24 Oct 2021: St Albans to Chalfont St Peter

It was more like a Wednesday-evening ride than a Sunday ride when we met outside the Blacksmith's Arms for the 9.30 start, as only regular evening riders (including two Marks) had turned up. A fine bright morning saw us head out via Bedmond Lane where we picked up Phil and Sue at the tin church. Sue proudly displayed her new tyres, purchased soon after her last Sunday ride when she had a puncture in each tyre.

 

Bedmond tin church

We descended via Abbots Langley and Hunton Bridge before crossing the M25 and climbing up to Chorleywood Common. The traffic along the narrow road to The Swillett wasn't too bad so it was a shock when we encountered gridlock on Roughwood Lane (the small lane between Little Chalfont and Chalfont St Giles). It's very narrow with passing places, and some motorists had not waited in the passing places, so there were long queues in each direction. It was hard threading through the cars, but Carol and Sue managed to get through to escape the jam. It took a while for Steve and Phil to join the group as Phil's chain had come off. Shortly afterwards, we found Chesham Lane closed to traffic at the HS2 shaft-ventilation works, but we managed to get through.

HS2 works - part of the price of progress?
 

After bacon sandwiches and omelettes at the Madeira café, which had real Portuguese customers this morning, we climbed back up the hill on the quiet private road before taking the usual direct route back via Flaunden and Rucklers Lane. Phil and Sue peeled off at Nash Mills and the rest of us ascended Bunkers Lane to return to St Albans after a bright sunny ride on a lovely autumn day.

Climbing Chalfont Hill on the private road

We did a round trip of about 39 miles with no punctures!

Carol

17 Oct 2021: Colney Heath to Rye Park

On a warm  but distinctly drizzly morning we met in Colney Heath after deriving the pleasure of holding up the traffic at the lights on the longabout. Eamonn proudly displayed his new purchase: a steel-framed gravel/tourer with a plethora of bolts on the fork blades, supposedly for fixing frames for fork bags, now the latest trend in the era of bike-packing. Noticing an increase in the precipitation, we all donned rain jackets before setting off through Welham Green and Brookmans Park. It turned out to be a wise move, as the drizzle soon morphed into rain. After crossing the A1000 we headed due east through Epping Green and Broxbourne Woods, passing several groups of cyclists coming the other way. After a couple of incidents of overtaking drivers pulling in sharply to avoid oncoming traffic, we arrived safely in Hoddesdon where Carol led us on a devious route towards Rye House avoiding the traffic and large roundabouts. We settled in to the Anatolia's cafe, where Gary's eyes lit up when he saw that liver was on their menu. However, disappointment clouded his face when the waitress informed him that the last piece had been served yesterday, and he substituted a Mediterranean breakfast. Our return journey, now in the dry,  took us along a byway (ideal for Eamonn's gravel bike) to Brickendon, after which Gary noticed that Eamonn's rear tyre looked a bit flat, so we turned into a nearby driveway to get off the country road to change its tube. Levering off the 38mm tyre was an unexpected challenge, but eventually we got it off and inspected the inner tube for the hole. Once found, we mapped the hole back to the tyre to find a very sharp flint in the shape of a thorn, which was extracted. Getting the tyre on again with a new tube was an even greater challenge, but Eamonn managed it with difficulty after trying a putting-on tool, which he didn't know how to use, and ensuring the tyre was seated into the well of the rim.

Sartorial elegance!

After inflating the tube to what he thought was about 40 psi he unscrewed his pump only for the valve barrel to come out! Replacing the barrel, he used my push-on pump to re-inflate again to about 40 psi.

A two-puncture day

Passing through Wild Hill Eamonn noticed that his front tyre was going flat, so again we pulled into a property entrance to get off the road. This time the hole in the tyre took some effort to find, and Gary found a tiny slit with nothing in it at the corresponding place on the tyre. Fortunately, Eamonn had a second spare tube, as the rest of us didn't have spare tubes for 38mm tyres. This time he got the tyre off and on slightly more easily, no doubt due to his previous experience half an hour earlier.

Can we hear the air leaking?

When all was done we returned in the sunshine to St Albans via Welham Green, Colney Heath and the Alban Way after a shorter ride of about 31miles from the start point.

Steve

3 Oct 2021: Wheathampstead to Letchworth

The day started coolish as we met outside the toilets in East Lane car park, trying to avoid looking like we were loitering there. This was helped by the absence of Steve Brazier and his 70’s kit, who was checking out the facilities in Portugal. (No photos taken for this report so I though I'd include this one showing Steve approaching the beautiful Douro river valley in North Portugal. Gives a flavour of the glorious two-week tour we just completed: Carol)

Approaching the Rio Diuro

The route supplied by Carol Brazier went straight up to Lower Gustard Wood but we stopped first to show 2 members of the group the old railway station platform by the roundabout at the top of the village. After brief moments of reminiscence and thought of past lives in the slow and local lane we proceeded up to  Lower Gustard Wood slowing to a walking pace due to a deep flood across the road halfway up the road. Luckily only one member of the group didn’t have mudguards so most got through comfortably dry. Looping up to toward Preston and then Charlton way, with only a couple of navigational errors by our stand-in leader Mark K on the way, due to failing to read the route cues in time, we worked our way across to Little and then Great Wymondley passing through tempting smells of cooked breakfasts at Redcoats and on to the Golf Centre in Letchworth. By common assent the bacon at the Golf Centre is pretty special and several of our group had full English artery busting breakfasts. By this time the sun had come out although the wind had strengthened.

Par 3 golf centre café

While thinking about leaving, low and behold,Richard Stubbs turned up having missed the start, so we waited for him to have his coffee and cake and then made our way back. A bright if headwindy passage south with spectacular skies was only marred by two of our group deciding to take their own route home, possibly losing confidence in their leader and heading for home and an early shower.  The foursome they left behind rode the rest of the route down towards Codicote and dropped down into the Kimpton Road by the Mimram and across to the Codicote Road at Kimpton Bottom and up towards Wheathampstead where Peter picked up his car. This left 3 who made their way home into Sandridge and St Albans in glorious sunshine. Great ride and great company!

Mark K