It's most unlikely that I'll do this ride on the day as it's too fast for me. I did it on a different day last year (old route, from Billericay rather than Wickford, but about 90% of the roads are the same) and it really is an excellent day out. The previous year Jane and I did it as well.
For me, last year's solo highlight was arriving at the Blue Egg a few minutes before Mark Cavendish. The rest of it was good: mild, mostly cloudy and dry.