The Riders on 6th September 2009
Those taking part were (for varying amounts of time) Deane Hill, Tom Southorn, Graham Smith, John Dumont, Paul Callow, Mike Bowen, Ed Bucknell, Julian Long, Hugh O'Neill, Jonathan Howe, Andy Davison, Martin White, SJH and Guest Rider (not ghost rider - nor, even, ghostwriter) Richard Farrow - distinguished ex-Wheeler and now all the way from Chippenham (no, the other one) & District Wheelers

OK. I (after a fashion) take charge. Tea target Newmarket. Head out South West then swing up Northwards. This stealthy approach should introduce an element of surprise to our assault on Coffee & Co at an ETA of 11.30hrs.

Out Westgate and, to a chorus of protest behind, left up Horsecroft Rd to Pinford End, where right to Mickley Green and Whepstead, Rede, Hawkedon and Stansfield - in fact the whole Suffolk Punch route to Poslingford. So, quite a bit climbing then. I had slipped back a bit, appearing to struggle (an old tactical move I've borrowed from Lance) before the descent to the A1063 just out of Clare.

Tom Southorn (who has a life - see poll on the right) turned for home and the rest of us set off on a straightforward route (1063 all the way) to Tea and Cakesville.

Except for me. I decided on a tactical withdrawal at Ashley. My own route had destroyed me, I had been routed (this last word needs to rhyme with shouted to make any sense, by the way) by my early optimism. The same optimism that led to my sharing the front with the Good Doctor Tom for the first ten miles or so, and to completely discounting the effect of a 5-hour lunch the day before in celebration of my old friend John Gray's 60th birthday (oh to be 60 again, I now thought). Strangely, my total mileage was 54, which was similar to some of those who did the whole teastop thing (but then I get an extra 15 from living 7.5 miles east of Bury).

By the photos, from Julian Long and Paul Callow, tea was a sociable event (especially Paul's snap of you all sharing a joke - what can it have been?)

. . . . And what are they putting in the tea these days?