You have to admit, it's a pretty exciting idea for a ride. But it was a most unpromising day.
The dawn chorus of WhatsApp messages was strangely silent today. No cheery "see you soon"s, "what time are we leaving"s. Could it be the weather? (Frost now, improving to cold rain later.) As I crunched across the grass to my bike palace, I ruminated on my bad luck with the weather. It was 1 degree as I set off for Cheam.
And yet... and yet... it could have been worse. The sky was clear, there was no ice, and no wind.
Riding past Berrylands, I passed Maureen, riding in the other direction in a chain gang of fit young men. Your secret's out now, Maureen!
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| At North Cheam |
A surprising number of crazy cyclists braved the extreme cold to come to Cheam. We welcomed Sue Bellamy for her first C&M ride. It was nice to see Richard Delamere, whom we persuaded to tell us a bit about his early days in the club. Richard's first ride was in 1960, as a teenager, when the C&M met under the tree near where we were sitting in North Cheam. They rode to Cuckfield for lunch, as you did in those days, where after an incident, Richard and another rider had to go to A&E in the local cottage hospital, before riding part way home. Dave Vine also joined us for coffee and chat before heading home. Dave V and Richard weren't riding with us, so that left nine of us to follow my off-the-beaten-track route towards Battersea, trying to avoid the main roads or anywhere that you might recognise.
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| Frozen cyclists admiring the Petrified Tree (nobody knows what frightened it) |
We passed through Lower Morden, Morden Hall Park, skirted Mitcham, Colliers Wood, Tooting Bec Common, Balham, Clapham Park (or is that just a posh name for Brixton?), before succumbing to the gravitational pull of Battersea Power Station. It was an ideal ride if you were looking for a different area in which to buy a house, except that we were guessing where we were most of the time.
By now it had warmed up to a toasty 5 degrees. Battersea Power Station was crowded with Christmas shoppers, so we picked our way along the riverside to Battersea Park and then the London & South Western pub for a slap-up Wetherspoons lunch. Still no rain!
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| Chrstina warming up with her 4th coffee, as Keith finally gets his lunch. |
Heavy rain was forecast for 1pm, but we only had light drizzle. David W and Alex caught the train home, and the remaining "sodden seven" (according to Steph) braved the expected rain, riding through Earlsfield and a diminished number went on to Richmond Park, where we decided to skip tea and head for home before the rain. In the event, the rain didn't arrive until after 6pm, so barring any isolated showers, I think we will have all got home dry, and perhaps we will all get warm again sometime in the next few days.
A nice day out in good company. Thank you all for turning out (the hardest part!) and for your company, and special thanks to David W for back marking.
Ten fun facts about Battersea Power Station.
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