Cracking day out. I was on The Pretty Bike (green Bob Jackson with curved seat stays, fancy lugs, like a Curly Hetchins) riding with my mate Jan. A first time audaxer called Noel hooked up with us shortly after we set off a few minutes before the official time. We wound our way across London without too much drama and got our cards stamped at the velodrome. A quick bite of lunch then a bit of rendering assistance - another rider had lost the key to his padlock but fortunately I was carrying a pair of cable cutters. A quick squeeze and he and his chum were free. Personally I'd be deploying a meatier lock than one that can be cut with cutters designed for brake cables, especially when the bikes are locked out of my sight in sunny Stratford.
Off to the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf, where I detoured to see Pippsy briefly. I hooked up with my riding companions again at the Wolfe statue in Greenwich Park. As we made our way out of the park I startled damerell OTP by swerving towards him and asking if he was indeed David Damerell. Key diagnostics were (a) looking very much like damerell and (b) riding a Triumph roadster.
Along the Thames path, navigating by a mix of Osmand talking in my earpiece, following line on a borrowed Garmin and reading the detailed route sheet, we eventually found ourselves in Battersea Park where Noel kindly bought ice creams. The route from there was much less fragmented, meaning a bit less peering at navigational aids. Richmond Park, Ham, Teddington, Hampton Court, Bushey Park and then it was over.