Back on the Arkose today, still shod with knobblies, for a ride out via Monyash and Longnor to the Staffordshire Moorlands and todays beautifully located TP at Revidge, up on Reaps Moor. From there down to Hulme End and Beresford Dale before back up to Biggin and home via Monyash and Horse Lane.

A total of 36 miles and 3,370 feet in 2hrs 57 mins. Rather slow overall mainly because 5 miles were off road and 1 of them was spent pushing or shouldering the bike due to a combination of either gradient, boggy ground or water!

A very windy day and it looked and felt like it could rain at any moment but it didn't

Whilst riding into Longnor I saw a LHD British Cycling liveried Skoda approaching from the opposite direction followed a few hundred yards later by 4 cyclists clad completely in black. With snoods over their faces and shades I could not even tell if they were boys or girls.
Obviously elite athletes on one of the BC programmes. I thought that they seemed a bit over wrapped up as it wasn't that cold.

I wondered if the BC car was on an essential journey but then realised that the cyclists would probably get lost without it, not have a nice warm drink available and no spare wheel if they got a puncture!
I hope they appreciate how fortunate they are, especially in these uncertain times.

Lucky Buggers!