The combined Tempo and Fast rides headed east together, a sort of mixed flock of black and white club kit. A rare sighting of the sun offered a hint of better weather, but being so low in the sky it was more a hazard to navigation than a source of warmth.
Nut Hill and Buckholt Road were polished off like the last mince pie. At the top the gloomy weather had returned, but we worked well together as a group and soon made our way to The Daneway and the climb to Sapperton. I have an unreasonable hatred of that climb, it always feels steeper than it should and I’m never in the right gear. Today it was the setting for a club hill climb and by considerable good fortune we were able to offer encouragement to a sometime Tempo rider whose attempt coincided with us regrouping at the top.
Frampton Mansell, the A419, and The W got us to Nailsworth, from where it was a useful pudding-burning climb through Horsley to David’s Lane and on to Nympsfield, the last few miles being blessed with a return appearance of the sun,
Now I know that Tinkley Gate sounds like a euphemism for a rural ‘comfort break’, but it’s not what you think. It’s actually the National Trust cafe at Woodchester Park, and very pleasant it was too. We were delighted to pick up an extra rider there, the club president (surprise surprise) had made his own way to the cafe by a slightly different route to the rest of us.
The sun, like the Fast group, had disappeared by the time all the Tempo riders had finished their coffee and cake, so we were all happy to ride at a good pace home sharing turns on the front with well practised ease.
46 miles, 3,048 feet of climbing, 14.9 mph, a very pleasant end to the club cycling year. Happy New Year everyone.
SP