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On a crystal clear chilly day, five hardy souls comprising our leader Maurice, Deputy Dawg Andrew, Brian, relatively new boy Tom and Moley Martin set off from the Pheasant at 10.00am on a 30 mile circuit via Barkway, Therfield and Sandon, stopping for a coffee in Buntingford and then back via Anstey, Meesden, Langley and Chrishall. The full route can be seen on the Mapometer link above.

Here is a photo taken by Brian of the gang of freezing pheasant pluckers near Therfield:

…but things improved once blood reached the extremities.

The second stop was caused by Tom having a puncture in his rear wheel but instead of offering to help we watched in awe as he swiftly changed tubes and removed bits of flint, but not, however, in the stipulated 4 minutes. (Has anyone ever achieved this magic figure?) It was the general opinion that Tom had passed his first ritual test:

Then, by an amazing coincidence, Moley Martin recognised that the heavily pregnant lady in the coffee shop in Buntingford was in fact his daughter Jessie who happened to be meeting someone there. She would have been in good hands should her babe have decided to join in, what with assorted tyre leavers and spanners and puncture repair kits to hand, but she said she would have declined our services. Here she is with unborn Acorn enjoying our witty company:

And so back to the Pheasant via more splendidly quiet and picturesque lanes for a warm welcome by Ollie, Alison and Simon, when printed copies of our 2015 blog were examined critically. ‘You call yourself a publisher?’ rang out around the table. It was great to have Kell join us for lunch.

Thanks, Herr leader Maurice, for a great ride.

//www.mapometer.com/embed/route/4237288?view=roadmap&units=miles&notes&graph

Monday 28th Dec was a momentous day when we welcomed Simon back in the saddle after nearly 12 months absence.As we gathered outside The Pheasant Simon looked like a lost boy with two flat tyres. Deputy Dawg to the rescue and within minutes Simon was no longer deflated.

Andrew Dawg , Lindsey Dawgs assistant,  Brummie Brian and Simon set off in near perfect conditions passing Barway – Nuthampstead – Ansty -Brent Pelham- Roast Green -Langley -Duddenhoe End etc etc.

The route perhaps should have been titled Cold War and Churches as the first point of interest was the Cold war bunker/ observation post near Brent Pelham where Brian who was so fascinated by Deputy Dawgs knowledge of the Cold War – fell off his bike missing a large puddle by inches.

Next point of interest was a detour to The Hamlet Church at Duddenhoe End which unknown to me is a 16th century barn converted to a church in 1859 -all riders dismounted for a visit inside.

From Duddenhoe End it was a brisk cycle up the Chrishall with Turbo Lindsey taking the lead. This was followed by a superb lunch at The Pheasant with the additional company of the Ryan Trio – Kell in Lycra no bike , Kells wife Glen and daughter Sinead.

Well done Simon -as they say in Scotland  ”

On Yer Bike Man”

Here below is a PDF of a thank you letter from Bridget Gough of Khandel Light for the £600 cheque presented to her by Maurice at the Christmas lunch. Also a copy of a letter sent to the East Anglian Children’s Hospice enclosing a cheque for £400.

On this happy note, the Windmill bloggers wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Windmill Khandel Light DocScan

Windmill East Anglian Hospice DocScan

After an early start for a Monday at 10.30am, our leader Maurice led the way, hotly pursued by Dirty Dawg Andrew, John B and Moley Martin, around 19 miles of dryish lanes, taking in Little Chishill, passing John T’s house, Meesden, Clavering, Arkesden, Duddenhoe End and Chrishall. Maurice had a puncture but Andrew remains the puncture champion of 2015.

After returning to The Pheasant for a pleasant lunch word got around that the King was dining there too, ie Alf Engers, looking very smart compared to the assorted Windmillers who by that time included Road Hog Kell Ryan who joined us for lunch.

…….shouted Moley Martin as he struggled up a steep hill near Ickleton Old Grange on his old bike, a hill he regretted having suggested tackling to fellow riders Deputy Dawg Andrew and Two Scones Keith. It would have helped to give the recalcitrant Granny a kick before attempting the hill but she was laughing at his misfortune by the time he finally made it. Thereafter it was a pleasant 18 mile ride taking in Catmere End, Littlebury, Duddenhoe End and Chrishall before reaching The Pheasant before 4.00pm, when it was almost dark. Roll on those lazy hazy crazy days of summer, but you can keep the pretzels.

Thanks, Dawg, for organising the ride, and apologies for late blog.

A large gathering of members, spouses and friends took place over a splendid Christmas lunch at The Pheasant to celebrate another successful year of cycling and raising over £1,000 for charity. John (Sticky Toffee) Tarrington relayed the good wishes of Kell Ryan, who unfortunately was unable to be present, and summarised the achievements of The Windmill Club over the past year and thanked our leader Maurice Warner for all his hard work.

