A Group 24 July

Ride Report
Shepperton to Hedgerley

First the accident:

Shortly after turning left off Staines Road into Windsor road, I hear an insistent beep...beep...beep from behind the group. Eventually, I pull over to let the impatient twot past. Nice lady informs me that guy riding near the back has "...collapsed...". Use of horn had been to attract our attention.

Ride back, to find numerous vehicles stopped, a bloodied Peter in the recovery position with 2 members of the public (passing drivers) tending to him, one turns out to be a local GP. Looks to have nasty head injury with copious quantities of blood. One driver has already phoned 999 and ambulance is on its way. Mini bus driver produces bumper medical kit, which GP puts to good use. Other driver is directing traffic around the incident. All passing drivers negotiate the incident with due care and no complaint. Mini bus driver produces box of choc-ices and hands them round. Lady whose house we are outside, offers to take Pete's bike in for safe keeping and drive it round to his house later in the day. Shop keepers etc come out offering assistance.

Ambulance arrives, by which time Peter is compos mentis enough to walk into the ambulance, carted off to hospital. 

Cause? Front quick release was not done up tight enough. When wheel hit road hump it twisted out of the fork, jammed against the brake, stopped instantly and ejected Peter over the bars, ejector seat like, and he landed on the road head first. Bike is classic steel frame/fork, predating lawyers lips.

Be careful out there folks, and don't forget those pre ride safety checks we all know about but rarely do.....

Response of all the drivers helping or passing with care was exemplary.

Now the ride itself....

Plan had been for a modestly paced ride out to Burnham  Beeches, a stroll in the woods and a visit to the White Horse at Hedgerley. The above detailed delays made rather a mess of that schedule, so it was hammer down, and a fast paced ride out over flat roads then a leisurely pootle through the Beeches with a brief photo stop. I swear there is not a more beautiful place in the world than The Beeches on a day like yesterday: dappled sunshine playing on the road and, apart from a group of wheezing old gits on bikes, total silence.

The two great things about the White Horse are its great selection of real ales, all gravity fed direct from the cask with no bar, but service trough a hatch into the "cellar", plus it serves good wholesome, home made and well priced grub. Only down side is the distance.....

While there, we chatted to a group of Uxbridge CTC midweek riders.

Back to the Walled Garden at Sunbury for Tea - again hammer down because of timings, but being a small group of 6 we were able to keep a tight formation and benefit from drafting.

73 miles door to door for me.

Paul Kelly