A cold but dry morning had eight riders leave the Square on the tempo ride to Hopewell Colliery. We were obviously too slow for one rider, who left us at the Highnam roundabout. Reported floods at Lower Ley meant we used the A48 to Northwood Green. It was here that a second rider, who never intended to do the whole ride with us departed.
The “Col de Dene Magna” claimed our third departure, this time a rider who has a reputation for taking his own deviations. The “Mur de Stenders” was followed by the “Alp de Morse Lane”. On the descent to Ruardean, we had the most unusual mechanical delay of a dropped cape. After the Joy’s Green Zigzags we had the last of the pre-coffee punishing sequence of climbs, Worrell Hill.
We were made very welcome at Hopewell, and supplied with excellent refreshments, before returning via Parkend and Blackpool Bridge. The A48 was unpleasently busy, and the stiff headwind did nothing to improve the experience.
No floods encountered, and a good but tiring ride. 52 miles, 3,400′ ascent @15.6mph