Another flat ride from Poynton, but this is one with a sting at the beginning - it's an 11 o'clock start (that's the one at night) so you will definitely need your lights. However, we don't go through any big towns on the way so you shouldn't have too much problem with rowdy pub customers. You also have a good chance of riding with a like-paced group.
It's a ride to mid-Wales, specifically Newtown, and back. The first stop is on the Whitchurch bypass where you'll find a nice warm 24-hour McDonalds for a coffee and doughnut.
Next it's Dinky's Diner, a bit of a legend in Audaxing circles. It's a 24-hour roadside diner on the outskirts of Shrewsbury where we often mix with clubbers on their way home not quite sure what to make of us (nor we them I suppose!).
The dawn chorus serenades our ride into Montgomeryshire to reach Newtown for a breakfast of porridge and coffee at McDonalds, before returning to Dinky's for breakfast number two (full English if you can manage it).
The end is in sight by now as we return via Montford Bridge heading for the Old Priest House cafe in Audlem.
There is a sting in the tail for this ride as we climb the 'Col de Birtles' near the end. It is by no means a mountain, but it can certainly feel like one with nearly 200 miles in the legs as you climb from Redesmere on the way back to Poynton.
