A bit of a nip in the air this morning and I get the feeling that either Pearl Harbour is in imminent danger or simply that autumn is approaching, I go for the autumn theory and put on a long sleeved top. It promises to be warm once the sun has got properly under way.

Today we are off to Pennard, a destination which is hardly any distance at all if you consider the regular flight path of crows, so we have to give it a bit of padding and give ourselves a long winded tour of Gower. I have just brought to mind the hill coming out of Llanrhidian, the one by the Britannia, Cefn Bryn and Sandy Lane and realise that it really should be described as a 'short winded tour'. However you describe it this destination always gives us the opportunity of enjoying Gower.

Briefly our route takes us from the Railway Inn up the road to the common, through Three Crosses, Blue Anchor, Crofty, Marsh Road to Llanrhidian, Llanmadoc, Burry Green, Reynaldston, Cilibion, Park Mill, Sandy Lane and finally Pennard.

Its good to see Ken and Chris with us at the start especially after Ken's mishap last week but they are making their way in a different, shorter direction. David Brain is with us too but is having a shorter ride because his grandchildren are staying with him at the moment.

John Cardy is absent - there, I have given him a mention and, duty done, we can get on.

Trevor had a bit of a problem with his deraillieur on Sunday's Mountain Basher and has had to replace his gear change so is going to meet us at Three Crosses. Off we go, the hill out of Killay is a bit of a plod and will serve as a good warm up for what is in store, John Bastion and David Naylor meet us at the top. John has just returned from completing the Paris-Brest and is riding a fixed wheel so he will hardly notice this ride then! At Three Crosses our peloton is well under way and quickly absorbs Big Trev, we turn left by the Pound Ffald and get to Blue Anchor, the lane now gets really narrow and the surface is poor, something streaks past us but nobody is quick enough to see who it was. There has been a bit of hedgecutting so we have to take care, there is a thorny branch in the middle of the lane so I stop and throw it into the hedge, we don't want punctures! Being a country boy I know my hedgerow bushes I know that this branch would only have caused a sloe puncture!!

We get to Crofty and Ursula realises that John has given her the slip but she tracks him down with her mobile phone - there is no escape. A gentle ride now along the flat Marsh Road taking care to avoid wandering sheep, the salt marsh seemingly stretching for ever on our right hand side, we pick up Bob Smith, dapper as usual, this is his fourth outing in a row - very soon we may have to invest in a trophy. Something streaks past - just who was that? Approaching Llanrhidian there is a car behind us so we pull to the side to let him pass, it is pulling a trailer. The trailer has a sticker on the back proclaiming it as a CAMEL TRAILER, Bob Smith remarks that it hardly seems big enough for a camel and a discussion follows. Unfortunately the driver has his window open and he is resentful of our mirth, he stops, gets out, walks over to us and gives us a good dose of verbals. Yes, you could say that he had really taken the hump.

Llanrhidian hill is as challenging as ever but is soon over and once we are all together again we head towards Llanmadoc. I am admiring the view over the estuary and lost to the world really when whoosh! It's the streaker again. He has disappeared round the next corner before I get my eyes into focus. We are all together by the Britannia, at least we thought we were until Ursula announces that she has lost John once again, but we don't have time to worry about that we have a hill to climb, I click the bike into the lowest gear and set off. I am about three quarters up and I hear this heavy breathing - now I haven't done that for a long time, I thought. Then I listened, as heavy breathing goes this was remarkably good, the work of a well practised expert in fact. I looked round and my suspicions were confirmed - yes it was Bob Smith! A word of advice, just don't give him your 'phone number!

I wait at the top to take a group photo, Trev arrives, finds himself the best position, I take the shot, Trev is off. Farewell Trev we all say before chasing off after him. On the hill before Burry Green we are again passed by the streaker, his turn of speed is really impressive but who is he? Funny he seems to be on the same route as us. We stop and do a head count, we are one short but we can't think who is missing, heads are scratched, brows are furrowed. Then Usrula says "Has anyone seen John?"

Mystery solved, so that's who it was!

It was about mid day when we reached Reynaldston, I was a bit peckish and probably was not the only one. The King Arthur was very tempting, I make a mental note to include it on the next ride programme. We bid farewell to Ursula who is so close to home and probably has to cook a sumptuous dinner for John that it seems sensible to end the ride here, she did, after all cycle all the way to the Railway Inn for the start. Colin tries to improve on his 44mph record going down Cefn Bryn but fails probably because I was in the way nevertheless achieves an impressive 42mph. At Park Mill we ride through the ford, what fun - just like big kids really! Just one more hill now before the lunch stop and Sandy Lane is one that I have never managed, but this time there was no traffic, no-one in my way and slowly, perspiringly I made my way to the top feeling pleased that I had finally achieved it. I wait and Big Trev appears with a big smile on his face. "This is a first for me" he said "and I made it up Blue Anchor hill this morning too - two firsts in the same day, wow!"

Exhillerated we ride the last mile to Pennard, John had gone on ahead. We speculate on whether he will have already formed an orderly queue when we get to the cafe and decide that as he was now on his own he would have to tap us for a small loan and so he will be waiting. But no, he was already sitting with Chris and Ken who had got there before us. Apparently he had made a deal with Ursula - you give me some money and I'll give you the key. Seems fair.

We sit outside in the sun, relax and enjoy our meal and the company. I am back home by 4.00 after having ridden just 36 miles. Very good.

12 riders altogether.

Next week it is the Away Day to Crymych, if this weather holds it will be a great ride. Meet at the car park near the Crymych Arms at 10.00 for a 10.30 start. You should perhaps allow about 1.5 hours to get there.

Happy pedalling

Lew Spokes

Big Trev checks his beeper		All together
The flowers were beautiful enough on their own		Martin thought they could be improved! (photo: Martin Brain)
Old habits die hard (photo: Martin Brain)