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Romance was in the air this week. The long group did a fabulous ride direct out to Algreave, up the Dunbars. Reaching the cafe were Kevan, Andy, Dennis, Kevin, Craig, and two new riders. This is where Romance Number One comes in – our two new riders, Sian and Dan, have just come back from their (mountain-biking!) honeymoon, having got married two weeks ago! Some of you might remember Sian from a couple of years ago from the track – she’s Faith Murray’s daughter: I know many club members remember Faith from her riding days. Anyway Sian and Dan are v. strong, and with a few more clubruns in their legs there’ll be no stopping them – Sian used to be a rower, so she has Rebecca Romero as a role model. As for Romance Number Two – as we rode up to Allgreave, Dennis pointed over to the Matterhorn-like peak of Shutlingshoe, and told me that he’d proposed to his wife Marie up there. What a great place to propose – it’s a beautiful spot with a fantastic view – I’m not surprised Marie said yes! We rode back up and over Macc. Forest. We got back before 2 p.m. having ridden 60 miles, average speed 17 mph which isn’t bad considering the hills we climbed. Andy (recovering well from his accident) and Kevan took it in turns to set a relentless pace on the way back (into the wind) and we were singled-out and conversation-less all the way from Gawsworth.

p.s. best wishes to Alison Hornby if she’s reading this, for a speedy recovery from her broken leg

p.p.s. does anyone know why the Dunbars is called the Dunbars? There’s no mention of the name on the OS map so I’m intrigued.