Sunday 15th August midday Ride
By Ben....
On Sunday there were two rides.. one at 9am the other at midday which saw six of us set off on a 28 miler, with Jeremy in charge of navigation.
The aim was to have a good long ride, taking in the Riser v Lamb cricket match at Little Gaddesdon.
The route took us down the towpath to Ivinghoe, then up via some singletrack through Edelsborough, from where we had the great pleasure of tackling Bison Hill. Yes, we enjoyed that!
From there, via the back of Whipsnade's elephant enclosure (Nellie not on view, sadly) we made our way cross country to Little Gaddeson, to regroup and witness some top class cricketers in action.
Among the stars was Neil Botham, bravely stepping up to the crease on behalf of the Riser in his cycling helmet. Safety first, eh Neil?
A whirl of action and the smack of leather and willow saw Neil score a magnificent century** and we were able to attack the lovely cricket tea with the pride of the Riser and MTB Berkhamsted intact.
Or almost intact, as Ann set off for a quick jaunt to the other side of the pitch on Karl's son's bike...
Anyway, returning home via Ashridge was a lovely end to the ride; it seemed rude not to end with a traditional 'one... or maybe two... oh go on then, three...' for the road down the Riser, so that's what we did!!
Oh yes, and for those interested, the Lamb beat the Riser by a small margin. Not that it mattered!
** I don't actually know what his score was, but he'll only make it up anyway!!!..
