FIVE riders toook the elevated road out of the City, but the new Club Coach quickly realised he was in the wrong company and disappeared up the road to fulfil his need for speed. Storm Claudia had dumped a month’s worth of rain on the county on Friday so it was natural to expect some flooding. The Intermediate ride was prepared with some contingency plans. The first, to avoid the main road to Maisemore, proved unnecessary, though the Severn alongside it was swollen and threatening to rise further.
FOUR took to Over Old Road and regrouped at the top of what would prove to be the day’s biggest climb – the fourth had not recovered as fully as he hoped from a heavy cold, struggled to the top to present his apologies, and headed for home.
THREE headed north through Corse Lawn, Longdon (whose eponymous Brook had broken its banks) and Upton (thankfully on, and not yet in) Severn to the surprisingly busy former RAF station at Croome Park, now a National Trust property.
TWO elected to stay for coffee and cake, whilst in true RAF tradition, the third volunteered to go on ahead as a spotter for the others. Two other cycling groups arrived after us, but no sign of the Tempo group who we had expected to be hot on our tail. The explanation came later – two punctures had been added to the score board of Bruce’s Bonus.
ONE reconnaissance report came through from the advance party: “ROAD CLOSED AHEAD”. Then another; a picture of the Avon in flood at Eckington. It came just in time for us to plan a flanking manouvre through Twyning to instead cross the Avon at Tewkesbury. Here the Severn river was exploring adjacent fields but hadn’t yet reached the road. Then we just had a short and wind assisted ride along the ridge occupied by A38 to the Longford road works where we separated.
ZERO was the Bruce’s Bonus score of all five starters, as good a sliver lining as you could expect on a grey day in mid November whose cloud cover was so near complete that the brief appearance of a shadow was met with astonishment.
MT