April 2015 Ride Reports

26th April 2015 - The Horseshoes Pub in Upshire - Fast Group

Today we tried running a faster Havering group as well as the regular ride at a more leisurely pace. The routes were quite different, but the destination was the same - the Horseshoes pub in Upshire.I led the fast group, which consisted of just two of us - myself (Tim Dodd) and Tom Keetch, who first came out with Havering last week and was hoping for a faster ride. We nearly lost him to Hornchurch, but their 07:30 start time is a big ask so we got a second chance to keep him..

Anyway, Tom and I set off with the rest of Havering for a gentle warm-up before knuckling down, but it didn't take long at all before fragmentation occurred, so Tom and I made off on our own. First stop was for coffee and a bite at the Bakehouse in Cooksmill Green before continuing to Upshire. Taking a circuitous route we managed 42 miles to lunch, enjoying numerous peaceful country lanes and arrived at 12:30, hoping to meet the rest of the gang. It was another 35 minutes before they turned up. Hospitality was good and lunch was very nice too.

Tom and I departed just after 14:00 for a non-stop ride back to Upminster again wobbling through the Essex countryside and trying to pick different roads for the return journey. In all we covered the planned 38 miles, arriving back before 17:00 and bringing our mileage for the day to a nice round 80 miles at 15 MPH average..

Weather was a bit iffy, but overall it was a great day out. Must do it again soon.

Tim Dodd