Up too late for the run again! I decided to do the next best – ride out to the tea place. It was a grand day, but what a wind! It howled and blew harder than ever before and promised a keen run. At Walkden I met a couple of youthful clubmen-to-be whom I accompanied. All the way to Didsbury it was one continual struggle, but afterwards we had it a little easier.  Near Wilmslow I missed them, but as they knew the way it didn’t seem to matter much.  Arriving at the tea place I had a wash, and as no one had arrived I went for a walk.

At the Cross I met a Manchester DA rider, and a little later two CTC-ites from Leek came up followed by my two friends. The six of us had tea together. Gee! but they do make good teas at Alderley. At the conclusion, seven of the Bolton ‘potterers’ came in. A chat before the fire and then, at 7.15 we restarted. I discovered a puncture, but I caught them up again at Handforth. With the wind behind us we made the road leap beneath us, and soon reached Cheadle, Didsbury, Stretford and Barton, arriving home at 10pm.

57 miles, 8.5 hours