Crossword Genius

Ride fast, going away at first — then head back (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gallop

'ride fast' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'going away at first then head back' is the wordplay.
'at first' suggests taking the first letters.
'then' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'head' becomes 'poll' (poll is a now rare word for head or scalp**).
'back' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
The initial letters of 'going away' is 'ga'.
'poll' back-to-front is 'llop'.
'ga'+'llop'='GALLOP'

(Other definitions for gallop that I've seen before include "Move fast" , "Fast speed of horse" , "Fast gait of a horse" , "Faster than a canter" , "Fastest run of a horse" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.