Today is my clubrun, so I started well inside time.  I had not gone a quarter mile when a cotter pin broke, so I informed a passing cyclist whom I knew to let them know at the meeting place.  A new cotter pin proved troublesome, and it got to 3pm before I could start out.  When I reached the meeting place, they had gone as I expected, so I followed in the way I supposed they would take.  At Sale I had not caught them up, so I took the short cut through Brooklands Drive, hoping to intercept them.  I reached Castle Mill at 4.20pm.  Of course they hadn’t landed, so I waited.  They hadn’t turned up at 6pm, so I had my tea.  I left at 6.40, and followed over a likely route they may have taken.

Soon I punctured, and discovered I had no pump.  A cyclist lent me his to pump it up, and at Altrincham I had the puncture repaired.  At Sale I met the cyclist who I had asked earlier to explain to the clubrun the reason for my absence at the start of the ride.  During our return together to Bolton he told me that he had passed on my message at the start of the ride, and that there were about 30 members present at the rendezvous.  Anyway, if this is the way they let me down, I’m off.  I had ordered tea for them, and the CTC Gazette supplement distinctly said: Tea – Castle Mill.  There is only one Castle Mill, and they all know it is a tea place, so is there any kind of excuse?

48 miles, 7 hours