I was looking forward to this ride all week. After my recce at Easter I couldn’t wait to get back over there and do the full loop this time. I expected a reasonable crowd to turn out. New events and hills tend to put some riders off so I was pleasantly surprised with 30+ riders we had in the end.
After last months, let’s say ‘busy’, car park @ The Peaky Finder, I made sure I got to this one a little earlier and was surprised to see it so full. There were plenty of walkers milling about too which I think was a clue. Winchcombe appears to be a popular haunt for all sorts or outdoorsie people.
It was good to see some riders getting ready though and Vince, a face from my racing past had turned out on his MTB too and said hi. I made my way to the high street and a few riders rolled up to the war memorial while I was playing with my GPS (it’s gotta go!) and then a big contingent from Stratford CC rolled up with 15-20 riders. They left just before 10am so it was just me and the few left to say my quick speech, take a photo and then we were off up the first climb of the day.
It was a nice group but split quite quickly on the steep slopes across the first estate. All tarmac though, just to get us warmed up. Over the top and the first sector tracked the edge of a field where I found my self ahead and on my own so I just carried on at my own pace.
After next section of single track the trail opened up onto a nice wide gravel road that dropped steeply to the poshest gate on a bridleway you’ll ever see where riders are given a button to press to open an electric gate just enough to ride through.
I was onto the first loop now which was deliberately added so riders could enjoy the Campden Lane sector across to to the top of Stanway Hill. I’d never ridden it in this direction before and was surprised what a drag up it was before it opened up and dropped down to the main road.
After crossing Stanway I began the drag up the lane opposite and saw the the Stratford gang ahead who I caught over the top and then joined them for the next sector which climbed up to Buckle St where we caught a group of riders on MTBs at the end.
I left them here and carried on alone dropping down into Cutsdean and climbing back across to the Campden Lane Sector start and the posh bridleway gate again. First loop done, I caught some more Stratford CC riders here and briefly passed them as we tackled the next sector but they caught me back up when I turned around to take a pic at the end of the byway.
I rode with one of the Startford riders now as we headed to Guiting Power where an unplanned coffee stop was now on the cards. After dropping through a ford we took on a nice wide gravel track again before dropping down behind some buildings and climbing back out to reach the cafe where we all stopped.
The coffee and cake were expensive but very delicious and set me up nicely for the rest of the ride. I didn’t stay too long as I didn’t want to get too cold, so we carried on and climbed the Barton sector together briefly stopping for some horse riders and then dropped down a fast descent past a quarry.
The trails from here came thick and fast to Upper Slaughter and were a good mix of grass, dirt and gravel with the obligatory gates thrown in.
After a grovel back up to Buckle St we got held by horses again briefly on the next trail. All the trails were far busier than we I rode them last time.
And now came some lengthy byways and the best sectors of the route to enjoy. The first one started just outside Cold Aston and meandered it’s way up and down to Turkdean where a very brief section of tarmac gave way to the start of the next one to Hazleton which has a very long drag at the end.
We’d caught a couple more Stratford CC riders on the first sector but I’d left them by the end and my ride buddy as he stopped to tighten his headset and said carry on. It was about here my GPS froze and I briefly went off-course before I realised what had happened. I met up with 3 others as I retraced and we rode together for a few more KM before we split which left two of us.
As we climbed the Syrehampton byway, some dark, ominous looking rain clouds were ahead of us rolling in over Brockhampton and Cleeve Hill, just where we were heading.
As we dropped through Brockhampton and then began the draggy climb to Cleeve Hill the rain came and for a few minutes we did get soaked but it did ease before we reached Cleeve Common on top
From here it was downhill now through the golf course and a series of gates to a farmyard with a diversion through more gates and then another gate to descend to the bottom of a field where I crashed.
I’m not sure what happened, I think I either hit a rock or dodged a rock on the thin trail line and put myself onto the slippy grass where my front wheel washed out and I went down. All I remember is rolling over and my head being whipped around and banging on the ground. I lay there for a moment while I computed any damage and then moved. No broken bones just a bit whoozy but I was keen to carry on as we were nearly finished.
The next hill was the one I really wanted to conquer all day but sadly as the rain had made it too slippy we both had to get off and push for a few metres. I reckoned it would have been 50/50 in the dry.
Back on tarmac we met another horse rider that looked less than impressed with us despite stopping and letting them pass and then we were onto the last offroad descent of the day where you can see the start climb across the valley.
We passed the entrance to Sudeley Castle into a road busy with tourists milling about and that was it, we hit the High St and we were done.
Despite the crash and a headache, it was another great ride on beautiful but tough route. And just to add insult injury my GPS had not only frozen the screen it had stopped recording too, so I only have half my ride logged on Strava LOL
PS: I was very impressed with my new Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres. They performed well offroad and rolled even better on the roads.
I hope there was no lasting damage from the crash?
Thanks Niall. Just a bit of whiplash for a few days.