John was followed by Maurice who presented a cheque for £600 to Bridget Gough who received it on behalf of the Khandel Light charity. This charity works to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Rajasthan, India, and has achieved great success in recent years. It is also supported by Simon and Ollie at The Pheasant, and Simon is running a marathon in 2016 to raise further funds. Well done Simon, who also plans more cycling in 2016 too. Another cheque for £400 will be presented to the East Anglia Children’s Hospice in Milton, the patron of which is the Duchess of Cambridge.

Maurice then introduced a first time award for the club person of the year and presented it to Deputy Dawg Andrew Rusack for all his assistance in arranging rides and communications with members. Well deserved! He also presented a large bouquet of roses to Ollie with thanks for her hospitality and support over the year.

Then came Deputy Dawg Andrew Rusack himself, also known as Dirty Dawg, Wee Willie Dawg and various other names, who said it had been a year of developing nicknames as we pedalled along, including Two Scones Keith, Moley Martin and Sticky Toffee Tarrington. More to come in 2016! Andrew then gave Simon a smartly wrapped Christmas present of a large tyre pump and thanked Simon and Ollie for their wonderful hospitality and friendship over the year, greeted with much applause from all present.

Here are some photos of the happy occasion:

It was great to have our leader Maurice back with us today after his recent bug, but he was immediately given a stern hill at Little Chishill to climb by Deputy Dawg Andrew, now known also as Wee Willie Dawg (on account of his hat, just in case you were wondering – see below). Keith and Moley Martin were the others taking part on what proved to be a pleasant afternoon after the earlier gloom at noon. But it was still necessary to be back at the Pheasant by 4.00pm due to darkness descending but an enjoyable ride was had by all, taking in Clavering, Arkesden and Chrishall. We were then joined by John B and tucked into an excellent cheese board kindly provided by our hosts Simon and Ollie. Thanks to DD for organising the ride.

Blogger Mart was not present on what he understands was a very pleasant ride via Sandon to Ardleigh and back to the Pheasant, led by John B and followed by Ken, Keith and others. So not a lot to report nor pics of the Pheasant pluckers, much to their relief.

This late autumnal ride on a fine day, but a bit wet under the tyres, was more or less the reverse of a ride a few weeks back. A good turnout comprised Deputy Dawg Andrew, Ken, Keith, John T, John B, Rod, Brian and Moley Martin. Other nicknames were discussed en route but the only ones that stuck (ho ho) was Sticky Toffee John (T) for his valiant attempt to devour a large pudding at the Fleur de Lys. Keith is also known as Two Scones from now on following his mid morning snack.

Having first repaired Brian’s puncture, we set off riding through Debden, Radwinter and Great Sampford, and it wasn’t long before we reached Finchingfield for another excellent coffee stop in Bosworth’s, the cafe by the green. The light outside was at its best due to the low sun, as depicted here:

Enriched with caffeine, beer, scones and jam, a fast pace was then set homewards until a suspected slow puncture affected Andrew (who will be awarded the 2015 puncture prize at the Christmas lunch), followed by his chain coming off and, meanwhile, Rod was still having difficulty with his granny (gear). But by 1.15 pm we were back at the Fleur de Lys where we were joined by our leader Maurice and an excellent lunch was enjoyed by the knights at their round table washed down with some fine ales.

Thanks to Andrew for organising the ride and the gods for the excellent weather.

Three hardy souls, Deputy Dawg Andrew, Keith and Moley Martin, set off from The Pheasant earlier than usual at 2.15 due to the dark evenings, wrapped up well to survive the 5C temperature. But going downhill to Duxford didn’t produce any warmth and it wasn’t until Coploe Hill in Ickleton that the first trickle of heat was felt in the extremities. And, of course, with DD being the aviation enthusiast that he is, a mandatory stop to view Duxford airfield was necessary despite the cold. A Gnat was spied, the sort with a jet engine. Both Andrew and Keith were wearing matching Sleazy Jet orange jackets and here they are viewing the runway:

Returning via Littlebury Green, Elmdon and Heydon, The Pheasant’s fire was particularly welcome along with a fine cheese board kindly provided by Simon and Ollie, and it was good to be joined by John B who was recuperating from having split too many logs.

Thanks, Andrew, for organising the ride.

Today’s ride of 29 miles, led by Deputy Dawg Andrew and accompanied by John B, John T, Keith, Brian and Moley Martin, took us through Barkway and on through uneventful lanes to Hare Street, past a well known Volkswagen dealer M J Warner, and on to the pretty village of Furneux Pelham. Then we approached the pothole capital of Essex, Manuden, and if those didn’t bring us close to death then being shot at by a shooting party near Maggots End certainly did. Guns went off all around us, just a few metres from the road, but despite hitting a hail of pellets we survived to tell the tale.

