Our advertising campaign for this special National Bike Week Invitation Ride certainly produced results, with a little help from the weather of course. The groups from our four starts made their separate ways to Broadhempston, arriving at exactly 3.15pm as planned.

Looking back on it, someone should really have warned the village council about our impending onslaught. We filled the village square with a colourful array of bright clothing and shiny cycles. Never before has the village seen such a sight.

Even more amazing, however, was the surprise in store for Denbury. Many of the youngsters were desperate for water, so Nick opened up the primary school and filled a steady stream of water bottles from the kitchen tap! He is, of course, a teacher at the school, and just happened to have the school keys with him.

The visit to Denbury was prolonged somewhat by Steven's puncture and Rohan's hub brake problem, but eventually the various groups returned to their origins and left Denbury at peace once again. Poor Christopher learned the hard way that braking on gravel can be risky, getting some fine grazes on his knees. But we got him and everyone else home in the end after a thoroughly successful ride, finishing by exploring the Pridhamsleigh track in the best possible direction - downwards.