We had a very successful inaugural ride of the Shropshire and Staffordshire Group on the 11th March. 7 tandems, 1 triple and a solo joined the ride from Market Drayton to Eccleshall in surprisingly dry weather conditions. It was nice to meet so many new people, especially as some had driven a considerable distance (over 45 miles) to join us. It was great to have two families in the group and the average age of the riders was reduced considerably with Ben and Daisy pedalling along with us. After the initial climb out of Market Drayton we cycled along small country lanes and made good time despite another hill at High Offley (the clue was in the name). Our lunch stop was at Fletcher’s garden centre where the service was excellent despite them being very busy because of Mother’s Day. After a good chat getting to know each other over lunch, one tandem left us to make their short way home. Part way along the route our average age increased considerably when Daisy and her parents on the triple left us to make their way home via a more direct route. We arrived back in Market Drayton at 3.30pm and despite a couple of flooded roads and one puncture the ride went very smoothly. As previously mentioned, we are intending to run rides every month on the 2nd Sunday whenever possible, so the next date for the Group diaries is the 8th of April. We hope to have as many riders turn out for a 33 mile ride from Newport (the Shropshire one not the one in Wales!) to Roden, with lunch at the Flowerpot Café in Roden Nurseries. We are looking forwards to meeting some new friends again and welcoming more riders to the Group. We are keen to ensure we ride all over the Group region so if members of the Group would like a future ride to start near them then just either volunteer to lead a ride (perhaps your favourite local route) or just send details of a suitable start point (preferably a free car park with no height barriers and toilets nearby) and a midway lunch stop that can accommodate up to 20 cyclists. We will be happy to organise the rest if we have that at least