Phil Earl started the ride by mentioning the P word which meant, of course, that the demon was stalking us from the outset. Who did he strike? Read on!
We set out on one of my favourite rides - Desborough, Harrington, Kelmarsh and then up 'The Hell of the North' to Naseby. We turned down to Welford and then through South Kilworth to Walcote, where the P demon pounced on Pete Wilson. By then, Phil had left the ride, so wasn't there to receive Pete's thanks. Pete found that his CO2 inflator wasn't working properly, so only had a partially inflated tyre. Has anyone ever managed to get a CO2 inflator to work properly? I've given up on the blasted things and now always carry a frame pump. On we went through Gilmorton and Bruntingthorpe to the cafe stop at Shearsby Lakes. I think the venue must have changed hands but it was still very cheap; £3-50 for tea and cake, compared to £5-80 at Cafe Ventoux (the Ventoux cake is better, though).
On the way home some chap in a 4x4 took umbrage at us being on the road and leant on his horn all the while he passed us (single file). After Kibworth the ride turned into a bit of a race, so we got home in bits and pieces having done about 55 miles.
The group photo was taken by the cafe proprietor - I'm the short one in the middle (5' 11").
We set out on one of my favourite rides - Desborough, Harrington, Kelmarsh and then up 'The Hell of the North' to Naseby. We turned down to Welford and then through South Kilworth to Walcote, where the P demon pounced on Pete Wilson. By then, Phil had left the ride, so wasn't there to receive Pete's thanks. Pete found that his CO2 inflator wasn't working properly, so only had a partially inflated tyre. Has anyone ever managed to get a CO2 inflator to work properly? I've given up on the blasted things and now always carry a frame pump. On we went through Gilmorton and Bruntingthorpe to the cafe stop at Shearsby Lakes. I think the venue must have changed hands but it was still very cheap; £3-50 for tea and cake, compared to £5-80 at Cafe Ventoux (the Ventoux cake is better, though).
On the way home some chap in a 4x4 took umbrage at us being on the road and leant on his horn all the while he passed us (single file). After Kibworth the ride turned into a bit of a race, so we got home in bits and pieces having done about 55 miles.
The group photo was taken by the cafe proprietor - I'm the short one in the middle (5' 11").