Shelford Spokes Cycling Club

A chilly Monday morning saw nine riders heading away from Shelford Rec bound for Madingley Hall; Jenny, Janet, Alan, Lewis and Brummie Brian in the first group, followed shortly afterwards by BrianC, BrianH, Jeremy and Chris.By the time we reached Madingley the sun was shining and most enjoyed coffee and cake as we took in the view from the Hall terrace. Trencherman BrianH, however, opted for more substantial fare, tucking into a gargantuan sausage roll - with an apologetic bit of salad on the side.Returning to Shelford via Trumpington Meadows, we had clocked up 28 miles; a few miles more than planned due to Brummie Brian's wrong turning at Haslingfield.

According to Wikipedia, the village of Chrishall marks the highest point in Essex, some 147 metres above sea level. While Monday's route barely skirted the village, we got pretty close to the summit, topping out at 125 metres. With Great Shelford sitting at a lowly 20 metres, you can see our ride was somewhat more hilly than usual. So it was that six hardy Shelfordians set off for a 25 mile circuit taking in Littlebury Green, Elmdon and skirting Chrishall before the descent towards Duxford, Brian C leading the way followed by Janet, Jenny, Jeremy, Alan and Brian H.

Monday morning saw six socially distanced riders heading for Fulbourn; Alan - energised by a hearty breakfast - setting the pace ahead of Hilary, Phil and three Brians. Great Wlbraham, Little Wilbraham and Bottisham came and went before we pulled up for a breather at  Swaffham Bulbeck. Thence it was on to Lode and, via a somewhat hard-to-find cycleway, Stow-cum-Quy and Fen Ditton.Approaching Cambridge from the east we were curious about the melee outside the Abbey Stadium; why  queue here at midday on an August Monday? Stopping for a chat, we learned these were the true believers queuing for their season tickets; a friendly bunch of ever hopeful, die-hard Cambridge United fans. We wished them well.Traversing Coldham's Common we headed for the Tony Carter Cycle Bridge over the railway. Named after a Labour councillor of the day, opened in 1989 and listed for a time in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest covered cycle bridge, this is a wonderful shortcut. Its only…

A fine Monday morning saw Jenny, Jeremy, Phil and three Brians pedalling to Cambridge along the DNA cycleway. Crossing the city via quiet backstreets and picking up the guided busway near the Science Park, we headed out towards Histon and on to Willingham, where we pulled in at the Auction Rooms for refreshment.

Monday's outing started with six riders but ended with just four. Alan - with an appointment elsewhere at 10.30 - could only join us for a few miles. Lewis - poor chap - had a bad knee and decided to turn back at Haslingfield. One of BrianH's cycling mates passed us - going the other way - turned around and tagged along for a while. And poor old BrianH himself was suffering from post-weekend heatstroke - but somehow managed to keep going to the bitter end.At the finish, it was just Chris, Phil and two Brians. We had clocked up 23 miles visiting Harston, Haslingfield, Harlton, the Eversdens, Kingston, Toft, Comberton and Barton. As ever, the highlight was coffee and cake, this time at Burwash Manor where the cherry galette is highly recommended.

Monday morning saw Hilary, Chris, Alan, Lewis and two Brians pedalling out of Great Shelford, headed for Balsham where BrianC had assured us of refreshment at the Old Butchers Coffee Shop.It was a leisurely start, along the cycleway to Sawston and thence on to Babraham. There followed some upper body exercise as we hauled the bikes up and over the A11 footbridge between Babraham and Abington; not a problem for those of us on pedal bikes, but Hilary's e-bike required considerably more man-handling.
Our next challenge was the long ascent from Hildersham to Balsham, but the prospect of coffee and cake saw us crest the hill in anticipation and roll up in front of the aforementioned Old Butchers Coffee Shop. Alas, it was closed for refurbishment! BrianH suggested trying the Black Bull - where we similarly drew a blank. Humph! What's the point of a ride leader if he can't even organise a coffee stop.
There was nothing for it but to make the descent into Linton where - glory be - w…