5th Round Chelmsford - a grand day out

The starters of the 5th Round Chelmsford

 Some CCH Youth riders line up eager to get on with the ride behind Neil, Harry and Keir.

Well done to the 40 plus riders who brave the chilly wet weather to take part on Sunday in CCH's 5th Round Chelmsford ride . This years ride was a  memorial to CCH member Claire Tansley who died earlier this year after a long battle with cancer  - her husband Harry led the 40+ peloton out from the Lea Valley ice rink up to High Beech where the size of the group drew admiring responses from other clubs riders.

Is that left or right onto the Lea Bridge Road?

 At that point we split into three groups a fast group that whizzed off quickly to Chelmsford, a medium paced group following them up and a larger group including many CCH youth riders that did a shorter loop - around 65 miles up to the Hatfield area and back. This was due to the usual bank holiday train engineering works meaning the bailout at Bicknacre was not on. Harry was persuaded  to ride the whole thing despite having not done much riding recently and only really seemed to be suffering when the rain got heavier whilst he digested the large lunch we had at the White Swan. We had hoped to meet up with the faster group there but a misleading R instead of the correct L on the route sheet added an extra ten miles - and after much scratching of the head wondering where it had all gone wrong - this meant we just missed them. Well done to Patrick for beating us up North Hill - perhaps it was all part of a cunning plan... We were joined there by Gary who without his usual alarm call started off at ten and came the direct route to catch us. 

Harry- left -   looking cheerful to be back on the Lea Bridge road.

The rain came on a bit heavier after lunch - no doubt us riders were a bit heavier too - but after a stop for some Eccles cakes - good call Gary - we sped on in back to London enjoying the ever so tasteful Manor Road at Chigwell Row.

Well done to all for turning out and supporting this - remember this year and we would like all  particpants and club members/ friends to donate to the charity fighting Hodgkins Lymphona on the just giving page set up in Claire's memory at www.justgiving.com/Claire-Tansley-Memorial-Page any amount would be appreciated.