Another new youngster, Ben Wyeth, joined us for the climb through Buckfast to Scoriton and Michelcombe. His gearless BMX bike was a little hard for climbing the hills, but he managed very well and was soon joining the others rolling tyres in Holne park.

The off-road was the bit Daniel had been waiting for, and he wasn't at all disappointed with the long winding woodland track leading down to River Dart Country Park. There was a little mud at the end, but that just made it even more fun from Daniel's point of view. The ride finished with the riverside track from the park back to Hembury Woods, along which Jamie had to take out his car foot-pump three times to re-inflate his tyre. After the ride we discovered that the puncture was caused by another enormous thorn from the 26 January ride - which increases the puncture count for that ride to seven!

Daniel learned some of the strategies required to be successful at the amazing PC game: Total Annihilation.

We hadn't been able to book a court until 9pm, so we started the evening with some computer games and then enjoyed an hour sharing two courts at Dyrons, Newton Abbot. Everyone was able to join in the fun, and several showed great promise.

A perfect spring morning offered ideal weather conditions for our first 2003 excursion to the Avon Dam. Joe did not relish the prospect of climbing all those hills on his BMX, so Tao took him back to Michael's to collect a mountain bike on the way to Dean Prior. Soon we were off again, but Michael's blowout necessitated another bike swap before we had finished the climb past Nurston.

The hills seemed never ending to the new youngsters, so Michael helped Joe and Tommy to pace themselves and select appropriate gears: soon they were climbing long hills without stopping, and feeling very pleased with their new-found skills.

The car park at Shipley Bridge was full to overflowing, so our progress up the picturesque riverside path to the dam was a little slower than usual. It wasn't long before the huge wall of the dam came into view: Ben, who had never seen it, was quite stunned by its enormity. We weren't exactly early after the morning's delays, but we made time to lay on the grass overlooking the water, to chat and eat refreshments in the noonday sun.

The final part of our route, across the open moor behind the reservoir, was new to nearly all the youngsters. Ben made a long detour to avoid crossing the path of a moorland cow, only to watch it scuttle away as soon as Michael approached it. The promised panoramic views from the top of the hill did not materialise, being obscured by a thick haze, but the downhill to Cross Furzes proved every bit as exciting as Michael had predicted. Tommy managed to fly over his handlebars on the final descent, but he reckoned that was the best part of the ride!

This cracking Disney comedy, starring Bruce Willis as the man who meets himself as a child, was well received by all those present and marked the final social of the season.

Our turnout today was surprisingly good considering the twin adversaries of Mother's Day and the introduction of British Summer Time. The idea of visiting Spitchwick had been bouncing around for a few days, so it wasn't long before we were tackling Hembury Hill with a vengeance. Oliver, who had been fixing a late puncture, caught up with us just in time to spot a pair of deer in the woods not far from the road.

New protective fences had been erected around certain areas of Spitchwick Common to prevent erosion, but all the best bits were fence-free making it ideal for our usual Frisbee contests. We were all a bit sleepy today and could easily have settled down on the grass for hours, but the desire for lunch encouraged us to rouse ourselves for the long climb back to Gallant-Le-Bower. Ben really excelled himself today by putting in some real effort on the climbs, and Joe did the best he could with his BMX.

Oliver's worst nightmares turned real on the lower Hembury track when he got yet another puncture. He fixed it with all due speed while we gazed lazily from the grass verges, a bee adding to the distant babble of the brook, but when he had finished he discovered another puncture that needed his attention. Eventually we set off once more to enjoy the final descent through the woods to Buckfast and home.

New and (in some cases) expensive lighting systems abounded for our first evening ride of the summer season, so we were all eager for the sun to sink over the western horizon. The rich red sunset gradually gave way to darkness and the wonderful smells of the sleeping countryside. Our lights aided us easily through the quiet village of Landscove, and on the final climb to Green Lane we were all looking forward to a long season of exciting evening rides.

This was our first full-day ride since September, and the first ever full-day ride for our two youngsters, Ben and Joe. We started out with Colston Road and the cycle path from Dartington to Totnes, stopping briefly at Safeways for the benefit of those who had forgotten (or got up too late) to bring a packed lunch. We checked out the Hot Pursuit cycle shop in Fore Street and were able to verify that it is indeed closing down and that there are indeed some useful price reductions on a number of items.

Our plan was to take the scenic Sharpham Drive path to Ashprington - difficult on the sections designated as footpath only, but infinitely more fun than the long climb up Totnes Downhill! As we arrived at the entrance we noticed, with much excitement, a new cycle path sign a little way down the hill. The route quickly re-joined our familiar path and took us along many newly-laid cycle paths that made the whole experience highly enjoyable. The final two styles and steep climb had been circumvented by a new cycle path that skirted around the edge of the field and offered excellent views of the river Dart. We'll certainly be including this path again on future rides.

Looking for a riverside lunch spot on the descent from Ashprington we noticed a footpath on the left that we had never previously explored. The owner of the nearby house confirmed that the path led to the river, and even offered us exclusive use of her private garden and picnic table overlooking the stepping stones! It really was a perfect spot for lunch. Ben provided us with entertainment by struggling for a full 5 minutes to carry his bike across the stepping stones to the far bank of the creek.

The return route was always going to be tiring for Ben and Joe, but they coped admirably with Corkscrew hill and the subsequent climbs. Whilst they were close to breaking point after the final climb to Moreleigh, the flatter lanes to Diptford gave them new life. They both made it home, tired but very satisfied at their 27-mile achievement.