Ride report

We had 650m of climbing today, mostly concentrated in the relatively short stage from coffee to lunch, with both our 2 new members riding strongly in the hills. For a couple of riders, this was preparation for the forthcoming Prudential 100 miles on August 2nd. Someone forgot to carry spare inner tubes and was unfortunate enough to suffer 2 punctures, but fortune smiled when the rider found £10 by the roadside, conveniently matching the price of 2 new inner tubes, kindly provided by CTC regulars (who know better than to leave home unprepared!) Had we been passing through Great Haseley a day later, the cricket fans amongst us might well have been among those million Twittter followers to have been fooled by Sachin Tendulkar’s plea for help after having been supposedly stranded in the village (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/33500551). Despite the punctures, we were back in Oxford by 16.25, experiencing just 10 minutes of pleasantly warm rain on the descent from the Chilterns.