sadsacnews2013: SADSAC: Stratford

We had a strong turnout of 20 riders for the run to the Quarry Reserve.
Along with the local regulars we had our Tramps regulars in Colin, Richard 1 and Richard 3.
A new rider on the day was Sherryl from Sale. Hopefully she may become a regular rider as well.
The ride itself headed north out of town before turning off onto the Stockdale Road. Ride leader Dennis reported hearing a loud bang just after the corner, possibly a tyre failure. The mystery was solved a couple of kilometres later as the leader's bike pulled over with a flat rear tyre. The repair was only short lived, however, as the (new) tube was not up to the task. Dennis joined Kathy in the backup for the rest of the morning run. The remainder of the ride to lunch was through the trees and protected from any wind.
Lunch at the Quarry was rather enjoyable with the sun breaking though the clouds. The jelly slice made an appearance as well as other well received offerings. Dennis even fixed his tyre.
The return journey started off with a short sharp climb out of the reserve. That was to be the last hill for the return to Stratford. The forecast westerly made it's presence felt once we had left Briagalong. The road home was through rather open countryside which meant that we experienced the full force of the strengthening wind. Once onto Crooked Lane the wind moved off the nose and the effort reduced for the remainder of the route. The distance was only around 55 km so the day finished much earlier than our last outing. A rather successful day out.