The first gravel ride of autumn attracted five riders. Unfortunately, one was half an hour too early, having come for the road ride! He looked at his skinny tyres and decided the thirty minute wait for the others would be wise, so four of us set off briskly for Churchdown and Leckhampton to tackle the first challenge, Daisybank Road. This being successfully navigated, we crossed the main road at Seven Springs via the rather unusual horse crossing (like a zebra crossing, but with traffic lights) and rode up the byway to Laverock. Our young mountain goat on his ‘cross bike showed us how, or would have done had we been able to keep him in sight, and the result was a draw – two cleaned it and two hiked the trickier part.
Needlehole next, where concentrating too hard on the surface almost ended in disaster for there was traffic! Two mountain bikes coming the other way happily coincided with the moment single track became dual and we reached Pinchley Wood, with its unforgivably poor road surface, with ease, climbing with much less ease to St. Paul’s Epistle. Roads led us to the Salt Way out of Syreford, pleasingly showing no evidence of the passage of hundreds of riders in last week’s Hell of the North Cotswolds, and then Roel Gate. Campden Lane, by way of Deadmanbury Gate, led us to Farmcote and a plunge down the Cotswold Way to morning coffee. The descent, rocky in places, was approached with different levels of enthusiasm and success. Only one casualty though – Damian’s rear tyre. His relatively skinny (32mm) cross tyre let him down, as did his spare tube, requiring creative thinking. Tying a knot in the tube let it hold enough air for the descent and after meeting the roadies (including the morning’s enthusiastic early riser) a fresh spare was found to see him home.
Another brisk road session took us through Winchcombe in close formation. Corndean Lane took us to Belas Knapp in considerably looser formation where we regrouped for the last secteur -to Wontley Fram and the highest point of the Cotswolds, the radio masts. Aggs Hill took us back to the Vale (another stretch of dubious tarmac led us into it) for the journey home.
15 km unpaved riding. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48463473
MT