Yes, we realise that if we are being pedantic then we might suggest that Winter hasn’t actually arrived yet. Nonetheless if it is good enough for shops to advertise Christmas in July then the precedent has been set and it is good enough for us. The germ of the idea for the Winter Training Bus began following our ride to the start of the SCCC Lymm ride on Saturday which took in part of the route of our old E2E training ride. I came over all nostalgic, so I put it to Sarah that we might have a cycle ride around the old route.

This soon took on a life of its own and before long I had received warm responses from the old E2E team regarding the possibility of re-running the ride on a weekly basis over winter.

Tonight was our first run. And what a great night it was! The Autumn weather was pleasantly warm. And we soon set off just like old times, negotiating turns and passages from memory as if it was yesterday the last time we had cycled the route.

The route, though only around 17 miles, is an urban  ride around Stockport and Manchester during rush hour, taking in Cheadle, Gatley, Didsbury, Burnage and Heaton Moor. Almost miraculously however you wouldn’t know it was rush hour since it takes in quiet streets and cycle paths.

It takes about 2 hours and we are all home by 7pm. It’s called a Bus since it follows a regular route at a regular time and riders ‘hop’ on board at their nearest point and then continue round to complete the loop back to their starting point. So we all cycle the same distance, just starting and finishing at different points.

Judging by the response after tonight’s ride we are all glad that the Bus is back. The nights may be drawing in earlier and the temperatures dropping, however a weekly midweek ride is to be welcomed and we are all looking forward to next week when we can once again send out our text message declaring ‘I’m on the Bus tonight’

…Fancy hopping on the Bus yourself next week? All welcome.

The Winter Training Bus route is shown below: