The aftermath of storm Dave was immediately apparent, with the first of many fallen trees blocking a lane of the road before Maisemore bridge. The three riders continued, cursing Dave every time we turned west, until we reached the Penny Farthing.
Should we stay [on route] or should we go now? If we stay, there will be trouble, in the form of another ten miles into the wind. This indecision bothered me, but we quickly decided to return home via Flaxley. Flying along the A40 on the final approach to Gloucester, we passed a poor lady trying to cycle in the opposite direction, who apperared to be struggling to generate enough forward groundspeed for balance into the wind, which validate our decision to return and take the first available coffee stop, which was the excellent Deli Greek.
My thanks to Joe Strummer and The Clash for their help in writing this report, but I would welcome it if Storm Dave didn’t try to contribute again.
36 miles, 2,000′ ascent @15.3mph