There were a few special things about this year’s club trip to Brittany. It was probably our 25th visit to Roscoff (I can’t remember the exact year they started, and we’ve made two visits some years). Also, we had a record 33 Wheelers on board, an awesome sight at Millbay! There were 13 women on this trip (40%), compared to none on our earliest trips, great progress for the club. This was also the first year when more people stayed until Thursday (19), than went home on Sunday.
After the unbelievably wet weather we’ve had, it was a pleasure and practically miraculous to ride for six days with lots of sunshine and NO rain (except for those of us who went west instead of east on Wednesday), even if it was sometimes a bit chilly in the breeze. Many of us had forgotten the joy of endless, pristine, smooth tarmac with not a pothole in sight on the main roads. Even the minor roads are good, so you can look up and enjoy the great scenery.
As usual, there were plenty of eating and drinking opportunities, especially for those in the more leisurely groups, although most of us still managed over 300 miles for the whole trip, and some had over 500 miles. The highlight for many was the glorious 12-mile descent into Morlaix on the Huelgoat/Carhaix day, lots of good chain-gang practice!
Some of us tried gravelling for a change, some unplanned with hike-a-bike moments (luckily, everyone seemed to see the funny side of trying to ride a rough, steep track on road tyres). In all those miles, we had only two punctures, two faulty shifters and some gear indexing issues, and no accidents apart from a couple of low-speed tumbles.
Some of us tried gravelling for a change, some unplanned with hike-a-bike moments (luckily, everyone seemed to see the funny side of trying to ride a rough, steep track on road tyres). In all those miles, we had only two punctures, two faulty shifters and some gear indexing issues, and no accidents apart from a couple of low-speed tumbles.
The big group for the trip is only possible because everyone works so well as a team, and we had several ride groups each day to suit every pace and endurance. Special thanks to the ride leaders, including Martin, Gidon, Claire, Adrian, Bill S-N and Brian, who brought everyone back safely.
Probably our best trip ever. We’ve already set Friday 25th April for the 2025 edition, hope you can join us!
Colin MacKenzie