Free Wheel Contest

Mark the eventual winner & congratulations how does he do it!

First & second men at the finish!

Ed the producer of the trophies! What a splendid man he is! Please permit me to say on the question of club governance & the safety of our members I am amazed at the tenasity of Ed for making it to the pub lunch! He had apparently fallen off his bike at high speed having taken part on the "Free wheel contest" and some how or other come a cropper on a downhill section under the relative cover of trees that effectively put him into darknes and after hitting a pothole ended up in a bad crass into a roadside bank which put him in agony with a suspected broken hip or serious injury. It was only Angie that realised his plight and stayed to comfort him at the pub in Smallfield! Simon Waller & I decided to go home to collect a car & leter pick up Ed ASAP. Only problem was my car was in for service & MOT that morning & much to my regret when I got to Dagenham motores at Banstead at 3pm it was only just being put on the MOT bay before a major service despite the fact that I had delivered it that morning at 9am. Simon W therefore carried on to get his car with the intention of picking Ed up ASAP but then got a communication that all was OK & Ed was making his way home by bike with Angie?? At 7pm that evening I got a call from Ed to say was Simon on his way to pick him up! What I said in amazement was where are you - Ed said he was still at the pub & awaiting a pick-up & that Angie had had to leave around 5.30pm to go home as she had no lights convident in the fact that Simon W would be picking him up! Bearing in mind that the pub shut at 3pm he was then left there untill 8pm by which time I had driven like heck to get to him ASAP. Simon W by this time was in Guildford on an evening out as planned! No problem with that! Moral of this story is we should not desert our fellow cyclists as I see it before making sure that all arrangements for a safe return are in hand. If I am at fault here I take full responsibility but the fact remains that by the time I picked Ray up he was in pain and asked to be taken to Epsom hospital which I did even though he had expressed extreme reluctance to go to Hospital earlier and had refused helpers to call an ambulance. After getting him admited to A&E and ensuring that he was well cared for and seeing a Dr. & getting an ExRay we found that he had not broken anything (though I was convinced he had as it took him ages with the use of a garden chair as a Zimmer frame to get to my car after loding his bike). Never the less he was retained in hospital overnight for observation as after I left he suffered a funny turn! He insisted that I go home around 10.30pm as he was convinced he could get home by taxie and the duty nurse agreed that that was fine! Firstly I think that the section should write a letter of thanks to the pub for looking after him but secondly and most importantly I think that we should designate at least one male member not to leave a lady member to care for such an incident without help & support!
Not withstanding that it was a great free wheel contest and th hill chosen was a good challenge but I hope that we can return next year to the Root Hill venue now that the re-surfaced Rd is so excellent! With very best regards to all MHMM

In closing the good news is that Ed is home safe & well though restricted to his downstairs & I returned his bike safe & sound today to his neighbours who will keep an eye on him!