🎶Love is in the air🎶 at least a love of cycling as it managed to bring out ten Knights for a ride to Hornsea. Our cafe destination was Lily’s on the seafront, a first visit for the Knights.
Weaving our way through town towards the Weel road, stretched the gang out. Once together again, the pace picked up with the “loving air” lending a helping hand as the initial nine Knights set off to Tickton to join up with Andy.
Crossing the road at Tickton proved difficult with a continuous stream of traffic heading in one direction and a stationary queue in the opposite way. As soon as one way cleared, the opposite side started to move. Fortunately a kindly driver stopped to let us pass safely.
Just after joining the cycle path, we came upon a group of elderly riders heading in the opposite direction. Unfortunately one of the gentlemen lost his balance as he passed by and hit the deck in what seemed to be a slow motion fall. While the “rear echelon” stopped to check he was OK, the lead group having missed the incident, continued onwards.
Heading along the cycle path we found another “helping hand” as the back draft from passing lorries gave a brief “shove” from behind. Once caught up with the lead group, we set off through Leven and Brandesburton before turning towards Bewholme. It was there we stopped to phone in our cafe order. The final section leading into Hornsea proved more of a challenge as we battled the head wind, a precursor of things to come.
On entering the town the “Lanterne Rouge” took a slight short cut to the cafe while the peloton passed through the centre allowing everyone to arrive together. Having preordered, our food and drink was ready almost immediately.
The return journey saw us head along the promenade road and then towards Mappleton and Cowden. Neil took to front initially then peeled off with the intention of creating a chain gang. Mike “the knife” then took over at the front setting a strong pace as he cut through the wind like a hot knife through butter. The peloton soon became strung out behind him.
After regrouping at Cowden, Pugwash jumped to the front to set a somewhat more “genteel” pace, but soon found himself slipping off the back once more. Approaching Withernwick, Pugwash and Russell stopped to allow Seadog to catch up. The shout to the lead group got lost in the wind as they continued their merry way.
When the “Lanterne Rouge” arrived at the next crossroads, there was no sign of the peloton. “Noses are red, fingers are blue, which way did they go, I wish I knew” so we ended up taking the wrong road. We very soon realised the error, however decided to continue onwards before eventually making our way back having added an extra eight miles or so.