Thank you
@Domus and
@sagefly well done on the ride back, particularly ramping up the pace.
So what a fantastic night (and morning after!). After an interesting start through Cambridge (close encounter with an upset delivery scooter driver, we left the street lights behind into far more peaceful countryside.
Wildlife count 2 x owls, 1 x bat, 1 x deer and 1 x hare. Plus some of Ely's 3am wildlife that we skilfully navigated around lying in the road
After last year's 2 hours of rain-torment, the weather favoured us this year, so with assistance from
@Andrew Br and
@Nick Saddlesore (plus TECS and waymarkers) we made good time being slightly early for both
WWT Welney Wetland Centre and Marriotts Warehouse. Holly and Emma looked after us splendidly, even a table service to dish out extra cake!
At 5am we were back into chilly air and the glimmers of sunrise and a little while later a soft misty dawn. The sunrise photoshoot had the bat fluttering past, then we all had to make way for the tractor wanting to use the farm's drive
There's a great vid of the peloton passing by in the FB group.
We split up at West Lynn, into Team River (Ferry) led by Greg and Team Road (me);we raced to see if Team River could beat Team Road; it was close but Team Road just made it first. Turns out Team River took a wrong turn and got to see the market square before the quayside.
Breakfast in the sunshine followed, some consumed more hastily after Greg's intel that the 10:42 was cancelled. There were cheery goodbyes before dash for trains or more pedalling southwards. As Domus wrote, nine of us headed off, gradually we split up. We got into Ely about 1.30 I think, and had a beer at Grain Culture before I went off for a nap.
Most satisfactory.
