Eleven riders left King’s Square at around 8:40 am, after one rider sadly decided to head home due to a mechanical issue. On this bright morning, we took the green cycle path all the way from the Oxstalls campus to the left turn onto Old Gloucester Road. The youngest member of the group mentioned to the leader that he was keen to go a bit faster, but the pace was kept steady at an average of around 12 mph.
We headed through Boddington and Tredington in a relaxed fashion. The Closing Meeting of the British and Midland Hill Climb Championships was taking place at the Prescott Speed Hill Climb in Gotherington—featuring the final championship-deciding timed runs and Run-Offs to crown the 2026 champion! We certainly encountered a lot of motor traffic on Gretton Road and heard plenty of noise from the event.
Shortly after escaping this ruckus, one rider remarked that the leader had done an excellent job with the weather—not too warm, not too cold, no rain, and not too sunny! Soon after, three riders peeled off for home to make their prior engagements. Continuing on the planned route through Wormington, we found the roads fairly quiet with very pleasant countryside scenery. Eight riders finally made it to Broadway at the 29-mile mark. The leader was in some discomfort due to an ongoing leg muscle complaint, so both she and her bike were later shuttled home by her husband.
On the return leg, a select group decided to amend the leader’s proposed route to “save their legs,” opting to tackle Cleeve hill rather than Snowshill. Agreeing on a more scenic route along Langley Road, a loud crack was heard right at the junction with the B4362. A quick initial check revealed no obvious damage; however, at the start of the descent into Prestbury, the same rider noticed a clicking noise and immediately dismounted—unwilling to career down a hill at 50 km/h+ with a mechanical issue!
Upon closer examination, it turned out to be a broken spoke. After the rider broke the zip on his saddlebag trying to retrieve tools, a kind-hearted and resourceful Theo stepped in with a nifty zip tie to secure the spoke. It was smooth sailing down into Prestbury from there, with no further incidents other than a breezy ride home.