29/10/2023
Saturday 28th October. The weather forecast was dull and wet, but the actual morning, though dull, was quite mild. An air of optimism at a sizeable road ride filled the crowd. We set off at a good pace , headed for Bury via Heywood on this cool but slightly breezy morning. Traffic was steady, but the excited crowd fell in to an acceptable rhythm, only to realise someone had a flat! This was quickly pumped up with the same optimism of the ride. It may be just low pressure, so let's try it. It held fine for the whole of the ride, so it was a good call.
The ride through to Bury was achieved. One climb was conquered quite easily. Some longer rides and even weekly training had paid off,along with the use of lightweight road bikes, to make climbing less painful at least.
The views were spectacular. The Autumn gold, shades of brown, still some green and the vivid reds of Maples and even Virginia Creepers were everywhere. Banter of riders catching up, as some old faces turned , filled the air. A turn was taken at Bury to pick up the cycle route towards Rawtenstall, where another member met , we had a well earned rest and some lunch. The mild mornin, allowing us to sit outside Starbucks. Hmmm not a cheap lunch, but wholesome and warm. The sky grew heavy, though. It threatened to rain, but the optimism prevailed. Waterproofs remained in bags in the main as we set off with two less due to home based emergency.
The ride followed the road to Eden field and down towards Britannia, picking up the trail down to the Old train Tunnels where we could. As always the tunnels filled us with a sense of nostalgia and a brief trip back in time to a simpler bygone age, evocative of a victorian gas lit street.
Following this, we swung round through Newline and followed the road down through Whitworth down to Cronkeyshaw and took a right down through Falinge Park and back to the clubhouse... did I forget the weather? Well, it sort of turned against us on this last leg of the ride and went from light drizzle to real rain over the last couple of miles, where we did get a little wet, but not enough to spoil the feel good mood.
Back at the clubhouse for a well-earned brew and debrief. Autumn is here and as beautiful a sight as ever. A great ride was had by all. Thank you to everyone for coming.
