Sunday 13 May 2018

It was a very early start for five members from the club who were booked on the 04.34 shuttle to France hoping to take part in the Carre de Vallee rides organized by the Ardres Cycling Club.

After arriving at the Folkestone terminal were were advised that due to a rolling stock defect our service had been cancelled and the next service wasn’t until 06.20. At last we arrived in France and Arrived at the start at 08.10 local time. We opted for the shorter distance this time around.

We all completed the 25 km course in about 1 hr 30 min, but had great difficulty in getting away from the lovely treats on offer at the the half way feed station. Once again the local club had provided with a first class course which made the most of the local lanes which were noted for the lack of pot holes.

It was the usual friendly atmosphere at the finish, even though the numbers seemed down on previous years. The hot dog and beer were most welcome and even the weather held for us despite such a gloomy forecast.

Making the most of the day we decided on the suggestion of our youngest member to revisit the Rando Rail again, pedaling this contraption up hill for 5 Km was harder than any training regime a coach could think of.

The day was finished off with a nice meal and a beer at the lakes in Ardres before returning home on the 09.20 shuttle.