Loughborough Wednesday Cyclists

On an Overcast but muggy Wednesday morning a sizeable group of eager cyclists had gathered at the Holt Drive meeting point. Medium Ride Report by Vic JC duly arrived and with a bit of arm twisting 3 rides were offered. I was asked to lead a 30 mile ride so chose Ulvescroft as the destination. This always puts off a sizeable chunk of the potential candidates due to its location at the top of the Forest! However 4 willing volunteers joined me and we set out at a leisurely pace through Mucklin Wood to emerge in Woodhouse Eaves from where we meandered through Swithland, Thurcaston, Anstey, Newtown Linford where we started the long gradual climb to Markfield. After safely negotiating the A50 via the crossing we attacked the last mile with gusto. Sitting outside on the decking proved to be a very enjoyable experience with views over the valley and forest. I enjoyed 2 of my ‘5 a day’ with a slice of the courgette and cucumber cake whilst others chose from the excellent cake menu. W

A cloudy morning with intermittent drizzle greeted the riders as they gathered in Holt Drive.. Short Ride Report by John Once the longer rides had left John, Eric, Betty, Andrew, Myles, Derek and John remained. It was decided to take a circuitous route to the village shop in Normanton on Soar and the riders initally headed south. Just on the outskirts of Quorn Andrew discovered that he had a soft tyre. A quick stop and some first aid from John's pump soon had the tyre back up to full pressure and it remained inflated for the rest of the ride. After crossing the Soar the riders arrived in Barrow only to stop again as Eric's bike started making some disturbing noise. It turned out that a spoke had broken in his rear wheel. Eric decided that discretion is the better part of valour and decided to head for home and then the cycle repair shop. The remaining half dozen then headed north to Cotes and then on skirting East Leake and taking Brickyard Lane to West Leake. After a

Intermediate ride to Nice Pie Report by David There were two intermediate rides of the same length on offer, and a crowd of cyclists seemed to vacillate between the two before settling on a short ride. So, we were left with 5 riders going to Nice Pie. It was a hot sunny day; the recorded average temperature was 30°C. Everyone had more than one water bottle and protection from the sun. David led Bryan, Rob Stephens, Rob Smith and Betty along Holt Drive, then across town on an established road via William Street, Broad Street, Bridge Street and into Meadow Lane. There was the customary delay at traffic lights and queues of cars. Unfortunately, there were also vehicles driven far too close to cyclists in their impatience to pass. Bryan will have pictures of them, and we are grateful to him for recording these. We crossed the meadow to Stanford on Soar, then up Leake Lane and, after a brief water stop, over the A6006 to the Loughborough Road and Castle Hill into East Leake. Th

The weather forecast had been for a dry day with sunny intervals, but as riders arrived at Holt drive some ominously dark clouds put in an appearance and a slight drizzle set in. Short Ride Report by John Once the other 3 rides had left, just Rosalind, Derek, Pat & John remained. The original thinking for the refreshment stop had been Bardon Lodge Farm, but as Keith intended leading his group there it was decided to head for the Beacon Park tea room. The group headed out across Garendon Park with the rain steadily increasing in intensity. Unfortunately most the the riders had relied on the weather forecast and had no waterproofs. Luckily it was August and not too cold. By the time they arrived in Charley Road the sun was putting in an appearance and the riders gradually dried out. Rosalind descending Deans Lane. Rather than go straight over Beacon Hill the riders took a left and climbed and descended Deans Lane before arriving at Beacon Hill tea room (off Breakback Road).