What controls are there Phil please and what do you expect them to be like?
Good job anyway in putting it on.
Thanks Ben. There's been a bit of hand wringing, but I think it's going to work OK.
I intend to provide hot and cold drinks at the start. There should be a gazebo outside so riders are not congregating in the hall.
As things stand Waterperry Tea Room (at 70km) are operating more or less as normal, with a very large gazebo with seating outside. They are (currently) happy to accommodate us and provide beans or scrambled egg and toast as in previous years. However, I am mindful that some riders may prefer not to enter the cafe, so I shall set up an info control at the end of the road (a number on a post like I do at Christmas Common). I shall not attend the cafe - they wont want me blocking one of the fewer tables inside, and I will be tied up at the start for longer.
Chipping Norton will be an open control (again, unmanned). Old Mill Cafe is open, but cannot handle the numbers currently. There are quite a few options available in the town (cafes, shops, pubs, even a chippy; I'll put together a list) and I'll be requiring a receipt or bank autoteller slip for proof of passage.
At the arrivee hot and cold drinks will again be provided, and hopefully soup as well. But not the plated meals that we normally provide, I'm afraid.
As previous attendees of the ride will know, the arrivee is behind a pub. This has very recently changed hands, and I have not yet had an opportunity to check whether the new landlord might be able to offer anything. I'm not hopeful though, as he is running the Red Lion in parallel to another pub locally which has quite a good reputation for food and needs booking - if Red Lion goes the same way there won't be capacity.