A selection of the 37 intrepid cyclists who braved the cold weather to enjoy a gloriously sunny day, at Clayton Hill just north of Waltham Abbey, the highest point of the route and a full 71m above sea level.

A ride report from Dave A:

The day was a bit frosty, but sunny and looked ideal for a gentle potter along the river. Lots of others thought so too, and I met 25 of them on the Green Bridge for the start of this ride. There was a second pick-up point, where another nine joined, making this a record for the year,  and – apart from the glamour ride and last year’s Frank Haines charity ride – a record for the decade and century too!

We headed to Victoria Park initially, in two groups because there were so many of us. Then, onto the Lea via Fish Island, with a view of the Olympic Stadium, which looked fine in the morning sun. The towpath was fairly quiet, so good progress was made, except by one of the many Davids on the ride (not this one I’m pleased to say), who suffered the first of his three punctures during the day.

The second meeting point was Springfield cafe, by which time we numbered 37. Bit of a problem for the cafe, to cope with 37 already-hungry (always-hungry?) cyclists at once, but they did sterling work with the tea pot, and we were on our way. Next point of interest was a pair of rowers who had just overturned their double-sculling boat, and were struggling to get out. Whilst it was a nice day to be beside the river, it wasn’t a great one to be in it!

Onwards, along route 1, past Tottenham Hale and Stonebridge lock, and then over to the other side up to Enfield lock. We called in at the Lea Valley White Water centre, where the Olympic kayaking is to be held. The venue is man-made – a large concrete channel and some powerful pumps – and it looks to be an exciting place to go kayaking. In the summer you can try white-water rafting on the course as well, which could be fun.

We had lunch at the Water Sports centre, and managed to eat their cafe out of food – maybe a bit of work for LOCOG to do here. Most of us managed to get more or less fed however, and we cycled on. There were options to cycle to Broxbourne or Ware for the train back, with groups for each station evenly split. After another puncture (*) a small group detached from the Ware team at the back of the ride and found the café at Dobbs Weir still open, so after a tea and cake stop only made it as far as Rye House station. Then, back on the train to Hackney Downs, and a final cycle home, where the ride ended (for me in the Palm Tree, for a very welcome pint).

Thanks to ride leader Caroline for her usual excellent organisation, and to Alex, Chris and Nick for helping lead and back-mark. It was good to see such a big turn-out, with a mixture of new and old faces – hope to see all of you again soon.

* A much reduced puncture count compared to last year - only four in total, and three of those for the same person (who has probably been looking at new tyres by now!)

Dave