With a stiff westerly wind, we took the obvious option of getting the battle out of the way early, in the hope of sailing home from the cafe. As I have used the A40 to head west recently, I decided to use the A48 to get to Flaxley. I had forgotten what an unpleasant road that is, made worse by the stiff headwind. It was a relief to leave it.
Garmin told me that the only climb on the route was that to Dene Magna. Garmin lies! Gorsley into Kempley woods was a new one to me, and certainly put me into the red. However, the bright day made for beautiful views on the road from Mitcheldean to the Penny Farthing and then along the Linton ridge. I had a philosophical moment at the North Pole, when I queried how a Westerly wind was possible there.
The Roses cafe was closed, so we took our backup plan of the Three Shires. A tip to ride leaders going there in future is that you will need your Garmin to find your way from the entrance to the cafe – it is very confusing, and equally difficult to escape afterwards. As predicted, we did sail back through Upleadon to the Haw bridge, completing a very enjoyable morning out.
Despite all the tree debris on the road, our two punctures were caused by glass (Highnam roundabout) and pothole induced pinch (Tirley).
46 miles, 2,000′ ascent @ 14.6mph