Sheep, socks, sleet and glorious mud with Axe Valley Pedallers

Savouring much of what our beautiful corner of the world has to offer, the riders have taken in sights like the Donkey Sanctuary, Kilmington, Lyme Regis and Honiton Garden Centre.

AVP riders have thoroughly enjoyed these roundabout routes, which inevitably included flooded roads, lots of mud and grit, punctures, and on the first such ride, a sheep caught up in a hedge, which Becca managed very expertly to disentangle and set free.

Bill was out in his new waterproof socks, which were fully tested by the elements, as the rain and sleet came in bucket loads. While it had been forecast, winter pedalling is always a fun challenge and such minor problems as these have not put us off from getting out on the bikes.

Also, the first ten-mile time trial of the year, organised by Exeter Wheelers, took place with three AVP riders shaking off the Christmas excesses to record some hugely impressive results.

Jimmy Richards produced a star ride of 25'23", placing him second overall in the standings. The event was also livened up by four young ladies from Exeter Wheelers, all wearing striped garb and riding together, prompting the comment that they looked like a swarm of bees.

Some people just love riding their bike through a load of mud in the SW Cyclo Cross series race events, and Clive Heard, proudly representing the Axe Valley Pedallers, is one such person who absolutely relishes the wet and cold and plenty of mud.

Although the results were not as good as he had hoped, it won't deter him from enjoying the events, the daunting task of cleaning his bike and, no doubt, going back for more challenging rides in the future. Well done Clive for keeping us all entertained and thanks to David Gray for some amazing photos.

Winter pedalling brings all the challenges that make us even more grateful for the summer season.

Riding through the rain (Image: AVP)

Muddy Cyclo-Cross (Image: AVP)