Puncture and a Lost Flock

What an eventful Thursday night ride. After a sunny saunter out of Seaton to Beer, up past the quarry and down into Branscombe, 13 Pedallers .. the Near Naked Man, Barry, Grinch, Bobble, Jolly, Geoff, Handbag, Relay, Derek, Rach, Sarah, Dawn and yours truly - in no particular order .. then took the long climb up to the Donkey Sanctuary where we regrouped to decide on our return route. Actually, Handbag left us before the drop down into Branscombe to join up with the later 7:30 ride, but that would have meant re-sequencing the last sentence and I just hate going back over the same road!

The decision finally made was to cycle via Honiton Golf Club and down hill past 'Pedaller's Bench' through Southleigh and on into Colyton. In a drawn out chaingang be pedalled at speed along the main drag, red lights a flashing as the daylight gave way to dusk. Turning off and bumping our way over a typical austerity tarmac surfaced link road we regrouped at the top of Beech Tree Lane preparing to head over to Farway Common. Just one problem, we were one short; two actually, Grinch had not returned as back marker and reports came in that Geoff, on his third ride with the pedallers had suffered a puncture on the main road.

Derek, gallantly stayed with Rach, Sarah and Dawn while the remainder, determined not to leave a man behind, retraced our steps the mile or so back to the site of the puncture. Here, perhaps all had a hand, one way or another, in advising, supporting, cajoling or actually replacing the tube .. I will say no more but I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere. By the time we returned to the junction where we'd left Derek and the ladies, they were gone! I had also done that thing I loathe .. yep, riding back over the same piece of road. Having no way to contact the lost flock and darkness descending, we decided to take the shortest route back to Seaton and hoped to meet up back at the Kings Arms.

Back at the pub, the lost flock finally arrived 15 minutes later. They had apparently just moved slowly on to the next junction thinking we'd catch up! Big lesson learned here, we either make sure we exchange mobile numbers or at least follow the agreed route!