phew, home
we arrived on time but didn't allow time for checking in and coffee and toilet so can't have started before 9
took the very first turning wrong, followed by another couple who passed us and then turned back and gave my Etrex a very accusing look, I hadn't managed to get it going at that point, it was just recording, nothing else
3 miles out after riding across the raised path across the swolen ford I foolish hopped the curb back into the road and landed the rear wheel squarely on what must have been an horrific pothole hidden under the water, or a rock or a mine
shortly after the tyre was flat, while removing the tyre a ding you could get your thumb was found, I suinted at it with some doubt, as it turned out it was fne as long as you dind;t want to use the back brake, that made a noise like hittig the frame with a hammer without slowing the bike down, good in a way as the wheel is very tired and I'd have had it rebuilt this week but for funds
so, tube in and pumped up, only it's not up, clearly that's a repaired tube with more than one hole, bah, all apart again and up again and away, at a rather funeral pace, the lady wife's airy estimate of her flat average of 15mph was with hindsight wishful, we make check one with seconds to spare, hope springs
then we see we have 15 minutes before the next check closes and it's 10 miles away, tsk, they were good enough to call them and clearly they waited but they drove past us, with apologies, when we were a few miles short, oh well
we make check 3 at the town hall, looked like a nice village hall to me, three very nice old buffers were clearing up but sorted us two cuppas and a banana each and then threw in four more bananas for luck
we made check four again with seconds to spare but deserted but for dozens of bananna skins, oh well, a quick picture of a irritated and disappointed wife in front of the appointed check point and away again
we get round but there was a very near bonk drama which I was slow to see coming but just rescued by force feeding of fruit jellies and peanuts
the last hour ridden in darkness, not ideal when the last serious instruction, read under passing street light word by word was 'count the roads, take the seventh right'
the sram route holder was excellent, although in front of the bars would have been better
what of the etrex I hear you say, brilliant, it plain saved me twice when we were bowling along on a lovely surface and nearly sped past very discreet turnings and by the end when I was getting hacked off and it was gloomy, it absolutely got us back, at one point the lady wife as good as refused to ride further and I managed to prove that we were only 2km away from the end, money very well spent, I doubted once or twice because of the figure of eight route doubled on itself, the compass salved any fears on that score, and it of course counted those right hand turns for me
and much back light going on at the end
anyway, nice route although a dank, damp and gloomy day did rather depress the atmosphere, I swear I've never seen so many barns and grass triangles in my whole life, the route sheet was very good, as ever, some of it needed reading closely, I'd forgotten that every single extra word is in there for good reason, the people we actually saw at checks were good 'uns, I think Barry of Dunwich Dynamo fame did our forms at the starts
washed and dressed now and heading to the sister in law to collect our kids and eat a doubtless cracking dinner she's kindly laid on for us
I'm fine barring the usual slightly sore nethers and a sratched thumb, erm start at 9ish, got to the end 30 mins past the cut off, but we got round which works for me, doubtless the extrex has lots of details stored away, thankfully it's in km so our average speed looks respectable, my regular comp had it at 11mph which tallies with our long hours in the saddle I suppose
two dead or at least very sleepy badgers and the front half of a very dead fox spotted
