When Rod describes a route as picturesque what he really means is that we will be cresting a lot of hills in order to savour the scenery. Which is all very well for Rod himself, astride his souped up e-bike, but more of a challenge for those of us reliant on old fashioned pedal-power.
So it was that Thursday morning saw a gang of Windmillers heading away from The Fox & Duck, Therfield, bound for The Mixing Shed Café some 16 miles to the east. Sure enough, there were hills aplenty along the way. Indeed, by the time we returned for lunch we had laboured up some 500m of Hertfordshire hills and clocked up 32 miles. That is probably child’s play to Graham who seems to spend most of his time in mountainous terrain, but a challenge to those of us who live down by the Fens.
So much for hills but what about spills? Sadly, Ric took a tumble shortly after setting off. It was one of those freak occurrences as, running over an otherwise innocuous looking piece of wood, it somehow jammed in his wheel bringing the bike to a dead stop, launching Ric over the handlebars and pitching him face first on terra firma. Ouch! We will gloss over the gory details; suffice to say he left blood on the road and we hear his dentist is looking forward to a very good year.
So where does that leave us? Hills, Spills and . . . ah yes, Thrills. It was otherwise a special day; first and foremost it was Rod’s birthday and – top chap – he was buying the beers. Secondly, not only was this St George’s Day but also William Shakespeare’s birthday; he was 462 years old this very day. So, apart from the odd Scotsman and Irishman in the peloton, the English contingent were feeling pretty self satisfied. Rod, indeed, had affixed a George Cross flag to his bike! Might he be the guy who’s been tying them to lampposts in Royston?
Mid-way and pulling in at the Mixing Shed for coffee and cake we were delighted to meet up with Deborah who reports that her new hip is almost peloton-ready. We look forward to her joining us on two wheels in the near future.
To be fair to Rod, it was indeed a picturesque route. Highlights on the return leg included Great Chishill Windmill and the bluebell woods between Chrishall and Elmdon.
Special thanks go to Tom for driving Ric home, and Rod for his excellent route, not to mention the beers.
For the record the turnout was: Andrew, Brian, Charles, Gareth, Geoff, Howard, Keith, MartinB, Maurice, Neil, Paul, Ric, Robert, Rod, Simon, Tom and Victor.
The Windmill Cycle Club 