I think it was 25 riders as we left, which is no bad size for a summer ride! I'd planned a route that fit the bill for intermediate, but allowed an extra loop in case a small group made it faster. As it happened, the conditions are so dry that we'd zigg-zagged across a couple of the better lines on Walton Heath, dropped down one of the less used (by us) bridleways to the motorway and climbed back up to Headley and my split point before I'd really realised how fast we were going!

The extra speed meant a treat in the form of a fast spin out over Headley to tackle China Pig, which in these conditions is just fantastic! Fortunately, it put everyone in a good mood before being dragged up Norbury Park, where we had out major (and expensive looking) mechanical of the day, with a totalled rear mech. Singlespeeding being a little more interesting on a full susser (the chain length changes with wheel movement, if you were wondering), a bodge was still achieved, and we thundered down the rooty run at the back of Bocketts ('Infestation') for tea.

Pleasant as it was in the sun, and as tempting as Alex's soup looked, we had to crack on, so 'Alsation' (the one with the dogs at the bottom), Headley, Tye Lane and the golf course brought us home. Estimates ranged between 22 and 25 miles, but more importantly, the sun was out and we'd had fun!

Alex, cheers for back marking, and Jack (and others), many thanks for keeping a very long train of bikes together and stopping me from losing the back half of the group!