Wednesday 19 November dawned sunny and not too cold, resulting in a massive turnout of riders. Yours truly met everyone at coffee at Watts Gallery and reckoned there must have been around 40 of us – I may be wildly out but it seemed a lot. No fewer than four groups headed off in various directions to enjoy the fabulous autumn colours which seem to just get better and better this year. The question is, will we be seeing leaves on the trees at Christmas this year? If we do, then we’ll know for sure that the world really is screwed up – actually, did we ever doubt it!
As usual I was torn between riding with the fast boys and girls in group 4 or whether to have an easier day with the group 3s; I opted for the 3s led today by Chris Williamson. The route was a straightforward one along well known roads, but no less enjoyable for that, and I always enjoy riding through Loxwood (the parentals lived there for 35 years!). Lunch was taken at the Three Compasses at Alfold, which comes highly recommended; the food and drink were good and not too expensive; the welcome was warm and sincere and we even learned how to mix a Jaegerbomb – how useful will that be!
Have a look at the photos of groups below to see if you can find yourself – remember you can always click on a photo to see it enlarged; plus there are the usual ‘on the road’ shots, including one of Chris and his new Cannondale. I should have asked the person asleep in the corner to buy me a pint if I didn’t publish the picture – missed chance there!
An excellent day; long may the good weather continue!
Below is the route I recorded but it doesn’t show the full route from Mayford. My total mileage for the day was 37.6. The route may be found here: http://www.strava.com/activities/221235273