Thank you Simon for a wonderful ride, even if my night was more eventful than planned. More later after a shower and some sleep, suffice to say I have a bruise on my back and clocked my longest ride at 237.75km
copied from YACF:
Whilst riding to the start I was crossing Staines Bridge when I felt an impact about a 1/3rd of the way down my spine. A vehicle then went past from which I could hear laughter. The lights at the end of the bridge were red but the vehicle went straight through them to avoid me catching up.
I reported the incident via 999 before leaving the bridge, including vehicle description and numberplate. Surrey police are on the ball, it is being investigated by the local CID as an assault , they have pulled the CCTV of the bridge (apparently I can be seen) and matched my numberplate to a local vehicle of the right type. The DC now needs to view the CCTV to assess if it shows the object thrown, can identify the vehicle and it occupants or can show the jump of the red light.
Other than that I met up with RedJedi in Brentford by chance and rode the rest of the way in with him, thank you company was what I needed at that time. Simon saw me in my YACF KotM and promptly named me as a TEC. This meant I had very little standing around, except in the queue at Feygate.
We lost one rider to a broken rear spoke and the wheel contained to few others to get it to clear the frame, had a few puncture (two to a TEC who ducked out at Feygate) and made good time to Bognor, particularly in the second half of the ride. Ate breakfast and I took out the Blackberry and Apple Crumble cake I had been carrying (it was reduced in Waitrose and after the recent crumble thread was too good to miss). I then left to ride home, stopping for ice cream, fanta and sunscreen in Petworth and for a short lay down in a bus shelter south of Guildford.
I probably should have done the extra 2.25km for the 150 miles but I was dog tired and my back is sore, both from the impact and that the Van Nic has lower handlebars than either of my other steeds.
Thanks to Simon for organizing, Mark and Adam for their company at the back and a
to Lisa who at Horsham was tempted to get the train to Ford with Rebecca but was persuaded that once things warmed up her knee would be fine and then was rarely seen at the back again.