The Christmas Cotswold Trundle 
The Christmas Cotswold Trundle
One advantage of standing on top of a step ladder is that you can reach things you couldn't otherwise, and you can also see a lot further. Another advantage is that you can avoid being on an exposed motorbike when the forecast is 60mph winds with lashings of horizontal rain. And so it came to pass that many of the Usual Suspects showed so much Discretion that they are known as the Valourous Ones, while a small select group instead showed so much Valour that they are now known as the Cold & Wet Ones. The final monthly ride of 2007 boasted a wonderful and carefully constructed route around Oxonian country roads, sufficient normally to rally the troops in great numbers and even greater spirit. However a curious number of pressing engagements (entirely unconnected to the forecast cold and wet of course) reduced the number of bikers to a still respectable eight. Undaunted, the group set out, venturing north from Winchester's Winnal junction beyond our more traditional territory, even crossing over the Big Blue Border (sorry, but respecting biker sensitivities, the M-word is taboo - ssshhh, you know the consequences of even thinking about it). A brisk pace set the scene for some very wide grins, acquired as the group meandered through the likes of Eynsham, Carterton, Burford and Bicester. Unfortunately, as the morning session drew to a close, the excitement proved a little too much for one member. It is often said a little detachment can immensely improve one's riding. However it seems to have been misinterpreted on this occasion, and it was necessary to explain that this was normally meant as detachment from emotions, not detachment from the tarmac. This outcome is traditionally deterred by the threat of having to pay for lunch, but the strategy is not always successful. Still, metal can be mended, and so can ribs. Recreational biking always carries some risk, but there again so does standing on top of a step ladder. And ROSPA's advanced rider training is so much more comprehensive than its ladder course. One rider did get to indulge a long-held latent fantasy of dressing up in borrowed police garb to direct the traffic for a while. There were unfair rumours he really wanted the chance to dress as a WPC, but there's only so much you can do with a HiViz vest (you should have seen the moves though - you might have been persuaded). With lunch over, and the group's number depleted by one horizontal rider and by another with a greater desire to remain dry and vertical rather than have to start grinning again, the plucky bunch returned home, notching up a total of 275 miles, and bringing to an end a wonderful year of Sunday rides. But not before the group had assembled its Christmas Wish list. Most votes went to (i) cheaper fuel, (ii) prison sentences for drivers with no rear observation skills, (iii) ritual humiliation and public stoning for "careful drivers" who consistently do 45 mph in a 60mph zone followed immediately and without any disturbance to their rhythm by 45mph in a 30mph zone, and (iv) an invitation to carry bags for Euan and Charlie on their next trip, the Long Way Diagonally. Strangely, no-one seemed to want a partridge in pear tree. Oh, and don't forget the ROADAR HiViz vests, please ! Maybe not as sexy as police garb, but who knows? One day we'll find out!