what a mess!
We sheltered under Constitution Arch as rider after rider reported delays en route. We didn't get away until 12.25, and the first puncture must have been about 12.35. And so it went on, with more punctures at Ilford and beyond.
Running the ride was a bit of a struggle. I should have sent some of the riders immediately behind me back a bit, because they were getting in the way of the wayfinding operation, and we were short of clued-up wayfinders and TECs. Not doing that did, I think, contributed to the problems User10571 had after I'd left the ride. Having said that, we weren't under pressure for time, and I was perfectly content running at about 13mph down the A1306 when another call from the TECs came in and I shouted 'easy' and pulled to the left to stop. And that's when it kicked off...
The bunch slowed, shouts of easy rang out, but two (very experienced) riders who'd been doing the very thing the ride was about, chatting to each other, slid in to the back of the pair in front. And one of the pair in front, Andrew Am, bashed his arm on the tarmac. I sent the first bunch off, zipped back to Andrew's bunch, who were watching the poor lad rubbing his arm and getting his sensibilites together, and then escorted them to Junction 31 before riding back to the puncture group who had just expended five innertubes on one wheel.
Kevin, having decided the fates were against him (I suspect the tyre was either de-beading, or a piece of the web had worked it's way loose, and was puncturing the tube) jumped in a cab, and the rest of the puncture group raced on to Junction 31 where.......
Andrew had just keeled over. So the Haymarket crew laid him out on the floor and talked to him, while I called an ambulance, which arrived (after some time) and Andrew was tended by the paramedics, first on the floor, and then in the ambulance.
So I bad farewell to the ride. User10571 led them off in to the night, and Katie and I waited for the paremedics to decide what to do. After a bit under an hour they decided not to take him to hospital, so we called my local cab company, who, happily, had a people carrier in Barking which was with us in no time, and we took Andrew back to Kingston, not knowing whether to leave him in peace, or talk about this or that to make him aware that we were still there.
I called Mrs Andrew a little before we arrived, and the boy and his bike were unloaded, and Katie and I taken back to Streatham.
I had kept in touch with various bits of the ride and the Rose Restaurant on the cab journey home, and did go up to Fenchurch Street to greet some of the returnees (and one in particular) so I realised the ride had broken up. My failing had been not to gather everybody around and to insist that the second half be run in a certain way, and not to warn User10571 that we were short on experience....
I rang Andrew's house last night, and he answered the phone, which was both a surprise and a relief. He sounded very quiet, and his arm hurt up and down, but he thought he wouldn't need any more treatment. I'll probably call him again on Monday and see how he's getting on, and let you know.
And now the report to my DA. I've got an e-mail from the rider who went in to the back of Andrew, but if any of you saw what happened perhaps you'd let me know via a pm.
Clearly we had an infestation on the ride. Some of us even discussed evasive action, involving fire and nekkid dancing...but maybe that is for another thread. As Matthew points out, it was the blasted fairy that led to us effectively losing the back of the ride; the TECs and the Waymarkers....
