Photo: Ride that way and stop when you get to Cambridge.

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:

Bring me my arrows of desire:

Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!

Bring me my Chariot of fire!

“And did those feet in ancient time“, William Blake, 1804.

“The Italian Job“, “The Great Escape” and “Chariots of Fire“. ICC’s annual rides named after films. I’ve ridden TIJ and TGE many times but for some reason this was my first CoF.

With quite a few groups to chose from, who better to have as ride leader than David, the creator of the ride and Cambridge graduate. A perfect combination of ride leading and City guiding.

ICC prides itself in being an inclusive and friendly club but this ride was a bit spiky.

Not the interaction between the riders but the result of seasonal hedge trimming. We were to suffer our own arrows and spears. The lanes were littered with blackthorn spines. Jyde became a victim only 7km from lunch in Cambridge.

“I’ve not had a puncture since last year’s ride to Paris” advised Jyde. I was on that ride too, so maybe the problem is me?

Thanks to good riding discipline we arrived safely in Cambridge as faster groups were already making their way back to the train station/riding back to London. A quick visit to the market for lunch.

German sausage. The refuelling choice of Champions. I wasn’t any better with my ostrich burger but I just made sure there was no photographic evidence.

There’s always one. There always is on a group ride. This time it was me. I was the only one from our group to ride back to London. I teamed up with Axele, Geoff and Olaf. I’ve ridden with Geoff, who lead another group out to Cambridge, before so knew he was faster than me. Axele and Olaf had ridden out in the Fast Silver group so I knew I’d have to work hard to keep up.

They pulled me along until I stopped the group with more spikeness. It was my turn to get a puncture from a blackthorn spine. This time no tweezers from David to help get it out. Don’t tell my dentist but that was the only way to extract it from the rubber.

50 metres later. A loud “Psssst”. FFS. My new inner tube had given way. Strangely we couldn’t get the tube out. It had an extra locking nut on the valve. WTF? Four of us puzzled over what had happened. The rest of the group concluded that in my hurry to change the first inner tube I must have left the locking nut on it and somehow it passed through the inner hole of the wheel but not the outer. I couldn’t believe I’d made such a school boy error but I can’t think of another explanation. Muppet. There’s always one. Once again there is no photographic evidence so it may not have even happened.

I did go to the front to help out when I could but mostly I was pulled along by some excellent group riding and chat.

Thank you to all the ride leaders and a big thank you to Axele, Geoff and Olaf for the ride and company all the way back to London. A great day out “In Englands green and pleasant Land“