The sun was shining when I opened the blinds and with the arrangement to meet Derek at Knockhill corner at 9.15 in place I set off looking forward to the trip.
Derek appeared on the A823 just ahead of me and we set off up Knockhill. There must have been a track day on as a few cars were heading up at the same time. The drivers tend to be younger and seem to enjoy cars with modified exhausts and blacked out rear windows. The interesting thing is that they all seem to respect bikers and give plenty of space.
I was feeling strong today and the climb to the top of the hill was pretty easy. It was only at the top that I noticed the wind and it seemed to be picking up. From Knockhill we climbed over Dunning Glen which was just stunning. I said to Derek that we don't get the temperatures that they get down south but getting out into Dunning Glen in 3 layers, longs and winter gloves makes up for it in so many ways. It is my favourite place to cycle of all the routes that we do. I'm pretty sure that we saw Alan and Sean from DCC heading in the opposite direction going towards coffee in Dollar with the rest of the club.
We descended slowly past the Simon Howie farm chatting about some of Derek's cycling ideas which if they come to fruition will be brilliant for Fife.
We turned left in Dunning and fought the wind all the way over to Auchterarder. It had picked up and it we took turns to lead to get a short rest from the blustery conditions. The last climb up to Cafe Kisa seemed to go on and on and when you arrive in the village you keep thinking that you are there as all of the houses look the same.
We didn't have a huge amount of time so ordered our usual drinks and fruit scone, the food of all Saturday cyclists in our regular seats by the window. They are a wee bit away from from the main seating area which is probably good for the other customers as two sweaty bikers would not be my idea of good company! The scones in Cafe Kisa are the best in the area and I'm sure they were the reason Derek chose today's route. The service is awesome and it is our current favourite stop off.
We jumped back onto the bikes and headed up through Glen Devon and with a following wind the climb seemed fairly easy. It was still fair but the wind had picked up and the clouds were building from the west. When we started our final climb an RV went past towing a boat. There was no traffic but the driver still pulled in far, too early almost taking out Derek as the boat swung in. Derek, the coolest biker on the planet was tested to the full and shared his thoughts with the driver adding a hand gesture to make his mistake clearer. We ride at our own risk but it's frustrating when drivers are careless.
So I swung off towards Saline and home. I had to get back to pick up Rebecca, my daughter off the bus from St Andrews where she is a student. She complained that she never gets a mention in the blog so here you go! It's great that she's here for the weekend!
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