Mystery Ride

Intended Distance: 40 miles - medium Leader: Mick

Today’s ride was designated as a ‘Mystery Ride’, mainly to allow for the weather. The plan was to check the weather forecast and cycle into the wind in the morning and with the wind (no baked bean jokes please) in the afternoon.

As it happens it was bitterly cold and snowing at the start. I went along hoping nobody would be foolish enough to attend. 10 o’clock came and no-one turned up so I decided to call it a day only for John C and Bob to appear! John was cold and wanting to go home but Bob was keen so I planned a route to allow John to head for home at any one of several points.

We headed off at just after 10, over the bypass, up Langhurst Wood Road and on into Rusper. This was return point #1 for John and was declined. North from Rusper we turned right to head for Parkgate. Return point #2, over The Mount, was also refused but #3, down Russ Hill, was accepted and John duly departed.

Bob and I headed on north towards Parkgate then turned off for Norwood Hill to check out an OS triangulation point at TQ243436. No sign of it, only a footpath gate! Having failed on this quest we continued through Hookwood, Povey Cross and Charlwood as we headed to The Gate for lunch. Along this route we noted a vast improvement in the road surface, the landlord said that the Council had recently surveyed the road and some long term potholes had been repaired. We also overtook a carriage and four horses to ensure we were first in the queue at the pub!

After a nice lunch and a brace of ‘Pickled Partridge’ Bob and I headed home in the wet, Bob east and me west. I noticed there had also been major road repairs up into and down from Rusper. I then met Dave Chambers, an ex-member, en-route so stopped for a chat. He and his partner were walking.

Not the scheduled distance today due to adverse weather conditions. Only 30 miles.

Next weeks ride is flagged as hard by virtue of the lunch location – The Green Man at Horsted Keynes – there’s no avoiding hills when heading out that way, but Bob intends keeping the pace manageable for all. The ride will leave Three Bridges Railway Station at 09:30hrs and will probably return there by 15:30 hrs at the latest.