Let’s start with the weather fantastic sun and a bit of a breeze strong at times but helpful in the temperatures so that’s one positive from the ride .
I started my journey from Frodsham (due to the road closure at Hatchmere) along roads that have drivers that are usually using me as target practice ( first moan: as the road at Hatchmere is closed, you would of thought, hey let’s carry on and resurface the forest road and not leave it half arsed so that it shakes my teeth and wobbles my belly riding along it ) .
So I arrived at Rose Farm awaiting all the other mob - Ray S, S Hughes’s plus his carer Alan, Neil, Fiona and Elwyn, Ste Tan, Dave Heath, Ray B - the lucky one (it will be explained later), new rider Anthony, Clive, Chris ( with his beard it’s growing, just wish the hair on my head would grow like that), Ivan arrived in ‘I’m having that record back mode’ as on Wednesday evening, after many years holding a record on a stretch of Mow Cop, somebody had beaten his Strava time by 3 seconds, so that's what he was gunning for.
So, myself, Ray B and DH started our ride out to a place we seldom use - the Bhurtpor, or now The Burty. We set off the usual way to the A49 crossing, heading out towards Oulton Park, where the Bank Holiday British Super Bikes meeting is at and where the riders were getting laps in early. We then headed towards Wettenhall, where Ray got lucky as he overtook two horse riders, giving them a wide birth. A juggernaut came around the bend and on seeing Ray and the horses, he slammed on, making his trailer skid and almost jack-knifing and just getting it under control before he was level with me and Dave. (my thought straight away was, yes Dave is getting pushed to save myself, well wouldn’t you all), Anyway, disaster averted, which Ray was oblivious about, we cracked on towards Acton, Ravensmoor , Sound, Wrenbury and then our destination at Aston, The Bhurty . We ordered our lunch talked about the usual topics again. As most weeks, I listened but it went straight through the gap between my ears. So, after a decent refuel, we started to head back via Holtridge, Chorley, Faddiley, on towards Bunbury then Tiverton. Here things got rather messy, as the A49 was closed for road works, causing everyone in a motor vehicles to divert up the Huxley road heading, as we were, to Tarporley .
Here I saw a cyclist needing assistance. Ray just carried on towards the congestion in the town. At first glance I thought it was Neil, as the rider had the same top as Neil had been wearing. I then thought maybe they did a swap of shirts like football players, as, in fact, it was a maiden in distress. So me and Dave tried helping the lady out as her chain had jammed behind the front mech. Anyway, she decided to walk home as she lived just around the corner. Me and Dave, who’d arrived just after myself and was of the same mind always to help fellow cyclists, rode on into the pandemonium in Tarporley, which was completely grid locked, but easy for cyclists to push through. Even the road out towards Rose Farm was awkward due to buses and lorries trying to pass each other. Anyway, we arrived back after 42 miles for Dave and ‘Lucky Ray’. I had another 8 miles to my car, so I clocked up 59 overall .
KB
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