I started late due to insufficint change for the carpark, having only brought enough for the price given on the ride info rather than the 70p extra they now charge. By the time I'd borrowed a £1 coin and been back to pay everyone was away and I had also left my phone in the car so I probably was only away properly 5-10 minutes late.
So it was kinda like a perm really but good company to be had at the controls. Actually I caught up with Chris S at Henley and then it turned out I'd somehow overtaken a few other people because they turned up after me at Pangbourne. Seem to have agreed to do a 600 perm with Teethgrinder on Feb 16th. Erk! Left control with not much time in hand.
On I went, pushing into that headwind already mentioned, it was blustery and hard work to Hungerford, arrived there with more than an hour in hand, which was duly squandered again and left out of time and turning away from the wind was great (strictly we were still doing a fair bit of upwind until the next info) Rode a lot of the last bit with David from Oxford, and another bloke I think I'd met on the PS. Sainsburys cafe closed earlier than promised, so our seats were a window ledge. On we pushed again and my ropey patch came as we climbed from Maidenhead and I started to overheat and get a headache, but we had plenty time, and finished with an hour to spare.
Paul and family duly applied coffee and baked beans, and then I gave a lift to Slough station to David and his bike, and got home about half an hour ago. Going to have a quick soak, then head for the land of nod.
PS
Useful conversation with Mal Volio at Hungerford - seems that I should probably have got started much sooner if aiming for 100 points. However I can but try. If I get 75, will that be a failure? smiley At least I now have 6, which is more than I had this time last season. In fact, last season I didn't get to 6 until 17 Mar, and finished on 51. On the plan I posted about, I would have 20 points on 17 Mar which is more than 3x what I had on that date last year. However if I was to try to double each month's points as a method then I would need to get 24 points in August... never gonna happen.
