A flat parcours, good teamwork, and a tail wind made for a speedy ride to Hailes Fruit Farm on a bright blustery spring morning. We were able to take advantage of the “reserved for Alastair” table and still vacate it by the required 11:00 time. The nature of the ride changed instanty after coffee, with a climb of Salter’s Hill being only one of a number of fairly brutal, and some would say unnecessary, climbs on the return. Lambs on the hill may have been a problem for those descending, but the speed of the climbers meant that they were not an issue.
Beautiful Cotswold scenery was to be seen everywhere in the spring sunshine, and while it was all good, I would highlight the lane from Guiting Power to Hawling. In Andoversford, the group was given the option of an easy and conventional route home via Dowdeswell, but all opted for the extra hills via Withington, Colesbourne, High Cross and Brimpsfield. Intelligence on the state of Birdlip Hill led most of us to return via Cranham corner, from where we enjoyed the descent of the traffic-free Fiddler’s Elbow road. Only one brave rider attempted the somme-like Birdlip Hill, and there are no reports as to how she got on.
58 miles, 4,150′ ascent@14.4mph
IW