Club Sunday Ride to the Caffeine Project
John Chivers, Sunday, 16 March 2025
The Sunday impromptu ride today arose out of a conversation Kenny Kwok and I had previously had about the Caffeine Project, just off the A46 bypass near Binley Woods.
We've both frequented the place in the past and Kenny had suggested it as a possible start point for social rides.
For my part, it's my standard source for nice coffee beans, but the good lady Emma and I have stopped there in the past for a breakfast. A few in the club will know from social rides my appreciation for a nice porridge, and they do a fine fruit porridge there!
So, having arrived at the club this morning, while chatting with Kenny and Nick, the topic of a possible destination for the day's ad hoc ride came up and both Kenny and I were clearly thinking along similar lines.
I said I was planning to head to the Caffeine Project today in any case to stock up on coffee beans, my Christmas supply from my girls having just run out, so we settled fairly quickly on the idea.
Having asked if I wanted to lead it, I suggested Kenny do so, as I led last weekend's group ride and he stepped up to take it on, having bravely been nominated by Nick and me!
Naturally, travelling to the other side of Coventry could be a fairly short journey, if you didn't take the "biker's route".
Following the usual chats indoors, we mustered outside and, Nick having finished a stint on car park sentry duty, twelve of us assembled for a quick briefing by Kenny before heading off.
Kenny's ad-libbed route took us from the club via Finham, Stoneleigh, Cubbington, then via Rugby and Leamington Road to pick up the Fosse.
A clear run over the Avon at the bridge in Bretford and we turned left, heading to Brandon and then into Binley Woods, where, just before getting to the new flyover at the A46 bypass, we turned left into the Caffeine Project, just under an hour after departing the Jag club.
While the group queued up to order, Kenny and I headed into the small deli at one end of the building, where I headed straight for my normal coffee beans and Kenny sourced some honey.
A fresh day weather wise, but it stayed dry, with the exception of what can only be described as a pathetic dribble as headed out from Stoneleigh.
Situated at the back of the group as the tail-end rider, I have to say, the group riding on display today was really good. The group staggered well throughout, worked well at junctions and Kenny did a good job of ensuring to ease off at strategic points to allow the group to stay together when it might otherwise have been tricky and we could have easily become split up.
If you choose to check it out, it's worth getting to the Caffeine Project reasonably early. It's quite a popular place and can become busy. It's not generally a problem if there's a couple of you, but a dozen of us turning up meant we hung around the outdoor seating, and although it wasn't the warmest weather, the nice hot coffee I had certainly hit the spot.
Thanks, Kenny, for leading today and to Nick for the obligatory group photo.
The Caffeine Project is at https://maps.app.goo.gl/PLpZqUBKXohcDgvh6
