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PUTTING THIS ISSUE together in February, battered by Storm Doris and the wet winter weather, I found myself huddled behind the faring, gritting my teeth and dreaming of summer – which still seemed a long way away. Then I had a word with myself. There’s no need to wait so long for a good ride – spring’s almost here, with weather worth riding in.

So Team RIDE began planning short, easy trips to turn spring weekends into mini-holidays. I looked at city breaks in England’s historic heartland, Simon Hargreaves scoured the coast for quirky days out, while Kev Raymond dredged out his European map to find the best handy destinations on the Continent. These short spring breaks won’t replace the traditional summer tour, but one might make a great warm-up. Enjoy the issue.