Next it was a pleasant break for coffee / beer in The Cricketers at Rickling Green and a final run back through Arkesden, Duddenhoe End and Chrishall, with the odd light shower now and then. The roaring fire in The Pheasant was a very welcome sight, as was our leader M J Warner who joined us for lunch. We hope his bug will have bug…ed off soon and that he will be back in the saddle.

Thanks, DD, for organising the ride.

Yellow men in The Cricketers.

Setting off at 2.30pm, led by Deputy Dawg Andrew and followed by puppies Keith, the two Johnnies, Andrew G (minus huskies) and Martin, a reasonable pace was set in dry but darkish conditions, averaging 12mph overall. Andrew G took a different route back from Lower Langley, probably longer, and got back to The Pheasant ahead of the peloton. Altogether a very pleasant autumnal ride and thanks to DD Andrew for organising it. We were sorry not to have Maurice with us, who was down with a bug, but we wish him a speedy recovery.

Follow Ai Weiwei’s example, weld them together, make a chandelier and sell it for millions!

Starting at 2.30pm due to the dark evenings now, Maurice, Andrew R, John T, Bridget, Keith, Andrew G and Pete set off from The Pheasant on circuits ranging from 18 miles to 22 miles and were joined somewhat later by Martin who only clocked up 9 miles and so was allowed only half his usual number of goujons. Andrew G, Pete and Keith did the longer route but, sadly, Keith came a cropper when rounding a sharp wet bend in Arkesden and fell off his bike, scraping himself in various places. See the gruesome photo below! Hopefully he will mend quickly (a pint was applied quickly back at The Pheasant) but it just goes to show how easy it is to skid on wet, leafy roads, so check those tyres and take special care over the coming weeks.

Keith’s accident led to a Pheasant discussion over goujons and chips about the need for a first aid course, which Maurice hopes to organise soon, (and also the need for someone to carry a spade in case a member needs burying by the roadside!).

Thanks, Maurice and Deputy Dawg Andrew for organising the ride.

Thanks to Deputy Dawg Andrew for uploading today’s ride around Essex lanes (see below) and to Maurice for planning the route.

The ride started and finished at the Fleur de Lys pub in Widdington, a lovely village near Newport. The weather was mild and leafy and nine hi-viz riders set off at a pace led by Rod and followed by Maurice, Andrew, the two Johnnies, Ken, Keith, Martin and new member Brian (welcome Brian!). It wasn’t long, however, before an error of course was made by Rod in Henham who disappeared rapidly up the High Street when he should have turned right, taking three riders with him. Hollering had no effect and so Martin’s afterburner was required to catch him and do a U-turn back to where the others were waiting patiently. Then it was under the Stansted flight path to Broxted and a nice tail wind through delightfully quiet lanes to a coffee / tea / beer / cake stop in a cafe in pretty Finchingfield, almost exactly half way at 17 miles. The ride back was via more hamlets and villages until we reached Widdington at 1.00pm after 34 miles in total, with a challenging final uphill climb which created substantial thirsts all round.

Seated at a round table, the Knights of the ride were joined by Kell and we all tucked into a splendid two course lunch and sampled some fine ales before finally departing to sleep it all off.

Thanks again to our leader and his deputy for organising an excellent ride.

Here is a copy of the route from Widdington.

No doubt Chef de Blog will summarize a stunning ride in the Essex countryside

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Today’s ride started and ended at The Pheasant – those pedalling were the two Johnnies, Rod, Maurice and Martin. Sadly, it wasn’t long before the first incident of the day materialised when Rod’s chain misbehaved whilst changing down to the granny cog on the front whilst applying much pressure on the pedals. Result, a chewed up granny which resisted the efforts of chief mechanic Maurice to beat it back into shape with a chunk of wood and so Rod decided to head back to The Pheasant to seek a new granny. Shortly afterwards, just outside John T’s lovely house in Widdington, Maurice declared a puncture which was mended in John’s garage whilst the rest of us enjoyed a coffee prepared by Bridget. Thanks, Bridget!

On we pedalled through potholed lanes admiring the autumn colours when Martin thumped into a deep pothole at full pelt whilst behind Maurice, who had pointed it out but Martin was not paying attention, as usual. Result, loud swearing, threats to sue the Council, a dislodged water bottle and handlebars but, luckily, no other damage to bike or rider. A stop at The Yew Tree in Manuden proved coffee-less as the staff were busy eating and so we set off for Rickling instead. Incident no. 4 then emerged – a serious noise from the front forks of John T’s bike which turned out to be a leaf situation only. Sub-mechanic John B was able to dislodge said leaf with the help of the stem of another leaf, of which there were many to choose from. The Cricketers in Rickling was a splendid stop and the friendly landlord was a keen cyclist. We all agreed a return visit was necessary.

Then it was back for a delicious lunch at The Pheasant via Arkesden, Duddenhoe End and Chrishall, to end a very pleasant but incident filled autumnal ride. Thanks to Maurice for organising it, who announced over lunch that a grand total of approx £1,000 might again be raised for charity this year.