Despite a thin turnout, our Christmas Lunch ride to the Ilsington Country Hotel delivered: a sunny climb, an hour in the pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, then a fine three-course feast. A steep coffee price rise sent us home early, with Zac’s troublesome brakes and the deepening cold sharpening the descents.

Our traditional music quiz brought festive noise and high spirits, with Ashley’s team taking a convincing win. Ryan’s proud shout for the Itchy and Scratchy theme set the tone, while Scott only chipped in on the TV rounds as Ben, Glen and Ryan fell short.

An extra Christmas Eve ride, arranged for John’s brief visit, switched from the planned Venford Reservoir to a lively circuit of Hembury Woods, linking tracks along its length. Chocolate Orange bars by the river and an after-ride social rounded off a cheerful morning.

A light-hearted Christmas Special mixed computer games and mince pies with a nostalgic downhill video from Norway, before a Charades finale that had everyone laughing. Zac won ahead of Ashley, and the pair shared generous vouchers for the club shop.

A planned dash before the forecast noon rain became a puncture saga when Charlie drove a huge thorn through his tyre and the spare tube wouldn’t fit. We cut short via the river path, Matt impressed on his first ride, and reached Buckfastleigh at 12:01 as the rain began, then computer games at Crofters.

Flume races were the focus at the Riviera International Centre, Torquay: early strugglers Ben and Scott cut their times sharply, and Matt and Michael shared the win in 14.2 seconds. A pity Zac and Josh couldn’t make it due to transport problems.

With rain forcing us to abandon Broadhempston, six of us salvaged a short loop in the Hembury woods, taking the riverside path and ending with a brisk descent to the bridge. New bikes were shown off; spirits dipped in the showers, but we were glad to have braved it for a group photo.

Our fortnightly games evening revolved around competitive play, with Bomberman and Rise of the Witch King setting the tone while the Xbox 360 took centre stage.

A sunny ride to Stover Country Park blended fast roads, woodland paths and Frisbee, and was defined by the younger riders’ efforts. Alex chased back after starting at the wrong place, Scott’s back pain forced a pick-up, and Ash rounded it off by completing his longest, hardest ride.

An evening preview focused on our Easter tour to the Somerset Levels and Quantocks, with film from our 2004 visit that proved eye‑opening for the younger riders. Interested members should ask Michael for the booklet; applications are for those riding with us several weeks and aiming for Level 3 by end‑February.

Our biggest mid‑winter turnout in years and the return of familiar faces set the tone: sunshine to Spitchwick, then a wintry shower home via Hembury. A passing canoeist fished our football from the icy Dart as Josh kept rescuing a Frisbee from a tree.

A quiet games evening pivoted on a single twist: in Battle for Middle Earth 2, Zac turned on team‑mate Ben when Ben couldn’t fund the rebuilding of his fortress, transforming a routine network skirmish into a memorable grudge match.