Seven riders out this morning at the meeting point in Nonsuch Park: Bill Kent, Bill Martin, Tracy Caudle, Trevor Kite, Dave Clarke, Lucinda, with myself leading. The weather this morning had us all gambling on improvement for our BBC weather website said dry. And at 08:30hrs a torrential downpour and heavy clouds had me scratching my head as to how the BBC is even allowed to broadcast weather forecasts given they’re so bad at it!
At 09:15hrs as we left the rain had indeed stopped, but the threatening skies still hung over us like a black shroud of doom. Our route took us out through Priest’s Hill and into the back streets of Epsom where we slowly ascended, Rifle Butts’ bridleway out onto the top of Epsom Downs. On the top big patches of blue sky awaited us and today some pretty good views of the surrounding countryside. We traversed the Downs and started our descent into Langley Vale through what was this time last year a farm yard, and now houses are sadly being built on it.
On our ascent out of the Vale at Thirty Acre Barn someone was missing when I stopped half way up. Bill Kent had an unfortunate mechanical when his rear mech snapped off across the derailleur arm.
This caused a rethink and some ingenuity in just how we proceeded on. After a couple of minutes of discussion it was clear that Claygate was out, but Ashtead Cafe and the railway station near it were the best option for Bill to get back to his car at Nonsuch. So we removed the rear mech and with the chain in the big chainring and big sprocket to take up the slack we then push-assisted Bill downhill towards the cafe in Ashtead.
However, ‘Saturday the thirteenth’ hadn’t finished with us yet when five minutes later the other Bill, Bill Martin disappeared! A couple of minutes later he reported an expired bottom bracket with crank arm flaying about like a drunk on ice. Alas there was no fix for this and so both Bills now had to rely on downhill momentum to get them to the cafe in Ashtead.
At the cafe a number of the group had Full English Breakfasts in memory of the late Mick Curtis, as this was his breakfast choice on Saturday elevenses stops, and it was legendary. So today unusually our departure time from the cafe was leisurely and timed to coincide with the 12:28hrs train to Cheam for those whose horses had gone lame. For the rest of us it was a pleasant ride back through the south east of Epsom Common back towards Horton Country Park and soon after home.
The ride ended up being shorter than planned at sixteen miles, but sometimes it doesn’t go as planned. It’s all about the enjoyment of riding with friends. The mileage is just the fitness bonus.
Good report Paul