Moving to a completely different area is always a step in to the unknown. Would people be prepared to travel that little bit further or not? Hopefully those of you that made the journey to the Watch Tree Nature Reserve at Great Orton Airfield felt that the intricate network or roads with barely a hill in sight was well worth the effort. Listening to the discussions afterwards in the comfort of the cafe it seemed that the lack of local knowledge certainly made for challenging route choices. Only Zoe and Ross who live slap bang in the middle of the map were able to claim any local knowledge this time. Tales of woe were often heard!

Many thanks to Ryan and his team at Watch tree Nature reserve for making us very welcome and for torturing us with the smell of bacon butties afterwards. Not many could resist and he had to send out for more supplies!

Watchtree Nature reserve is also home to Watchtree Wheelers. This is a cycling charity dedicated to making cycling accessible to all. Profits from the sale of drinks and snacks in the café went towards this worthy cause. In addition we are pleased to have been able to make a donation of £100 from the proceeds of the 2016 series to help their work.

You can find out more about Watchtree wheelers and the great work they do on https://www.facebook.com/WatchtreeWheelers/

The third event in the 2016 series and the third winner. Well done to Alan Hartley for taking the honours this week. Meanwhile Kate Charles continued to build a good lead in the league whilst her challengers were fixing punctures.

After the flat lands of the Solway plain it is back to the hills next time. The villages South of the A66 are well known to many ABC riders but hopefully we have found something a little bit different this year. The start will be form the Wild Duck at Branthwaite on 6th July. They will have a large menu on offer so stay around and have a drink and some food while discussing your ride.

We look forward to seeing you there and bring a friend!

Tony & Angela