Wednesday 22nd October 2025

Medium Ride

Report by Graham

I hadn't planned to lead a ride today, but an evident dearth of leadership caused JC to ask me to lead a 30 miler, and hence I led a group of 10, comprising Davids C,J,&G, Tim, Tricia, John N, Margaret, Dennis and Mark, to the Rock at Whitwick.

Outbound we threaded through the University campus and business park, out alongside the A512 to Shepshed, cutting through the new Aldi car park (well most of us did, 2 overshot!) and out the back of Shepshed onto the familiar Carr Lane route 6 to Belton. At Osgathorpe we had to take to the pavement to get past a tractor doing hedge trimming, or more like hedge flailing, it was a miracle none of us punctured, then through Thringstone to Whitwick, taking the Bosworth trail (route 52) for the last section, emerging at the site of the old Hermitage leisure centre into the land of the million St George flags.

The Rock is one of my favourite watering holes: time it right and you can have brunch and wash it down with a beer when the bar opens at 12. We were a bit early for that, but they accommodated and fed and watered the 10 of us pretty smartly, and a little more affordably than did the Cowshed on my previous ride.

Tim, David G, Tricia, David J. Mark, Margaret, Dennis, John N and Dave C in  the Rock at Whitwick

Returning, we headed back towards Whitwick then looped round past Mt St Bernard, down through Oaks in Charnwood and up Charley Road. A few peeled off at Bawdon x-roads back through Nanpantan but most carried on to Charley top and then whizzed back down the Beacon road descent.

Total distance was a little under the requested 30 miles, but the climbing made up for it; if there's a flat route to and from Whitwick I've yet to find it.

Short Ride

Report by John

With a forecast for a mostly dry day with sunny periods, a good turnout was seen at Holt Drive. John was offering a ride to the Methodist Church Hall in Birstall and was joined by Clyde, Dom, Mick, Rob, Derek, Keith, Max and Chris.

The riders set out through Shelthorpe to Quorn and then up past the Quarry and on to Rothley. They then negotiated the circuitous cycle tracks resulting from the Broadnook development before ascending the much improved track up to the A46 junction. From here they descended to Birstall, negotiating the back street route to the Methodist Church Hall, where the home made Victoria Sponge cake disappeared into several cyclists.

Clyde, Dom, Mick, Rob, Derek, Keith, Max (hidden), Chris and John at Birstall Methodist Church Hall.

The riders returned through Watermead, benefiting from some attempts by he sun to appear, and on through Cossington, Sileby, Mountsorrel and Quorn, arriving back in Loughborough at 12.15.

Mick leading the riders alongside the Grand Union Canal towards Cossington.