Really enjoyed this ride yesterday. The sunshine helped, but also nice country roads on the outward leg, mostly fairly quiet, gently rolling, with some good views, and occasional whistles from red kites overhead. Great route into Oxford on cycle paths and quiet suburban roads. On the return leg, a pleasant stretch along the Phoenix Trail cycle path, lots of families out, which slowed progress occasionally, but was good to see. Quite a few ups and downs after the cycle path, more than I was expecting, and some felt rather brutal, but thankfully they eased off a bit nearer the end.
Good organisation, the staggered start worked well, and the range of validation options made it easier to minimise human interactions. I have only done solo rides since March, and this felt similarly low risk to those.