The forecast was not looking good; Hurricane Barney’s arrival
was due to coincide almost perfectly with our regular Tuesday night ride. Gust
of 60mph (or should that be 100kph?) were promised, and warnings against travel,
and of widespread disruption swept across the twittersphere.
Barney was getting closer on the ride home from work, and it
was becoming clear that riding on the road if the wind got any stronger (as per
the forecast) would be at best foolhardy, and at worst, damned right dangerous.
Giving up on the evening and heading straight to HQ would
have been an easy option to take, but where would the fun have been in that
approach? No, instead we chose to change bikes, leave the tarmac behind, and to
hit the trails. We were going to tackle Barney head on.
And what a fine decision it was. Over the next 2 hours or so
we enjoyed one of those rides that remind you why you cycle. I’ve not laughed
so much on a bike for a long time, and we enjoyed moments of pure comedy as
Barney gave it his best shot. I’ve never cycled in anything quite like it; at
times it was a full sensory overload.
At one point memories of Geraint Thomas at this year’s
Ghent-Wevelgem came to the fore, as I took a Barney enforced, and entirely
involuntary, left turn off the farm track and into the adjacent field. Scott and
Max suffered the same fate and followed me into the field in almost perfect
formation. Getting going again was another challenge in itself, but we were
soon back with the rest of the group.
The rest of the ride was a real battle against the elements,
and it presented some of the toughest conditions I think I’ve ever cycled in.
But what a ride it was; just awesome.
As we rolled back into town, auto pilot was engaged and we
headed straight for HQ, and the hard earned refreshments it offered. Heads were
shaking as we walked through the door, people seemingly bewildered by the fact
that we’d been out on our bikes. Somehow this made the beer even more enjoyable
than normal.
What an evening, and what a ride. We’d taken on Barney, and
whilst perhaps we’d not beaten him, I think we managed to more than hold our
own.
Vive la Velo
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