After a few minutes spent truing Luke's wheel (damaged last week), we headed off along the old A38. Just climbing into Ashburton Richard's tyre deflated loudly enough for everyone to hear. The tyre needed patching, and these delays meant that we arrived at the pick-up point at Chudleigh Bridge about 20 minutes late. I hope no one thought they had missed us. The A38 had been busy, but traffic on the Teign Valley road was surprisingly light, given that it was a bank holiday Monday. The first track, from Steps Bridge to Clifford Bridge, was generally a good surface, but had enough ruts in it to give Matthew misgivings on his skinny‑tyred machine. We stopped by the river for lunch and a paddle. Matthew took the road alternative for the next stretch to Fingle Bridge, which is a little rougher.

We were disappointed to find the shop closed, so no ice creams. Luke and Martin compensated us with an attempt to ride across the river, a hopeless task, and Martin discovered it was waist deep in places. Nothing would drag Matthew along Hunters' Path, so we arranged to meet at the main road. Luke decided to ride all the way up the path while the rest of us walked. We had a pleasant 15 minutes in the sun, admiring the view, while Luke stuttered his way up. The descent below Castle Drogo made the climb worthwhile and we met up with Matthew as agreed. A cafe stop was now necessary, as we were all fairly thirsty, so we headed straight for Moretonhampstead.

A couple of miles south of the town Martyn encountered some bad news: his front brake cable snapped and the springs on the cantilever brakes pulled the straddle cable down on to his front wheel. Result: instant stop and Martyn flying over the top. He had a cut on his head, ugly scrapes on his shoulder and hip, and couldn't move his thumb. The good news: (a) no one ran him over, (b) a car stopped immediately with a retired nurse in it. By the time Richard got back Martyn had been made comfortable and the ambulance called. They took him back to Moretonhampstead for a local doctor to assess whether he needed treatment in Torbay. Richard and Matthew stayed with him while the rest of the group made their way home. The doctor decided no further treatment was necessary and we had the two of them picked up by car.