Six get wet in Essex (and Herts)
Posted on Tuesday 27 January 2009 by John McColl
Rain, arrive Liverpool Street to be greeted by five enthusiastic 3* riders. Out to Bishopsgate. Rain. Steady pace. Past the delights of über-cool Shoreditch. 1km – puncture. Drizzle. Two inner-tubes & thirty minutes later we’re off again sampling the pleasures of the back-streets of Hackney, Homerton & Clapton Park. Yet more rain.
On to Lea Bridge Road. 8km, puncture. Find bus shelter and repair. Steady pace through awakening east London, on to the outer suburbs. Woodford Bridge & Chigwell. Admire the architectural delights of the area. Proving once again the inverse relationship between wealth & aesthetic taste. Slightly less rain. Over in the distance to the South & East glimpses of the casino that is Canary Wharf. Keith starts discussion about quantative easing and suggests he can see the piles of toxic debt rising as we speak (he should spend less time listening to Radio 4 and more time considering his gear selection and optimum cadence). Into the countryside proper. Rain. Past the Mole Trap – no time for a beer due to the puncture-induced delays. Arrive Hatfield Heath for welcome lunch break. No alcohol just tea & sandwiches. Decide to head to Hertford (for a change from Cheshunt). Set off in the rain. More rain, drizzle & flooded roads. Arrive Much Hadham ford. Impassable, even country squire in 4×4 has to retrace steps. Diversion. Pace continues. Rain easing. Outskirts of Hertford. Clearer skies to the South. Arrive Hertford North Station. No rain, warm train & station café still open. Train warm, dry & on-time. 100km, six wet but not drowned riders and home in time for tea.