A pack of 12 Cheetahs assembled at MSC with even Adi forsaking shorts, showing just how cold it was. Performance excuses were coming in thick and fast with the January birthday boys feeling another year older but on a positive note most had moved up an age category on Strava.
The consensus was that we would split the group at the top of SheepShank (bad idea). Not long after turning onto said climb Jon B called puncture on his tubeless, this was summarily ignored by the first five Joff, Frazer, Lars, Ed K and YT, with the cunning plan of taking it easy, then meeting Jan at the top we could form group A
However group B had rallied forming one large posse leaving JB in Captain Oates mode urging them to abandon him. At the top a few decided to stop to split the group, however most had piled on down Treadaway. Captain Al suffering the effects of a chest infection decided wisely that the Saturday pace was too much. The Commodore was hoping for an Easy Like Sunday Morning effort and headed off to the Rebellion to collect his van (apparently).
This left Ed K, Simon Lumb and yours truly chasing the rest of the group up Hammersley Lane climb, not ideal gasping in very cold air. Fortunately the leading bunch took a wrong turn and we ended up leading to Hazelmere but we had mislaid one rider, Jan. We tracked to no avail, he was missing in action. Now we were now down to 9 or 10 in Cheetah maths.
Once again the group disintegrated along Amersham Rd and Gravelly Way where Nick B unsighted by the blinding sun hit a pothole deflating his front tyre (not tubeless). Everyone stopped and with too many hanging around it was suggested that Ed, Fraser, Lars, Phil G, and Simon carried on with the hope of finding Jan
This left Adi, Colin, Joff and myself to help Nick with his puncture. Luckily, my new birthday toy/gadget, a rechargeable battery air pump, quickly inflated the new tube/tyre to schoolboy calls of “is that hard enough for you Nick”
Once on the road we swiftly ate up the miles through Beaconsfield, Jordans, Gerrards Cross and Fulmer with Joff setting a tough at times pace. On to Egypt and Burnham Beaches with all going swimmingly until we hit a Closed Road at Dorney Wood. Fortunately this used to be my home patch, so we navigated a way around to get us back on route to Maidenhead and Cookham where Joff and Nick departed. At Marlow Adi was pressed for time so headed straight home.
This left Colin and myself to join Simon, and believe it or not Jan, for coffee at MSC. A particularly shambolic Saturday morning classic from the Cheetahs.
Hopefully Captain Al will be back next week to instil some order and provide a decent write up.