Barry Gerhold hoped to improve on last year's fifth finisher position and started from Clapham. Despite various injuries, he improved by one position crossing the line fourth (so only three more years before you can join us, Barry!)
Everyone else gathered early at the Queens Head and with the skies clear and the temperature lifting set off at a pace befitting for (nearly) clear roads.
Huge thanks to Roger Hopkins who couldn't ride as a result of neck injury but got up early to take photos of everyone on Effingham Road. His pics are among the linked gallery below.
The averages that people recorded down to Brighton are astonishing given that Ditchling Beacon and the drag up to it were en route. 20.5mph for 'Team Costello'. Team Ormerod reached the Beacon at 17.7mph average and slowed a little thereafter but for those of us who witnessed Mike dropping a whole London Dynamo peloton going up an incline towards Ditchling, the moment will stay with us forever.
Down in Brighton, The Angel was a sea of RCC shirts and colours. Never have so many mugs of tea and bacon butties been sold to so many happy riders. The photo tells it all. Take a look back at 2010's pic here... then flick back.
After lots of back slapping and heroic tales, the groups then set back in the sunshine. The pace remained high in the upper groups but even the G2s were back to Reigate by 1pm with 73miles and sometimes more covered.
As Wallace and Gromit would say... A Great Day Out!
LINKS
Link to photo album of the day
(Thanks to Roger Hopkins and Peter Tootill)
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