Shorter Days; Nonsuch and Beddington 1-o-Clockers to Merton Abbey Mills, 16 December

Temperatures have risen to sub-tropical levels for this time of year but we had a bit of a third Saturday of the month leadership crisis on our hands with 1-o-clock and 2-o-clock rides at Beddington and at Nonsuch to organise, Lynda having pulled out of the leadership list, Karen (scheduled for this one) injured, Maggie injured, Steve still recovering from surgery and Nigel at a wedding.  

Colin took on Beddington 2-o-Clockers, I moved across to take Nonsuch 1-o-Clockers, Sue Bellamy stepped into the breach at short notice for the later Nonsuch ride and AnnaandRoger agreed to take the earlier one from Beddington.  AnnaandRoger was confident that it could find the way along the Wandle Trail to M.E.D and once Maggie had shown their group to the river (thus overdoing the ten minutes the physio had allowed her on the bike) they did just that, resourcefully using Ken's experience.

The Beddington group; great to see Ray fit enough to come and wave them off, and Maggie, also of the walking wounded, who showed them the way and then split for home.  Photo taken by an interested passer-by; perhaps a future member!

Meanwhile at Nonsuch, Peter was awaiting my arrival and then Sabina and Bernard turned up, just returned from Switzerland.  I've been to M.E.D dozens of times, and to Nonsuch hundreds of times, but never have I cycled from one to the other, so I set up a route on Ride with GPS and led using the App, thus proving once again that I do not do very well relying on electronics and that there is no substitute for recceing a ride properly.

Fortunately my group was extremely patient as we deliberately took the circuitous route skirting Mayflower Park Wetlands and the Crematorium, across Cannon Hill Common and along The Path and The Higher Path to approach Merton Abbey Mills from the north, but we also had to make a series of Oops-a-Daisy U turns.

Rendezvous successful, at M.E.D.  Photo taken by Paul.

Rendezvous was successful and both groups rode back to Sutton together, shedding riders as we went.  There were only four of us left as we crossed Gander Green Lane approaching Nonsuch from the east and it therefore took extraordinary leadership skills to lose fifty percent of my group at that juncture.  Peter and I tracked back every which way and it was a relief to get a WhatsApp call from Sabina and Bernard that they had found their bearings and were homeward bound.

Thanks especially to Sue and AnnaandRoger for filling in at short notice.