Lechlade Training weekend March 14th-16th 2008

Photos to follow

The annual North Road training weekend returned to the broad, water-logged uplands of the Cotswold’s for the fourth year running.  Previous trips had been blessed with a range of weather over the years - ranging from unseasonably warmth, to unseasonably cold.  But they have generally remained dry; this year was doomed to be different as the worst storms of the winter arrived just prior to the weekend.  With a consistently grim BBC weather forecast in mind, a small group of rider’s arrived early on the Friday for the normal frenetic spin the day before the main ride itself.  With Friday destined to be the best day of the weekend, four riders John McDowall, Del Evans, Geoff Olive and Richard Somerset had to be content with a slightly shorter ride due to the generally miserable conditions.     Another smaller group tried their luck later, but had to cut that ride short when Bruce Metheringham punctured early in the ride.

With the Saturday forecast easing slightly, and with less threatening clouds overhead in the morning, optimism amongst the rider’s increased that we might stay dry during the ride.  Neil Lewis had again provided multiple riding options including various shorter routes to allow for climatic conditions.  With guests from the Southborough CC riding as well, it was a substantial blue and rhubarb and custard peloton that formed up for the traditional start up Lechlade high street.   The ride itself has now become more familiar, it starts flat and then gets progressively tougher the nearer to the tea stop at Broadway you get.  The early hills showed Mark Reynolds, fresh from his Sicilian training camp, climbing with great style and panache.  As I recognized some classy looking climbing I tried to latch on to his wheel only to come into conflict with a similarly alert Nick Harris holding pole position.  After contemplating using my elbows a brief conversation ensued where my repeated use of ‘please’, delivered in a pleading tone, was enough to force the ever polite Nick out of the way.  As the pace increased to the tea stop the Southborough boys started to show strongly and it was left to a very strong Jamie Anderson, Richard and John to maintain club honour, with Nick, Mark and Jim Ewers gaining an honorable mention in dispatches for battling manfully to remain in contact.  While some of the group went straight in for Tiffin at Broadway, other riders did various additional short, brutally steep loops that finished back at the tea stop.

 While dispatching various dairy comestibles and cake based products, the threatened bad weather arrived almost on cue and the heavens opened.   With conditions looking grim, Jim remarked that it looked like ‘proper rain’ like they used to get in the sixties.   Getting back quickly seemed the best option, so an ad hoc route was entered into Neil’s handle bar mounted GPS system that gave an electric promise of a 28 mile trip back to Lechlade. 

  It would be fair to say that metaphorically the wheels fell of the ride back to the hotel.  A steep climb early on proved too much of a trauma for Jim as his gears refused to engage bottom gear.  What followed was a multi-minute stream of abusive language that would have made a Tourette’s Syndrome suffer blush.  Del’s suggestion that he should have bought Campag Record was greeted by further uncharitable language.    With the roads awash, and cold wet hands, it would be fair to say that every rider was dreading the thought of getting the inevitable puncture.  That honour fell to Chris Glithero who had the unenviable task of a puncture repair.  As the riders shivered and cursed at our general misfortune some decided to trust their now sodden maps and set off back to the hotel, leaving another group waiting for Chris.  I waited despite feeling very cold and wet partly out of club loyalty to a fellow rider with a puncture, and partly having greater confidence in the infallibility of Neil’s GPS computer.   However, my faith was severely tested as we continued the ride as at crucial moments Neil’s rider renamed EBC system (Electronic Box of Crap) provided either conflicting or non-existent directions.   Indeed, in a classic moment that I am sure we will laugh about (many, many years from now) we realised we had been going round in circles!   A certain degree of tetchiness had long since crept in to the group that was only eased by the long awaited appearance of a Lechlade sign and an easing in the weather conditions.  This set off the final hurtle into town that was won by one of the Southborough boys with North Roaders taking second and third.  It was a relieved band of wet cyclist that re-collected at the hotel, all looking forward to the Doom Bar Ale re-hydration session that evening, followed by some serious Carb loading at the local Indian restaurant.

With the BBC weather forecast proving grimly correct Sunday dawned wet and distinctly colder and windier.  Three rider’s - Geoff, Jamie and Tony Shoesmith braved the elements and decided to go out for the traditional North Road recovery ride while the rest of us put our tails between our legs and headed off home.  Another memorable training weekend completed with less miles covered than usual, but thanks again should go to Richard for his organizational prowess and to Neil for all his efforts with route finding in very trying conditions.