@mustang1 as above, well done for getting out and for knowing when to bail. Better to decide that at 30km than 60!
My ride went well. 3 of us set off at 19.45 into the hot evening. Seemed a lot quieter than 2018 and 2019 but that might be partly down to setting off earlier (and in 25°c heat). We flew along despite the headwind. It was lovely riding through from Moreton to Dunmow in the dusk with the smell from the fields.
Got to Great Bardfield at about 22.30. Pub was fairly quiet. Had a (terrible but very welcome vegan sausage bap) and a pint and a half of beer. By the time we were ready leave it was filling up with about 20-30 cyclists in the food queue and many more passing by.
Set off back to London at about midnight feeling slightly disappointed not to be continuing on to Dunwich. The temperature had dropped now (mainly due to the breeze) so we donned the (too) few extra layers we had. Predictably a few riders followed us so we had to stop twice and tell people them turn round. After that it was the 3 of us alone in the dark with a beautiful nearly full moon for company. We travelled at a slower pace now due to the total darkness and occasionally poor roads. We startled a few deer, avoided a hedgehog and other than had the lanes to ourselves.
At some point we came across a road closer and detoured 200 metres through what I'm guessing was the grounds of a boarding school, as a very unfriendly guy told us, "this is private property! There's two hundred boys here -obviously they're inside now- but you're not allowed through here!" He was very annoyed - I guess they're plagued by roaming gangs of pedophile cyclists...
On from there down into the more familiar lanes of Blackmore, Stapleford's Abbot and Chigwell. We we're still doing well but any incline was starting to feel challenging. Happily a long down hill roll into the bright lights of Wanstead set us up for the last couple of miles along the Lea Bridge Road and home. Rolled into Hackney at 3.30 and happily tucked up in bed by 4.