Another enjoyable and well organised day from Jim and the army of "ride makers". We ECE'ed again and this year managed to arrive in time for our assigned start (probably due to a cunning flatter route up and also starting at the time we intended not 15 minutes late). We planned to not spend so long at the controls as last year - but then we chatted to Drossall at Hare Street (tea, sausage roll and banana), sat on a bench beside the road in Saffron Walden (cheese sandwich brought from home, too busy at the cafe to want to go in) and then pigged out on WI tea, sandwiches and cake at Therfield (my favourite control). At the finish we caught up with Tomsk who had snuck past us while we tucked into the WI fare. Of course for us it wasn't really the finish, another 50 km home. We opted for the same route as outbound which resulted in about 20 kms of nice countryside riding on minor roads and then a 30 km slog down the main roads with increasingly manic motor traffic whizzing past as we neared London. Arguably things take a turn for the better once you cross the North Circular as it then all grinds to a halt and you get to play spot the bus lane.
We saw three other tandems, not sure whether they were all doing the long course or whether some were Emit-lighters.