Breeze Sue's100th led ride to Binfield Heath 30 miles

CONGRATULATIONS TO SUE ON LEADING 100 BREEZE RIDES!😍

Sue wanted to celebrate her 100th ride by leading one of her favourite routes, the Henley loop. But she also needed to include a cafe suitable for a large group. So, she asked for any suggestions? A few weeks ago when I visited the newly refurbished Barn at Bottle and Glass at Binfield Heath, I suggested that would be a good option.  

2 routes were on offer.  A longer route via Crazies Hill to Henley, with a slightly shorter route via Sonning and back for another route. Although the shorter route was from FBC, so infact not a lot shorter at all! 

It is not very often that 5 Breeze Champs all set out to the same destination. Sue, Rose and Anne led from Cantley  with our group of 12, splitting into groups of 4 at times. .  Jill and Hazel led a smaller group of 5 from FBC.  The plan to meet at coffee at around 11-11.30.

The weather has been pretty wet for a few days, and today's  forecast was touch and go. But with no heavy rain due until 2pm, we all agreed to go for it...... but setting out at 9 rather than 9.30, to hopefully get back before the rain.  What a difference in the amount of traffic. A good reason NOT to start at 9 unless necessary. 

Cantley at 9am.  Gloomy! Apart from our colourful jackets. 

We rode via Shurlock Row to Waltham St Lawrence, where Sue pulled over at the church for us to all regroup. 

Waltham St Lawrence. The roads still wet from earlier rain, but so far no rain on our ride. 

Then across the A4 to Tag Lane and to Crazies Hill. 

Crazies Hill.
Louise and Rose up front as we set off once more. 

Amanda T, Kim, Sue and Jeanette

Marilyn behind Sue, with Sally P waving. 

Janet, Sandra and Gill bring up the rear. 

In the meantime................

Jill and Hazel's group were heading through Woodley to Sonning to climb Dunsden Hill. They had a stop at the top where a pedestrian took a group photo of them.

Jill, Clare, Sue C, Andrea and Hazel at Dunsden Green

They did not have much further now to go to get to Binfield Heath, and arrived I think about 11ish.

Looking at little lonely at our pre arrange table for 17.

In the meantime...........

Sue had thought that our group might be getting peckish by the time
we reached The Flower Pot at Aston, so had made us some flapjack things. 😋

The fashion police were after Rose again today. She is wearing rubber wellies,
waterproof trousers and a huge jacket. SHE said, she was wearing her "dustbin collectors gear" 😅

A few ladies, suggested they would appreciate a loo stop so Rose set off with Jeanette, Louise, Amanda T,  to stop off at the loos in Henley near the station. (the ones that play Handel's Water music). So with just a 30 second gap, they set off. The rest of us then followed along Remenham Lane. I pulled over with others to allow a car to pass, and then  that awful feeling when I lost control of my front wheel.. Puncture. Aggh. 😡 

It was very narrow at this point, so I walked my bike a little further and set to, to change the tube. A few others helped out doing various jobs (thanks team), and even though we never did find the reason for the puncture, were under way again in about 15 mins. 

Remenham Lane, enroute to Henley. Great team work. 

In the meantime......

Rose and her "loo ladies" would by now be ahead of us, so no surprise that we never did catch them up along Harpsden Valley.  The original route plan was to head up Woodlands Avenue in Harpsden to go though the woods. But of course with the recent wet weather, that made no sense. Unfortunately Sue and I forget to mention this to Rose..... who following her Garmin route, took her group through the woods. 

Babe's emerging😂 from the messy woods. 
(photo by Rose. Good job she wore her wellies after all.)

In the meantime......

The sensible leaders took their ladies through Harpsden Valley to climb Perseverance Hill.  Which we all did. Well done especially to those who did this for the first time. 

Looks like everyone is here!

Sue's card with lots of photos of her Breeze rides.
(Thanks to Louise who carried this in her pannier today)

Gill, Clare, Andrea, Jeanette, Amanda T, Louise, Marilyn, Janet, Sally, Sandra, Kim, Rose, Anne,

Jill, Sue, Hazel and Sue C.

The Breeze leaders.

Since Jill and Hazel's group had been here for a while,
they set off first. I took this photo in the sunshine as they set off back to Sonning. 

And the rest of followed about 10 mins later.
 It was really warm now. 

Any second now, we're off. 

A nice ride back in sunshine most of the way. The Thames at Sonning is running really high and the 4 steps at the restaurant have almost disappeared.  Some darkening skies by the time we reached Sandford Lane. Gill, Sally and Janet all peeled off on our way back through Hurst to Winnersh.

photo from Jill whose group made it back in lovely sunshine too. 

I got wet for about 30 seconds before I reached home. Phew. Hope the others managed to stay dry too. 

(I got back to see hubby blowing up his tyre after his own puncture today. He also changed my tyre to face the correct direction, as I almost always get this wrong. If anyone could please remember that the "direction" sign on my tyre should be the opposite side to my disk brake! 50/50 chance of getting it right.😂)

Lovely to see  so many riders out today, and as Sue said, " These rides are no fun for us leaders if no one joins us".   So thanks all for joining the rides today.