Sunday 15th January 2012 - Shorne & Higham - 50(ish) miles

When you wake before your alarm clock on a Sunday morning of all days, its a strange sensation.  When you then pull back the curtains and find a thick frost suffocating the neighbourhood, initial thoughts immediately turn to rule #5.

So it was with some intrepidation that I set off to lead my first ride and to see who actually turned up.  I really shouldnt have worried.  7 of the hard core LEC bunch left Eltham Park a little later than usual, after a quick chat with Dino who was donning the lycra but was opting for an early morning run through the park rather than being on two wheels.

Off towards Bexley Village we went.  7 became 9 with Bradders joining us in the Village and then Essex's very own Tom Tom joining us just outside Clive's house.  The LEC Peloton headed out to Wilmington and down to Hawley down roads we normally come back home on, over Darenth Hill and on to Green Steet Green Road.

Before we'd even got to Longfield, 9 became 6.  Ollie, Suley & Jo decided they weren't up to a long ride in the lanes in the near-to-freezing conditions and headed back to Hawley for tea and cake while the rest of us cycled on to Meopham and beyond, through the small little village of Cobham and onto Shorne Woods Country Park for tea and cake.

The park was a nice venue for a cake stop, definitely one for a hot summers day but as it was so cold, we made a move to head on pretty sharpish.  Turning left out of the park, there's a steady decent down to Gravesend Road and the village of Higham beyond that.  On a summer's day it would have been lovely, yesterday, well I think everyone was shivering on the decent.

Out of Higham, down the Lower Road to Gravesend and back up Valley Drive to the A2 then everyone knew the familar surroundings of the old A2 and the Cyclopark at Singlewell.  Sticking to familar roads, we made out way back to Longfield for the epic minimum 25mph with no effort decent back to Green Street Green Road back to Darenth Hill and Hawley, saying our farewells to Kev in Bexley, the group split at Blackfen with Lucy and myself heading back to Welling and Rich, Alvaro and Andy headng back towards Eltham Park.

A nice ride in the winter sunshine.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, despite no doubt not warming up until sometime later Sunday afternoon.  Thanks to all for making my first attempt at being a ride leader go without too many hitches :)

John/Gadget