How many Freewheelers?

Let's start with the team photo:

l-r: Dick Taylor, Iain Wright, Jack Simpson, Jeb Tyrie, Scott Hunter, Jeff Dickens, Ken Page & Ian Stewart

Simple enough you would think - there's 8 Freewheelers in the above photo - but only 7 of us left the Guide Hut shortly after 1 pm. We had just about finished our coffees and sweet treats at Platform 22, when in walked Dick - "a little late" he said. "I didn't get out of the shop until 1:30 pm and just guessed where you would have gone". Mmmm.

Somebody suggested that the Taylor's van might have been doing a delivery to Torphins and Dick smuggled in the back with his bike. Clearly there are no independent witnesses to verify that Dick did indeed cycle up to Torphins, so does he get a full point for attendance today, or just half a point? You decide.

Conditions were OK - dry, a bit windy and cool - a bit of an adjustment for me - but not bad. There were several schisms in the group on the way up to Torphins - mostly Iain shooting off ahead and having to be called back - "not that way, Iain!" - but we managed to keep each other in view.

Most of us started through Burnett Park and up the forest road, which was pretty chewed up near Archie's house, where we came out and headed back to the main Glassel road where Iain and Scott were waiting for us. Through Home Farm and the usual route up to Platform 22.

As we gathered for our team photo after coffee, there was some debate about Scott's suggestion that we should do the additional loop round the golf course, but Jack pretty much decided the matter for us by stating clearly that he, for one, wasn't going to be doing it, so we couldn't let him travel home alone, could we?

Although it's largely a downhill run back to Banchory from Torphins, the wind in our faces meant that a bit of downhill pedalling - an original Freewheeler no-no - was required. We went back via Brathens/ITE, passing the scene of the submerged car during the floods of a couple of months ago. That area is now clear, but it's now quite noticeable how much below the level of the road the field where the car was submerged is.

At ITE, Jack carried straight on, heading for his home in Bredero, whilst the rest of us turned right and headed back to the Glassel road.

A good ride - not too taxing - just 28 kms with 280 m of climbing - but a bit more for Jeff, who supplied his personal stats and route:

There remain substantial unexplained differences in the recording of height gained between the stats from this and those from Strava, but, for consistency, I will continue to use Strava in our database.

Ride number 24 completed - twice as many as we'd done by this time last year.

Elsewhere, other recent Freewheeler rides shown on Strava are:

• Saturday - Mike - Drumshalloch - 25 kms - 190 m
• Sunday - 
• Me - Myrebird - 23 kms - 162 m
• Les - Algarve - 33 kms - 159 m
• Malcolm L - Durris - 41 kms - 364 m
• Monday - John M - Glassel - 9 kms - 115 m

That's 49 "other" rides recorded so far this year.