via Meesden and Anstey, back to The Tally Ho and a warm welcome from Sally.

So it would be two out of five to finish the ride!!!

Thanks to Maurice for organising the route, Andrew for organising us and John T for taking over when needed to keep us in check.

Sandra