A well-presented group of six assembled in good time at 8 a.m., departed North via the quiet A38 to the Odessa turning, then took lanes to Gotherington and around the Cotswold outliers. They kept the escarpment to their right, cloaked as it was in low and menacing cloud. Roads were wet from overnight rain, but no precipitation was encountered. Lanes were preferred over the Stanway climb, onwards to Broadway, entering Worcestershire for a few miles and back to home county at Willersley. The flat route ended here with a rude climb at Saintbury, which had two riders resorting to walking for a stretch. The view from the top to the NW was splendid. Keeping height for a while we then descended precipitously into Chipping Campden, the most northerly point of the ride. We were now, technically, heading home…

Gorgeous lanes under a broken sky presented grand views and colours. The wee villages of Paxford and Aston Magna fell to the wheels, culminating with Batsford and a run into Moreton-in-Marsh to hit the traffic. The Revolution café was reached at 11.15am, 42 miles covered. The venue is highly recommended. We joined the Sports riders for a while before they set off for home.

Replenished, the route tracked that of the Sports ride to Adlestrop, then yet more delightful north Cotswold villages such as the Oddingtons, Bledington, the Westcotes and the Rissingtons. Not that the leader had intended that: a fortunate error in navigation (wrong turn) took them this way – and included a short departure into Oxfordshire, a county little visited on club rides. But all ended well – the descent into a packed Bourton-on-the-Water was taken at speed, the ascent to Upper Slaughter at a more gentlemanly pace. Thence to Guiting Power for refreshments and rest at The Farmers Arms: 2pm; 66 miles. Very welcoming was the publican and the Donnington BB was quite excellent.

Strength restored, the route home took in the source of the Windrush to Hawling, then Brockhampton and Sevenhampton. A ford is always regarded as a challenge, and unfortunately for one rider it proved too much – a slide in the slime resulted in an impact. Fortunately, only cuts and bruises resulted. We were soon back on board and on our way for the descent into Charlton Kings (not via Ham Hill!) and the usual route home. The leader, having failed to secure a 100-mile ride in 2020, took in a detour to make it to the ton. The rest sensibly just went home.

The Sports ride, beginning half an hour later, also set off with six, losing one with tyre problems and gaining two latecomers before Ham Hill set the scene for a brutal first 30 miles out to Moreton-in-Marsh along what is probably the most direct route. Steep hill after steep hill, with little flat ground between, took them to Longborough, and a more relaxing ride into coffee at the Revolution Café where they met the other riders, who had swapped distance for climbing, and reached Moreton with less climbing, but ten more miles of distance.

The ride changed character after coffee with a lovely meander down the Evenlode valley. A puncture halfway up the climb over to the Windrush broke up the climb into two small chunks, and a scenic run along the Windrush took us to Sherbourne for more refreshments. By the time the ride leader returned home, he had clocked over 6,000′ climbing, which is a respectable day out in anyone’s book.