REPORTER ANDREW RAMSAY

V-Bomber Threatens Club Ride

Evoking cold war flashbacks  the club ride obviously posed a threat to  Dunsfold circuit racing  on Sunday when a Vulcan bomber at tree top height was used to warn off the intrepid club rider peloton. Fortunately there were no casualties.

Five riders (Chris, Ian, Frank, Graham, & Andy) met for the breezy often overcast day.  Rolling out through familiar Capel and Ockley before turning north at ForestGreen towards and over the Greensand lump that forms this part of the North Downs. Before meeting the River Tillingbourne we cut back towards that familiar tea stop the MTB community uses at Peaslake Stores turning back and down towards Shere.

About here an errant MTB rider on the wrong side of the shaded road in finest camouflage black emerges as if from nowhere  nearly taking out Chris's front wheel. Rider is rapidly and volubly persuaded this would be a trifle unwise, given the immediately apparent collision vectors and likely consequences involved with slight mishap (head on collision), such that said mud plugging brother on wheels wisely decides a marginal course correction is the best (only) decision around by far.

 (You will be unsurprised to learn that this explanation is perhaps a bit longer than actual exchange).  Nevertheless credit where credit is due so skilfully is this manoeuvre performed, we are all sure it was carried out without turning off the iPod!

Eyes peeled we press on  westwards to Shamley Green then Wonersh before bridging the Downslink and Wey Navigation (in parallel) towards the BoatHouse at Farncombe. Service a touch slow here either understaffing or a group of Kingston Wheelers had already used up the Lycra tolerance quotient for the day.  After discussion but no conclusion on the relative merits of narrow boats v. narrow tyres, and Blackberrys v. Nokias, one or two more of Surreys' finer lanes were used after climbing out of Godalming; fine  views, lamentable surfaces - (not nicknamed the Surrey Alps for nothing) before we skirt Cranleigh and on back towards Woodhatch. 

So  apart from the good humoured company on this ride was the stirring sound, then unmistakeable sight of the delta wing Vulcan bomber doing low banking circuits over the Air display at Dunsfold.