Outside the Eureka – photo courtesy of the Eureka Cafe Staff
One of the most anticipated events in the Southport Cycling Club calendar is the annual ride to the famous Eureka Café near Chester. Last year’s ride was the most successful yet so the pressure was on to raise the bar even further.
Ready for the Start
The meeting point for most riders was the Ainsdale police station just after nine on a Sunday morning and you could smell the excitement in the air or was it extra chamois cream? The route would take us through Crosby and into the centre of Liverpool from there we would take the Kingsway tunnel under the river Mersey to Birkenhead.
Cycling through the tunnel is very different to driving in a car, it’s quite a surreal experience, passing traffic, echoes of voices, the reflected lights and as the gradients change the speeds become more laboured however with everyone in good spirits we exited into the daylight in record time. From the tunnel we headed for the back roads of the Wirral, through picturesque villages and rural idol, finally, on the outskirts of Puddington we arrived at the hallowed Eureka Café.
Inside the Eureka Cafe
The Café has existed in one form or another since 1929 and has served food and drink to many national and international cycling hero’s but today was all about Southport Cycling Club.
We had some hero’s with us on the ride, the youngest rider, James Holloway, 12 years old and sat right in the peloton the whole distance, whilst Derek Unsworth, 72 years young gave a master class in experienced riding. It’s not oftena club can boast a 60 year age gap on the same ride and we are rightly proud of all members.
On the edge of the River Dee at Parkgate
Following a well-earned re-fuel in the café the ride progressed smoothly, no mechanicals or drama’s and we headed for the traditional photo opportunity on the banks of the river Dee just by the town of Parkgate. A friendly local kindly offered to take the group photo with just one exception, our very own Ian Bailey who had sneaked off to buy ice cream, probably part of his training for next years’ time trial season, however promptly dropped the ice cream minutes later.
The return route took us through Heswall, Moreton, around the New Brighton sea front and back through the tunnel, although this year with no official police escort.
Once back on the right side of the river we took a more pragmatic route back to Southport via Thornton and coasted to Southport.
80 miles, over twenty riders (counted as 25 byAllan Taylor), no rain, no punctures, no breakdowns, one dropped ice cream, pretty much the perfect day out on the bike.
Who’s Gurning
Oops!
Report from Neil Robinson, pictures, Neil, Peter Scott and the Eureka Cafe.
