The Sociability of Through & Off

Twelve of us left New Green Centre at Thurston this morning, in conditions that fluctuated between very cold as low cloud brought slight mist - and almost springlike temperatures when the pale low sun broke through. With lusty birdsong, dazzling snowdrops and colourful crocii (oh all right then, crocuses) it made the heart sing with joy at all this vernal promise . . . .ok, ok, I'll stop all that nonsense and get down to how and where we went (the matter of why could lead to a philosophical debate and, frankly, life's too short).

Destination Dance East - and the cunningly named Dance Eats attached thereto. We soon started the slow rotation at the front and, as before this was a thorough success - helped by there being very few hills. On the way to the Creetings we had a puncture (I say 'we' but of course it was just one rider, and I can't remember who. You know who you are, whoever you are - see photo). The sun was out, we felt its warmth. Most of us were standing by the gateway to barn conversion. A small girl (three?) marched out towards the gate "Hello" loud confident tone "Were are you going ?". We tell her, and questions are exchanged about schooling. No sign of a parent. I wonder how the conversation went at elevenses?

After negotiating the slightly challenging roundabout at the A140/A14 junction we head towards Ipswich but avoid the horrible 'tank trap' barrier (cyclists have a handlebar-width bit of smooth concrete to keep to, with a railing to the right and an array of concrete wedge shapes to the left) . I don't have a map to hand, so I can't talk you through the route - but we seemed to go out into the country again, then into suburbia and on into urban Ipswich. As we reach a bit that I remember, were the road has a park on the left hand side (Christchurch?) and I remember passing the same spot on Wednesday November the 11th 2009, and hearing the gunfire that was the signal for the beginning of the Silence for Remembrance Day. I told the rider alongside me about this. Then I looked at my watch. 11.00am precisely. I congratulate Rich on his consistency, which I think is amazing.

Dance Eats does us proud. Peter, Gareth, Rich and myself have bacon baguettes (see photo). Peter also has a coffee. I'll repeat that, Peter has a coffee. Worthy of mention. So impressed with the quality of his coffee was Peter that he purchased a second mug (more of a tall cup, there was a saucer - standards are high) and then bought a baguette for Mike Cross having, through a spot of rigorous interrogation established that (a) Mike would really like one, and (b) hadn't enough money. Mark had a lake of beans on what looked like the toasted product of half a loaf - he needed the fuel, he'd missed us at Thurston and pedalled furiously on his own, to arrive before us (how was the A14, Mark?). We were slightly concerned that Gareth's rashers were nestling inside some rather effete brown bread. He's got nothing to prove, of course, what with his day job of saving lives.

For the return, we have promised ourselves another go at 'proper' through and off. First we have to escape Ipswich - which, though seemingly complex is, to Rich 'Tom Tom' Seggar second nature. We do the cyclo cross bit for the A14 underpass at Sproughton, passing the Church with its graves of Seggars past, and heading a touch westwards to Somersham and thence to Battisford, Gt Finborough, Buxhall, Rattlesden, Drinkstone and home.

Oh, yes, we did do the through and off thing, with Adi doing a passable imitation of a Guard in charge of the other sort of chaingang. A bullwhip would have completed the impression - but our man made do with his tongue. It's such a tricky job, trying to get a dozen riders to something new, using simple English like SLOW DOWN, KEEP UP, KEEP IN, CONCENTRATE, DON'T OVERLAP WHEELS, YOU'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!. To be fair (and we should) there's a lot of frustration going to build up when you call to the inside file to slow down - and everyone slows, so you try to get the outside to speed up and they all do it and we get to a little climb and Dawn and Sharon shoot off the front like a brace of whippets - deaf whippets, it would seem from the reaction to Adi's urgent plea to cool it a bit!

One way or another we made it back home, in one group until the usual way-parting as we near Bury. Some are a bit bruised by the experience - but always remember that old training adage (usually ascribed to E. Merckx, probably going back much further, still completely daft) "what doesn't kill you does you good". A possible aim for next week ought to be to stick to the rotating thingy, and not bother with the chaingang /galley slave whatsit for quite a while. SJH