Started out well, some lovely early climbs in the mist which turned to rain on the way to Benson.
Collected a puncture just before the stop which wasn't a total shock as the little Chiltern flints always come out to play in the rain. Thankfully I'd packed a couple of disposable gloves so the white bar tape was preserved
Didn't feel too great on the way to Wantage but kept plugging away and recovered for Lambourn in time to acquire several buns from the assets of the Devonia bakery.
Turns out the lady in the bakery was from Northern Ireland, as am I, so that was a bit of a happy coincidence and I took this as a sign of great victory to come
On to the next stop where I received some odd looks from the staff in Pangbourne Costa as I came through the door yammering about stickers for my bicycle - they may have thought I was an old looking child who was very fond of stickers or possibly a danger to myself or others, so I relented from this conversational path and got a receipt instead.
By this time the light was starting to fade and the full horrors of the AAA event came to bear with some tough climbing into Marlow. This coincided with my main bike light failing so I had to switch to a head torch for the last 30Km or so. Glasses were now off due to the combination of limited light, small lanes and rain but I managed the last few KM without serious mishap.
Like everyone else I got soaked, dried out and got soaked again throughout the day but the temperatures were mild and I was never really uncomfortable, even enjoyed my walk up the top of Colstrope lane
Some lovely scenery, nice views of the Thames and many smaller rivers, and a lot of pretty villages. Even a fantastic double rainbow on the way to Pangbourne. Met quite a few people on the way round and spirits seemed pretty high despite the wet weather.
Many thanks to Paul and helpers for organising an excellent day out
