
Survivors of the ride pose with this rather trendy sculpture/bike rack thoughtfully provided for us by the good citizens of Leamington Spa. Note the complete absence of any such people, who must have been warned of our impending arrival, and stayed indoors behind closed curtains and locked doors.

Happy faces on the outbound train.
Five Rangers, Martin Aldred, Tony Allcock, Clyde Hinton, Peter Ford and I, complete with bikes, left Derby on the 9.53 train, and as it finally pulled into Leamington Spa station, seemingly unaffected by the strong winds, we knew that it would be a different story when we mounted our bikes for this month's Rangers Ride. This time a 35 mile (seemed like 135 at times) tour in Warwickshire, planned and led by Peter.
Phil Harris met us at Leamington Spa, bringing the number up to six. His participation in the ride was curtailed by pedal/crank failure after only four miles and he hobbled back to a bike shop for repairs, whilst we battled on against gale force winds. We subsequently learned by text message that repairs had cost him £20, so we had a whip round to cover the cost, but unfortunately later spent the money on beer in the Jug and Jester.
The route was well chosen, covering nice country lanes, picturesque villages, canal towpaths and old railway paths. In some places we were sheltered from the gale force winds, but on reaching Draycote Water a few miles SW of Rugby, there was no such shelter. As the wind whipped up the water onto the rocks lining the shore, we leaned at 45 degress into the cross wind, spurred on by the prospect of a rest and a cup of tea at the cafe beside the reservoir. Time to re-fuel with bacon butties, before cycling on to Southam, where we stoked up with more tea, which kept us going until we finally arrived at the Jug and Jester as planned, only a short distance from Leamington Spa station, and perfectly timed for a well deserved meal and a pint to replace the calories burned off on the ride.
What an exhilarating ride! Mostly tough going, and although the route was roughly circular, we didn't seem the have the wind behind us for much of the way.
Certainly a ride to repeat sometime, but preferably on a nice calm day.
2 comments:
Dismayed to learn you spent the whip round in the J & J. Thanks pals! Actually had a pleasant day in Leamington Spa with the family, thinking of you poor lads fighting the elements. In all honesty I would have struggled with my lack of cycling fitness so perhaps a blessing in disguise and the bike is much better now!
Thought about you often throughout the day and wondered how you were coping with the swirling wind and rain. I too have cycled around Draycote Water and enjoyed a cuppa in the cafe there. Will try to join you on another trip down there in calm, sunny weather!!
Mavis
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