A wet Drumoak venture

John P reports from this morning's Deeside run:

"Despite an aspiration to minimise email traffic, there was still plenty of emails bouncing around as folks tried to decide what rides were possible and what the weather was going to do. On the principal that you should just get out there and smell the wind, the author rocked-up with car and bike carrier, ready for anything at the Guide Hut at 8:30am. Yes eight blooming thirty, a time the (said) author is rarely seen outside let alone on his bike! It transpired mine was the only car, because I had been faffing around with getting bike racks ready, whilst final emails had called-off Plan A (a ride from Cults on to Torry Battery). The four of us (‘Sharpy’, Scott, Dick and JohnPee) um’d and ah’d about a route; the view was it was going to be wet and the wind was quite pokey, so off eastwards on the Deeside Way, good natter and catch-up along the trail and then at Drumoak, decision should we go on or should we retreat in the face of what certainly looked like increasing wetness.

We did head back at this point (a good call), noodled up to Hirn and ‘round the back’ dropping down to Tease, somewhat wet and dripping. The door to Tease was opened by fellow Freewheeler John Meaden, who was dry, warm, relaxed and partaking of coffee with his family. Needless to say there was unrelenting banter about the lack of commitment to the Freewheeling cause. Not of course on the coffee and cake front (to which there had clearly been good endeavour), but the fact that you have at least to show some willingness to turn the crank before vittles can consumed. Anyway it was generally agreed John will have to live with his guilt, it is his cross to bear.

A short ride, but one that did the spirit no end of good with a sense of camaraderie in the face of adversity. (Ed, that might be going a bit too far I think…)"

John's Strava shows the distance covered was almost 28kms, with a route virtually identical to the one Keith and I did yesterday afternoon (albeit in the opposite direction) - https://www.strava.com/activities/422407911

This is John's overview of the route:

And John M's photo in Tease:

Les was out in the Portuguese sun again on Tuesday, clocking up almost 33 kms round Vilamoura - https://www.strava.com/activities/421257338