Although I left Essex 30 years ago, coming back to ride around the county is always enjoyable, and in particular this ride links parts of my childhood. My dad's milkround covered Bicknacre in the early 1960s, we lived between Little Baddow and Woodham Walter and I went to school in Danbury, so that end of the ride is full of memories, although the summer of love had not even happened by the time I moved to Chelmsford.
At the other end I was christened in Langham, and we rode past my uncle's pink thatched cottage at the end of the houses going towards Boxted. In Lavenham is my favourite hotel, the Swan.
So I set out after completing 220k of the Cambridge 300 the day before, deciding to get some sleep rather than miss out on the sunday ride, thinking it would be a nice sightseeing tour with limited climbing. Wrong! The run out towards Tiptree at 40k speed was a brief respite, the hills kept coming and a 16 stone ex bodybuilder on a steel bike can only go so fast, eventually the faster 150 riders caught me, if not all of them, which meant a 40 minute stop at Wally's Cafe. This was necessary as I had missed feed stops the day before, so I had the works in a baguette to keep me going. After such a relaxing stop the body did not want to start again, and the little voices told me that there was the train option at Manningtree, and despite the wind picking up I set a target time for Mistley, where I would have a quick turnaround and have time in hand to cover the return. Fortunately the plan worked, the little voices went away, and I was able to let the controller at Mistley leave his post, as I was the last one.
A quick can of coke and back I went, into the wind and up Gun Hill after Dedham to Langham. No time to say hello to my uncle, had to push on to Stisted for just after 6pm, the run across to Bures was testing, up and down, into the wind, and as Stisted approached the energy levels were dropping. There I found sanctuary and sustinence, bread pudding the size of a brick, cheese on toast and tea. Filled the water bottles, took some more cake for the ride and they gave me some new batteries for my back light. All prepared I set off on the last leg, plenty of time in hand and knowing that the flat roads would come after Rayne. I knew that Ed and his team would be waiting to welcome me whatever time I got in, so pressure was off and attacked North Hill with my 34 -28 gearing, but knowing that the hill does not finish until you are almost in Danbury. There I ate my last cake as a reward and shot down into Bicknacre with plenty of time in hand, for a warm welcome and plenty of tea and food. Just the drive back to Buckingham after that, a good weekend, 440k in the legs and a bit of sunshine.
Next year is a definite return, maybe third time lucky after the storms last year and the wind yesterday.
