OGIL ride report 23rd February 2022
The weather turned out to be a bit of a tease today. The forecast was promising, but as we rode up from Union Corner the sky assumed an ominous leaden hue. Sure enough, the wet stuff started to descend on us, but the shower was short lived. For most of the day we basked in sunlight, although a fresh breeze persisted from the SSW.
The weather was probably instrumental in bringing a few old timers out of the woodwork. Kath appeared (wot no shorts?) although everyone feigned not knowing who she was. It was good to see Dean the Elder (the Younger is apparently sunning himself on some foreign shore) emerging after his four weeks of intensive treatment. He was sporting his lovely shiny new Boardman electric bike, although he insisted on ensuring he got a good workout by not actually using the motor except in extremis, and when I lost touch with him on the way back he still had four of his five bars lit up. Also at TOP was Mike, but I think he decided to turn back pretty much immediately, no doubt intimidated by the calibre of riders in the group.
Damien had previously aired his preference for heading for the Lizard on the OGIL WhatsApp group, but Fred made the choice more democratic by asking for alternative suggestions. Unfortunately, he added that anyone making a bid for a different destination would have to lead the ride. An unnatural deathly hush ensued, and so Damien was voted by default the leader for the ride down Lizard way.
And so it was that we headed off towards Gweek and then to Mawgan, and followed our usual route from there through Trelowarren. There was a lot of woody debris on the road, but the more alert of us noticed that the riders in front were slowing. Despite Dean’s cries of “coming through” we all managed to come to an orderly halt before we got to the tree fallen across our path. It was unfortunate that Simon’s talk on cycling etiquette did not cover the correct call to make when encountering a fallen tree. We dismounted and all managed to thread our way successfully through the branches, to continue on our way.
At the far end of Trelowarren, Jan and Simon left us as they needed to get back for something or other, and Kath accompanied them on the grounds that Lizard was too far for her un-exercised legs.
The rest of us carried on across Goonhilly Downs, surprisingly at a relatively moderate pace. Apart from nearly being overcome by fumes when we paused to regroup next to a lorry pumping out a septic tank in Kuggar, we arrived safely at Lizard Point. We shoe-horned ourselves into the Polpeor Cafe, where Chris was waiting for us having arrived by a slightly more direct route, and partook of our favourite beverages and snacks, admiring the view. When we left for home, the decision was thankfully made to divert through Mullion and Poldhu rather than heading straight up the main road, although a handful of dissenters opted to do precisely that. At the roundabout at Culdrose, Fred and Dean (and possibly others – I started to lose count at this stage) decided to turn right to return to Gweek and home from there. The rest of us continued up to the by-pass, then up the main Redruth road (arrghh – what’s wrong with Muddy Lane apart from a bit of mud, and gravel, and pot holes?) to Wendron school, where we turned right and followed our usual route home.
A nice day for a ride. The wind turned out not to be too much of a bother, and main road work was kept to the bare necessity (apart from that last bit). A bit further than a normal winter OGIL ride at just over 86 km for me, but worth it.