It was certainly an adventure with only my iPod for company.
Starting out from Broomfield having delivered TCMT-H to work I was happy to find my bike still secure in the bike shed at the Hospital otherwise it could have been a very quick DNS.
The wind fun started immediately riding over to meet Tomsk which slowed progress more than was necessary. Just before Great Dunmow turning on to the B1256 rolling up behind a black Ka the poor young lady either slipped off the clutch or thought the Corsa in front had gone, either one meant bang-crunch. Hung around for a few seconds to see if a witness was required but they seemed to be getting on with it ok.
Tomsk greeted me and signed my card for a 9am start - I was off thinking the turn at Saffron Walden would ease the headwind; didn't seem to help as NW ~12mph wind frequently made its presence felt all the way to Walsham-le-Willows reducing road speed and sapping legs, not to mention the lumps in the road Tomsk had put there.
An early lunch was taken at Wally's for the Acton control - beef hotpot was eagerly polished off.
There was some pleasent sunshine during some of the day but passing Lavenham Church I spied a black cloud of biblical proportions in the distance behind it in the general direction I was headed (would have made a good picture with sun lighting the church in the foreground but I wasn't stopping) . However, for the first time I was glad about the wind because it had moved the cloud on and I skirted around it.
The good fortune wasn't to last for long though as I'm sure I spotted a few flakes of snow, I had, quickly followed by a flurry lasting only a couple of minutes. A longer snow flurry was experienced later almost turning me as white as my bike, although that was rapidly turning black with road muck.
At a T-junction I took a breather and leaned my steed against a post box, I did try but the bike wouldn't fit in it.
Walsham-le-Willows was acheived and with traditional watering holes closed I controled at Rolfe's Butchers with one of their fine sausage rolls consumed while I admired their own audax bike.
Right, now for the wind to start helping me out, I think it did a little but not noticeably until I got to Debenham. A newsagent with very friendly proprieters was used to control with a can of Red Bull and cheese & onion crisps. Wanting to make the most of the remaining daylight I resisted the pubs opening for early evening trade. Maybe it is true but the first can of Red Bull I've ever had seemed to give my heels wings and I started making proper progress for the first time.
The most part of the next 80km was pretty uneventful, skirting around Needham Market and on to Sudbury, daylight finally gone and temperature definitely reducing. Not sure when I have been quite so pleased to see a Macdonalds, I usually try to avoid them but the one on the edge of Sudbury looked like an oasis at that particular moment - last control before the finish. Full shell jacket replaced gilet and the end was almost in sight.
In sight until the batteries gave out on my Hope with 5km to go to The Compasses, quick faffage stop and the final sprint, well sprint may be overstating it somewhat.
22:20 and objective acheived; a good sight to see Tomsk & Oaky welcomed me through the window as I unceremoniously dumped the bike, chief was also dozing there. Christophe arrived even later than me. Great to see you chaps!
A couple of Bishop Nick's Ridley's Rite went down punctuated with an Oaky supplied curly wurly
And so to the frosty ride home to properly qualify the MEMWNS claim. A total for the day of 249.3km (154.6 miles) ridden and the bike parked in the shed I creep in to the house so as not to wake TCMT-H, showered and fall in to bed buzzing with the acheivement of a challenging winter ride.
Route can be viewed here
