If the early bird catches the worm, it is the early cyclist that catches the quieter roads, the pick of the tables in the café, and the excellent café breakfasts!

It was with trepidation that I cycled to the Market Place today. I had been informed earlier in the week that my chosen café was notorious for being busy on a Sunday, so we perhaps wouldn’t get a table and may need to change venue on the fly. Then, a late-night text gave me the heads-up that I may also need to change the route slightly due to a road closure. To top it all there were Facebook notifications from riders who had decided they would not be joining the ride due to the outrageously early start. Needless to say, it was a great relief when Ian and I saw Nick with his bike in the car park, and we were subsequently joined by five other riders in the Market Place for the 7:30am start.

The roads really were noticeable quiet as we made our way to Benson, so for most of the ride out we were able to ride and chat comfortably. After the river bridge crossing at Wallingford, another rider travelling in the opposite direction, turned out to be Jez. He had avoided a 5am alarm call by cycling over from home to join us for breakfast.

There were plenty of free tables at the Waterside café, and the service and breakfasts were excellent.

The roads were slightly busier on the way home, but the ride remained incident free.

Thank you so much to everyone who made the early morning start a worthwhile effort, especially Louis and Nick who must have had very tired legs after all the rides they have completed this week.