• Ride 1. Awayday Crab and Winkle Ride
• Ride 2. Butterfly Count Ride

Awayday ride to the Crab and Winkle Way

Ride Leader – Jamie. 10 riders.

Poor weather forecast led to much discussion between Jamie and Rides Co-ordinator Bruce. In the end decided to go ahead.

Riders gathered at Faversham Station in steady rain and significant wind. Consensus was to give the ride a go and everyone set off for Whitstable. Here is Jamies report

Rain 75%, Overcast 85%, Sunshine 0%, Riders 10.   After a brief coffee stop we set off in very light rain for Whitstable via Seasalter along some quiet backroads with Nigel and Mike sharing as backmarker duties and Andrew marshalling. It wasn’t long before we had to stop to put on our wet weather kit as the rain set in with a vengeance. Near Goodnestone one of our riders had an unfortunate fall from her bike due we think to a pothole. She was swiftly and kindly looked after by some local folk who had stopped as well as our concerned riders including Sue who’s nursing expertise was called upon for the second week in a row. Being in the middle of nowhere the casualty was driven straight to hospital by another kindly passing motorist. The rest of us carried on and reached Whitstable where we met-up with Anne. We all decided that Scampi and chips in the seaside Pub was a far better idea than Fish & Chips on the wind-swept beach in the torrential rain. Suitably replenished, Only Mary seemed able to lead us to the beginning of the steep ascent of the Crab & Winkle Way. After a significant climb we then traversed its muddy puddle infested ridge before our rapid descent down into Canterbury where we deposited most of our riders to their correct rail stations so that they had time to do battle with the trains. With the weather starting to improve 4 mad riders including myself decided to cycle back to Faversham cross country along the picturesque River Stour which took a couple of hours and was excellently led by Nigel. After a 30 min train delay and a celebratory drink at Faversham we all got home at a reasonable time. Although this ride was not what most of the participants signed up for it certainly ended up being a triumph against adversities. Those present can take pride in knowing that Southwark Cyclist riders continue to step-up when required. 
Comments on WhatsApp from riders:
Anne: Thanks for yesterday Jamie...despite various mishsps and not the best weather a good cycle was had. Hope the accident victim is doing well and recovering. Thsnks again.
Sally: Thanks for organising  and leading a great trip Jamie!
Sue: Yes lovely ride yesterday, thanks Jamie really enjoyed it. Great day out.

The Incident

On this ride we dealt with the most serious incident that has occurred in 10 years with over 500 Healthy Rides. One rider had a fall at normal speed that caused a serious knee injury requiring emergency surgery and 3 days in hospital. Riding conditions had deteriorated and heavy rain was falling. One rider was a nurse and attended the injured rider. We were also helped by 2 local people, one a nurse, and a motorist who stopped to help. The injured rider was in great pain and clearly neded to get to the nearest A&E. 999 call led to advice that there would be a delay approachng an hour before an ambulance would be available. The motorist offered to take the rider to Kent and Canterbury Hospital, a 17 minute drive. In order to keep the subject’s leg straight and supported there was no room in the car for anyone from the ride to accompany them (note as well as the driver, her dog also had to be accomodated). It was considered that riding not accompanied by someone from the ride was the best option available especially as it meant the subject was out of the rain and would reach hospital quickly.

Since the incident the rider has gone home and is recovering. Several weeks of limited mobillity are in prospect. Hopefully the the rider will be back on her bike in the not too distant future.

Butterfly Count Ride 2023

Report from Ride leader Bruce: Rain 30%, Overcast 70%, Sunshine 0%, Riders 6. Butterflies 0. The story of today’s Lepidoptera ride. Enjoyed our verdant parks. And the coffee at the Little Cat Cafe. In fact enjoyed the whole ride!

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