St Ybard Charade 2009

Saturday 3rd July 2009.

So here we are again up in the over-heated attic with a half-drunk pint of Paul’s St Ybard 2009 ale at our side trying to remember how we reported all this rubbish last year. In a flurry of expletives, Dave Elliot has just given up on trying to download today’s pictures. Apparently an essential piece of apparatus is not available to us despite explicit instructions having been given to our host to purchase one. Card reader is its name. There is a conflagration in the garden which indicates that the incineration of bits of duck is about to begin. Barbecue is its name. Ill-temper emanates from the kitchen where the first procedural disagreements of the year between our two chefs, Paul and Denbo, have just begun. It’s great to be back.

Today we had a welcome guest on our ride, Rob, dad of the lovely Emma Potter. He made the one hour drove north from his place in Laborie to arrive here about 9.30 just as we were finishing breakfast. This meal had required two trips into the village by eight blokes because the first expeditionary party had failed to bring back butter and jam to go on the bread. Stupid boys! The discipline imparted by Rob’s arrival resulted in our departure on today’s bike ride at the unearthly hour of 10.20; previously unheard of organisation.

Only Denbo stayed at base camp and he was charged with a shopping list for the local Supermarket. This was quite a momentous day as it signalled Paul Martin’s return to riding a road bike following his horrendous crash of September last year. In hot weather we climbed out of St Ybard and along the ridge before plunging down into the Vezere valley at Comborn and climbing out to Estivaux. Then it was along the road to Perpezac le Noir for beers and coffees and a rest. Another daunting 10 kms saw at us at the lake at Vigeios for an al fresco luncheon and a post-prandial kip in the shade of the trees. It had to be done; at 3 o’clock we returned up the climb out of the Vezere and back to St Ybard. We’d done 36 miles at a pedestrian pace in hot weather and we’d stayed together all day. Well done to Paul, Norman and Mick Sutton; we have seen too little of them this year so far. Dave and Martin availed themselves of the new hydrotherapy facility as soon as we got back. Rob returned south. It was good to have shared the day with him. Quote of the day? “Who should we appoint as wine connoisseur for this trip?” “Denbo? He’s always whining!”