A group Ride 16 March 2016

Hans you are an amazing man! I do not know where you get your strength from, you are like a man possessed and must annihilate your followers who gradually fall off the back but somehow your back marker keeps everything together. Do not let me put you off, today I found the ride so hard without too many hills. I am so glad I was not on my Iron Raleigh touring bike which is so heavy though it is a fine bike and one of the last built by RSP (Raleigh Special Products) at a factory in Alfreton Derbyshire. This is the place where the Raleigh Record Ace was produced and used to great effect  by World track champions like Reg Harris and the first man under 4hrs for 100 miles my old club mate Ray Booty!
Hans, never the less, thanks for setting a good pace. I have this year been suffering from a chronic left knee condition for which I have been receiving excellent physio treatment from Jules. Today's ride confirmed that my knee is improving and my 65 miles door to door is a measure that it is on the mend. I will await to find out Thursday morning if I still have a Leg!
Finally on a melancholy note, I do not know why I went strait on when you guys behind went left, which exposed me to going strait on to Weighbridge, while I guess you guys went on over Walton Bridge? On entering Weighbridge I came across a sad memorial to a fellow cyclist.
Last week my lovely son Tim took me to the Olympic Velodrome for the World Track Champs. I had a great time! On returning by tube to London for a meal in town I picked up a copy of the Evening Standard, which sadly I have thrown away, so my facts maybe array!
While riding into Weighbridge I came the following scene. Photos follow but I will add them below as I always have problems in uploading photos.
The Evening story was about a fellow cyclist who had gone down a pot hole next to a drain in the gutter. The hole was big enough to put a foot down and had been reported previously as dangerous but not attended to by SCC!  What I noticed as I proceed along the road was that every drain had a red cross on them! My thoughts were why, they did not seem so bad. So when I saw the death scene I rode on thinking I have to get home but then my conscience said - Miked turn back and despite the horrendous traffic, I stopped, mounted the pavement and turned back to reveal the following!