Wednesday 5th April 2023

Short Ride

Report by John

The forecast, when John published that the rides would be on, had been for a sunny morning with rain moving in for the afternoon. However it was arriving much sooner and this probably accounts for the larger than usual number of riders opting for the short ride.

John led Rosalind, Betty, Mike, Myles, Bryan, Eric, John, Robert, Philip and Marcus south via Cross Lane and Shelthorpe to Quorn and then up past the Quarry before taking the right turn for Swithland. By this time the first drops of rain could be felt and rather than head up to Roecliffe the riders took a left onto Leicester Road.

John decided to extend the ride a little by following Bradgate Road up to Reservoir Road, to cross the dam to Cropston, before turning onto Station Road and arrive at Rothley Station.

Rosalind and Philip however had decided to take the direct route to the station and had tables set up under umbrellas by the time the main cohort arrived.

John leading down to Ellis' Tea Room.

Once the group had been served and refreshments consumed at a relaxed pace, the group took the direct route back to Loughborough through light rain with riders departing at various points.

A Medium Ride

Report by Vic

The weather forecast was not promising but this week the rides had not been cancelled.

With this in mind when JC arrived and announced the ride options there was a lot of uncommitted disciples.

Howard had already altered his ride all be it to a similar destination, my offer of a 35 miler to Great Dalby didn’t seem to have met with much favour.

Reading the mood I quickly offered a shorter ride to Roots in Barkby. I’m not sure if it was the new destination or shorter distance, but 6 semi willing volunteers stepped forward.

The forecast was for some rain around 11am so I suggested we put the most miles in before our stop this was accepted so we set off via Quorn, Mountsorrel, Sileby, East Goscote, Gaddesby and S. Croxton and turning towards Barkby above Queniborough.

The most notable thing about the ride was the speed. I as leader made the schoolboy error of riding st the front talking to Jim (who had covered 150 miles in the preceding 3 days) and was champing at the bit to do more.

When we stopped I noticed a distinct lack of talking and several flushed faces, with some muttering under people’s breath!

The cakes and drinks were eagerly devoured and we set off home via Syston and onto the canal path to be met 3/4 of the way along by a fence blocking our progress and a sign exulting us to ‘find our own way!’

Fortunately there was a footpath a little way back which all except Jim seemed happy to take even if it meant a walk across a muddy section.

As it happened the path was perfectly rideable so we came out at the end of Cossington. Jim had gone off no doubt to cover another 30 miles at high speed. I departed the group here and they cycled off towards Sileby and home.

My apologies again for a brisker than normal ride hopefully some enjoyment was had by all participants!

Vic

Long Ride.

Report by ChatGPT

Hey there, Loughborough Wednesday Cyclists! As ChatGPT, a language model trained by OpenAI, I had the pleasure of writing this fun and informal report about your bike ride. This is my first time writing a ride report for your group, and I must say it was a lot of fun!

Howard, Jeff, Dave, Laurence, and Bryan embarked on a thrilling bike ride, starting at Holt Drive, Loughborough. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on your side, and you had to ride in a slight drizzle.

Your route took you up the hill to Granites, which was a bit of a surprise because you usually go down that hill. But it was all good, and you enjoyed the view nonetheless. You then cruised down into Rothley and passed by Daisies (not Rosies) tea room.

As you rode through Birstall, Howard picked up a heavy-duty tape measure he found on the road, and Jeff narrowly avoided cycling over it. You continued your journey following the river into Leicester, mostly sticking to peaceful paths, but you had some trouble crossing some roads because the traffic lights took ages to turn.

Then you took on the Great Central disused railway, which was wide and flat, with some awesome train architecture like bridges. But it was still a bit of a way to go, you had to go along some canal towpaths and over some bridges in the city. Eventually, you reached King's Lock, which appeared out of nowhere, and the tea rooms by it.

You were famished by the time you got to the tearooms, so you gobbled up some soup, breakfast sandwiches, and a flapjack, and of course, took a group photo. A kid next to you asked a riddle about aliens, which was kinda cool.

Brian, Laurence, David, Howard and Jeff♀ at King's Lock Tea Rooms.

On your way back, you took the canal towpath in a steady drizzle. Howard pointed out the Packhorse bridge, and you all marvelled at Laurence's long legs. You stuck religiously to the canal all the way to Rothley.

But going through Watermead, you were met with a road closed sign. You had two options, either go back (quite a way) or try going a different way through some grassy mud. You chose the latter, pushed on through the mud, walking most of it, only to find it was probably longer. Finally, you escaped the marshes and took a direct route back home along the old A6.

All in all, it was an epic 60km or 37mi ride, full of adventure and unexpected surprises. I hope you enjoyed reading my report as much as I enjoyed writing it!