Heavy rain at 8:30 had discouraged some, but it had largely cleared by the departure time of 09:00. A well matched “Magnificent Seven” set off on the B ride, over Wainlodes Hill, across the Haw Bridge, and via Eldersfield to Rye Cross. The Hollybush Climb did nothing to split the group, although one rider went off-road exploring from the top. It seemed to him that some off road activity was necessary to honour Malvern based Evie Richards’ performance in the recent Olympic cross country mountain bike competition.
The road surface around Eastnor was as awful as always, but it was soon forgotten when we hit the second climb, from Colwall up the Zig Zags to the Wytch Cutting. The descent through West Malvern required care, due to the parked cars, but coffee, and disappointingly small pieces of cake, was reached without incident. From our table by the Abbey gateway we saw the A riders struggling up Church Street, but they were too preoccupied with keeping their front wheels on the ground to have seen us. L, who thought she had seen complimentary biscuits bigger than her shortbread, was then struck by the size of the small puddle of coffee in her cup – her Americano had been served as an espresso with hot water on the side.
After a traverse along the Wells Road, and fast descent to Welland, we continued what seemed to be a gentle descent all the way through Birtsmorton to Longdon. In Forthampton we slowed as we passed the poignant floral tribute to Stewart Sellwood, who passed away last week as a result of injuries’ sustained in collision with a car. The mood having become more sombre, the pace slackened before we took on the final challenge on the steep pitch above the Red Lion at Wainlodes.