The “Crank of the Year” trophy is not normally sought after, but one rider on today’s tempo ride would have been very pleased to have it in his back pocket. His crank sheared, which neartly brought him off. Although theoretically possible for a cleated rider to limp home, this rider was on flat pedals, so had no option but to ‘phone for rescue.
Whether this mechanical affected the pace is unclear, but the ride continued at a subdued pace, with the ascent of Cleeve Hill being the major obstacle in terms of effort. Arguably, crossing the A46 was actually a greater obstacle, and this appears to be becoming more of a problem for rides to the North East. Excellent coffee and cake were taken at the small Kemerton Coffee House, before returning to Gloucester via a fairly direct route.
49 miles, 1,900’ ascent@14.2mph