Deluge-

"Whose out?" asked the email from the Chairman "The forecast doesn't look bad".

Despite the fact that it had rained solidly for 48 hours, and that there was little sign of any let up, 10 of us were taken in by this prediction. To be fair, as we met outside the Old Sun, the solid grey blanket that had covered the sky for the best part of a week had dispersed to reveal milky sunshine and the odd streak of blue and we were all optimistic that we were in for a pleasant evening.

Setting off into a gentle breeze, we headed out to Ridgmont, through Huborne Crawley and took a right into Horsepool Lane, stopping briefly to acknowledge the memorial to the WWII plane that crashed nearby. As we turned into Gypsy Lane, shouting to Mick who, as usual had run on past the junction there were a few rain drops in the air but nothing to forewarn of the deluge we were soon to encounter.

F0r some reason, we became strung out and as we stopped to regroup at the junction with the A5130 most of us took the opportunity to pull on waterproofs and switch on lights although the rain was still little more than drizzle.

The roads around Woburn Golf Club took a serious hammering from last winter's frost and snow and in many places the potholes had been overlaid with a covering of sand from the recent storms. This made for an interesting couple of miles of riding as those with skinny racing tyres took extra care to stay upright and avoid the holes.

Despite the disappointing weather, the mood was good and there was plenty of banter as we wended our way back into Woburn and up through the deer park. The deer were obviously not happy with the weather and were restless. They seemed to be be contemplating a stampede as we climbed the hill and it felt like we were running the gauntlet. I think I prefer my venison roasted on a plate rather than charging behind a full set of antlers.

By the time we turned at the end of the deer park so had the weather. The gentle breeze had stiffened to blow the strenghtening rain into our faces and there was a noticeable drop in the level of chat as we ground our way homeward.

We decided to forgo our planned beer stop in Eversholt and pushed on to Ampthill, calling in for a quick pint in the Albion. By now, the rain was torrential and Flitwick Road loked more like an open drain. Despite dripping all over the floor and steaming up the windows, we were given a warm welcome by staf and customers. The pub was lively and there was a broad range of conversation. One of our former members regaled us with the tail of the recumbent cycle he recently bought from eBay. It seemed like a bargain until he realised it had been in a crash and the custom built forks need replacing at double the price he paid for the bike.

Like many of our fellow customers we decided to do the sensible thing and have another pint while waiting for the rain to ease. Unfortunately it didn't and by the time we left at 10.30 it was raining harder than ever.

It was a very tentative ride home but a very enjoyable evening despite the weather.

A very soggy 20 miles.