Shoreham Century A Ride

Twenty-five of us signed up, and everyone arrived bright and early at Tanhouse. Fortunately the gloomy, chilly weather did nothing to dampen our spirits, as we confidently expected wonderful warm sunshine in Shoreham.

We had three groups led by Peter S, and jointly by Neil C and Andy C.

  

My group had an enjoyable ride down and Neil W demonstrated his eye for a good photo-op by Slaugham Lake.

        

The headwind strengthened as we approached Shoreham, but we arrived at the Swiss Cottage comfortably around 12.45 where we met up with the speedier A’s. The sun was shining, we were sheltered from the wind so we elected to sit in the garden.  Word had got out about the attractions of the 3-course Seniors menu, but unfortunately the staff struggled to cope; made worse by their practice of serving customers in inverse order of arrival. Other groups seemed to have fared better, but we took well over an hour and a half, mostly spent waiting.   

Another one who Jumped the Queue

Our spirits were not dimmed, so a visit to the shore was essential, and later the lure of Partridge Green Magnums proved irresistible. For which many thanks for Dave F’s generosity.

Spirits raised, challenged only by the nagging wind, which refused to behave as tailwinds normally do, we headed to Horsham, thankfully arriving with 10 minutes to spare before the Leisure Centre’s 5pm café curfew.

One rider chose the train from Horsham but, with only Old Holbrook to conquer, we were refreshed and well placed for the final run into Leatherhead. Most riders dispersed on the way, but two of us were impressed to meet up with the stalwarts of the faster riders outside ‘spoons, who had sacrificed their evenings to welcome us back.

Many thanks to Peter S, Andy C and Neil C for leading their groups, and to Sue F for back marking my group all day. Not forgetting everyone for their excellent spirits.

More reports doubtless to follow, but this is the proof that we were all there.