It's amazing how a large turn-out can make people forget the most basic club rules. Whilst half the group were deciding whether to risk the muddy track or take the road alternative, the leading bunch proceeded along the track. There was nothing wrong with that, but when Michael and a few others followed a few minutes later and reached the cross-tracks there was nobody to be seen and no indication of which way they had gone! Ten minutes were spent investigating each of the three alternatives, but no evidence was found to help us. We waited a little longer in case they came back to find us, but in the end we just took the planned route, which happened to be left, and hoped that they'd sort themselves out.

This turned out to be extremely muddy, much to Dave Robinson's delight. As we struggled through the mud we were greeted with the happy voices of the missing cyclists: apparently they had selected the right turn and just happened to meet up with the roadies on their road alternative route!