Ebike Sunday, and a ride from the Pet Barn at Sonning Common up to Christmas Common, and down Britwell Hill then to Spire and Spoke at Watlington, was the plan. Then just one big hill to get back up, but with ebikes that's no problem. OR ....?
We started out at The Pet Barn and dropped down passing the pond to Sonning Common to the XRoads. Then I realised I had left my bum bag in the van, with my camera, tissues and bits and bobs. Fortunately not gone far, so I used power to shoot back up the hill whilst John just waited for me. It was a mile round trip, so when I say "I went the extra mile" I actually did.😂
At the Xroads, where we always go straight over into Wood Lane, passing the parade of shops, we turned right instead on Peppard Road, to use a new lane which John had checked out recently, after just a couple of hundred yards. It's called Shiplake Bottom. (no idea why.... it's nowhere near Shiplake, never mind it's bottom!) A little further along this residential street, we could see lots of family groups cycling, and all of a sudden we were in the middle of a Bikeathon! 😔
Thankfully at the next junction, with marshalls waving everyone to turn right on Gallowstree Road, we crossed straight over into an unmade track called Chiltern Road. I had spotted the other end of this track on Wyfold Lane a few times, and had thought come dry weather, I must check it out. But I had thought down the hill, on the way back. It was a very gradual climb to Wyfold Lane.
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| Chiltern Road... a track leaving Sonning Common to link to Wyford Lane |
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| views to the left along Chiltern Road |
As we approached the junction with Wyfold Lane, we spotted some cyclist pass the junction.... so here they all are again. We followed a few, passing most, to the Wyfold Lane/Road intersection where a drink station was set up. We went right here, and thankfully never saw them all again.
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| Wyfold Lane/Road intersection. Chaos today. |
Along Wyfold Road plenty of signs of bluebell foliage, but no colour yet. A climb now up to Checkendon on that cheeky Emmens Lane, and time for some power. I could see John in my mirror, getting further and further away. Oh no! This does not look good. His power had failed. This has been happening more frequently lately. Such a shame since these bikes are bloomin' heavy without power, and he has been riding his new flashy road bike the last two rides, so it will have felt even heavier than usual.
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| Calves in Northend, just before we drop down the Half Pipe (Holloway Lane) to Turville. |
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| Same spot as the calves, looking left. |
We passed two cyclists, coming up, on our way down Holloway Lane, and it reminded me of the time my ebike gave up coming up this hill!
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| Views at the bottom of Holloway Lane, Turville |
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| Views to the vineyard area, at the top of Dudley Lane |
A welcome cuppa and cake at Hambleden Shop, where we got chatting with a man and his young daughter, and dog, who had walked 4 miles from Marlow. And also these two cyclists who had peddled from Twickenham, doing an 85 mile round trip.
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| Talking gears with these two from Twickenham |
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| Chaos at the weir bridge today as "rentacrowd" came walking towards us! This was after we had passed them. |
John, mostly still without power working other than the occasional few seconds, considered going home from here, via Flower Pot Hill, since from there, most of ride home is downhill or flat. I was a bit worried, not about riding back to Sonning Common to collect the van on my own, but what if I got a puncture? (The tyres on the ebikes are really difficult to get back on.) So we decided to stick together and face Devil's Hill from Harpsden to Sonning Common. I had offered to dash ahead (with power) and get the van to come to collect him. ,
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| Terrible photo of deer in Harpsden Woods, just before Devils Hill. |
He suggested I go in front on Devil's Hill and with his power a bit intermittence, just in time it worked, and he overtook me on the hill 😊
So, now we are home, investigating google, including installing an app for the ebike and firmware upgrades etc. So maybe find a solution? These bikes are great when they work.