I set off for King’s Square in heavy rain, hoping that nobody else would be foolish enough to be out, and I could creep home. However, one other mad fool showed up, and so we set off for Ross-on-Wye.
The weather soon started to brighten, and capes came off before the Haw Bridge. We were both glad of our overshoes, as there were numerous floods on the road through Upleadon, some quite deep. Luckily, we didn’t encounter any obsticles in the floods and the ride was becoming very enjoyable.
A puncture near Oxenhall caused a brief pause, and a slight navigational error coming out of Kempley, caused a quick reversal, but we were soon on the hilly lane from Kempley to Upton Bishop, where care was required on the leaves. A detour past Bollitree Castle, to avoid the roundabout at the end of the M50 took us on some poorly surfaced lanes, but we reached coffee without further incident.
The return along the Walford Valley, through Micheldean, and along the Flaxley Valley was stunning, and we were just enjoying the views across the Severn when we spotted two club members fixing a puncture in Northwood Green. We had a brief stop, but left them to get on with re-inflation while we continued home. In the end, I am very glad that the other rider encouraged me to ride, as it turned into a beautiful morning.
57 miles, 1,700′ ascent @ 15.5mph