Smashed out target already!
I had advertised today' s ride as "6 miles and counting", initially on my local Woosehill Facebook Page. With 7 ladies showing an interest, all of whom were local to each other, the plan is to build up the miles over the coming weeks, and also give the new ladies a chance to buddy up and in time perhaps ride together. Since only 4 of the 7 were able to make the first ride, I then opened it up to the wider community, so Nikki joined us from Fleet, and I am delighted that Andrea joined us too, for her first Breeze Ride in almost 12 months, following injury. Cathy was happy to assist, which was very helpful, with a new group.
I also mentioned the option of extending the route to 12 miles depending on the group. Delighted to say that we did 12 miles by the time we cycled to and from the start. Well done ladies!
Route
We met at the Acorn Centre, Woosehill, and we had 2 Cathys, (one with a C and one with a K) Catherine, Nikki, Helen, Andrea and me.
A short intro to Breeze, group riding tips like hand signals and shouting😄, and we wiggled through Woosehill initially on pathways.
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Signs of autumn as we ride through Woosehill
Along Simons Lane, and then we joined the cycle path along the Reading Road, recently cleared of roadworks, with lovely new surfaces to cycle on.(at last!). Right at Woodward Close, and over the motorway, to turn right into Davies Way, and Little Hill Road. We took the opportunity for some action shots on Dunt Avenue, since it was completely traffic free. |
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| Catherine, Nikki and Kathy |
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| Andrea, Cathy and Helen |
With everyone doing well, and all happy to extend the ride further we crossed the A321 into Broadcommon Road, emerging at the duck pond in Hurst. A right turn here, then second left, into Tape Lane, where we stopped to see the ponies. I was telling the ladies that sadly this land is due to be built on.
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| Tape Lane Hurst |
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| Tape Lane ponies |
As we were about to set off, Nikki announced that she had a puncture. No problem except that she did not have a spare inner tube with her.
All the ride info always asks riders to bring one. (Lessons learned... say no more). I attempted to find the problem and perhaps reinflate the tube, to get her a bit further, but it went straight down again.
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| Photo by Andrea. Team work, but no good without a spare tube. |
What to do? No one else had a tube to fit, and I was reluctant to offer mine, since I was leading, and would not have been good if I had then got a puncture of my own. In the end, we agreed that Nikki get a taxi to Woosehill where her car was parked. It cost £20, a bit more expensive than a spare tube, AND she missed out on the coffee stop!
Cathy stayed with Nikki until the taxi arrived, whilst the rest of us continued to Dinton for a cuppa. Nikki phoned me when she got back safely to her car, by which time Cathy had joined us.
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| nice day at Dinton Pastures. Views from the new cafe. |
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| Our return trip continued through Dinton, where we stopped for a selfi group shot by the lakeside. |
Then back the way we came, to the Reading Road, where Katherine and Cathy left us at Forest Road.
Lovely to meet you all, and look forward to extending our routes together over the coming weeks. Next week's ride will be on Thursday, then miss half term week, but a regular Wednesday slot after that, so hope you can join me and Cathy to build your miles and confidence.
