The Simmons family, who had apparently contrived to dominate the first ride of the New Year, just failed to achieve a majority thanks to the determination of Luke, Steve, Kevin and the sun in coaxing Michael from his death bed.

Such were the scenic delights between Avonwick and Diptford that an icy darkness had descended on arrival at Rattery. These conditions, whilst no doubt being ideal for Luke to test his new dynamo, did Michael no good at all, although warm refreshments at Summerlands went some way towards rectifying the situation.

The charades evening was most enjoyable, giving everyone a chance to demonstrate both their own miming skills and their skill at interpreting other people's mimes.

The run to Avonwick was enlivened by a bumpy, muddy track where Richard once again demonstrated his tendency to part company with his mount. Having met up with the Torbay Section we took the B3210 skirting Ugborough and Ermington, then joined the A379 for a short distance before turning off towards Clyng Mill.

The steep descent to the mill was negotiated without mishap, only to find that our destination was a private residence and the lane was barred by a gate. Undeterred we ate our lunch in a field overlooking the creek, then continued to Aveton Gifford where four or five energetic types decided to return home via Kingsbridge and Torcross. The rest of us made our way towards Loddiswell, then through Woodleigh and Moreleigh where the trio from Buckfastleigh parted company from the group to head home via Diptford and Rattery as the late afternoon drizzle set in.

A strong south-westerly wind made the journey to the Bickington pick-up virtually effortless (for those who had not been put off by earlier spells of rain). The Torbay group, however, were not at all amused by it and needed rest before tackling the hill towards Sigford.

The real fun began at Bagtor House when Luke noticed he had a puncture. Everyone watched the repair with smug contentment until first Andrew, then Glenn and finally Super Shopper realised that they, too, had punctures. A little further down the road Super Shopper bit the dust again with punctures in front and rear wheels. By the time the group had arrived at Halshanger both Simon Whale and Super Shopper had acquired further punctures, so lunch was taken in what appeared to be a warm, sheltered glade halfway up the hill. Unfortunately it proved to be neither sheltered nor warm, so the picnic was not an extended affair.

It was not difficult to understand how Cold East Cross came by its name as the group fought their way through the bitter force nine winds and painful sleet showers that swept the surrounding area. There was opportunity to shelter, however, at Pudsham Down (actually quite close the planned destination) before saying farewell to the ponies and setting off for the lower reaches of the moor near Buckland and Spitchwick.

Here at last was sunshine and tranquillity – almost a different world. The sight of canoeists shooting the rapids of the Dart at New Bridge would not have been nearly so absorbing had one poor lad not capsized, leaving other members of his club to rescue his canoe and oar which had set off in two different directions.

Hot refreshments, a log fire and videos at Redmount concluded another interesting winter ride.

Several members decided to invest some of their savings in gear upgrades after attending this educational social.

A record twenty-eight cyclists converged on the Chudleigh Bridge pick-up despite the rather miserable weather conditions. A sheltered area towards the upper and of Bridford Wood, near Steps Bridge, was selected for lunch, after which the somewhat hazardous descent to Moretonhampstead was undertaken. On this occasion it was Ben who demonstrated his stuntman skills on one of the hairpins, in Brett’s absence.

The division at Wray Barton was conclusive in its confirmation of the A382 as the quickest route to the Primrose tearooms at Lustleigh, the only remaining problem being the capacity of the seating arrangements (and the cake table). Andrew Billington kindly solved the problem by arranging an awkward puncture in his rear wheel which not only took a team of helpers to repair but also provided considerable entertainment for those in the café.

Having enjoyed the first puncture so much Andy decided to try another along the old railway track, failing to realise that on this occasion the response from the group would be less favourable. By the time Martin had joined in the fun and everyone had regrouped at Bovey it was nearly dark, but the day had nevertheless been thoroughly enjoyable.

Skirting Ashburton we climbed by way of Hele Cross and Ausewell Cross to a mist-shrouded Buckland Common. The mist thickened as we passed Rippon Tor but we shook it off as we crossed Bonehill Down and dropped into Widecombe, where tea, toast and cakes in the Wayside café restored morale and fortified us for the homeward leg of our journey.

Regular readers will know that there is a certain member whose inability to complete a ride without falling off is semi-legendary: he duly obliged, Ponsworthy Splash being the scene of today’s tumble.

At Leusdon Common we forked left to pass the church and Lower Town. While descending the delightful lane to Spitchwick, John Stuart’s front tyre was found to be in a zero-inflation situation. A new tube was quickly inserted and just as quickly deflated, so having arranged that we would telephone John’s father we left him in the gathering gloom and returned to Buckfastleigh via Hembury Woods – hope you got home alright John!

A lapse of memory on the part of the Video Librarian resulted in a last-minute substitution of Ghostbusters for Wargames, the latter having been carefully selected during the preceding weeks through the medium of numerous questionnaires, painstakingly completed by all members. The film was reasonably entertaining but lacked the impact of a cinema presentation.

Only main roads were passable on this beautiful winter morning, so Dittisham was really a non-starter. And anyway, there are better things to do with snow than push an unwilling bike through it!

The five brave souls who turned up at Buckfastleigh station soon became four as Willard Minor decided that sitting in a warm house was preferable to sitting on a cold bike. We arrived at Avonwick to find the Torbay contingent awaiting us and were soon heading towards Bittaford.

In view of the biting wind and the threat of snow over the moors it was decided to abandon the scheduled trip up the course of the old Red Lake mineral railway, and we returned to Buckfastleigh where Michael had kindly invited us to eat our lunch at his house.

[Andrew, Jane an Suzie did not take part in the main ride.]