A ride of two halves:

Having set out in the slower of the two groups doing the longer route, I had a rush of blood to the head and jumped in with the faster group when they caught us by the barracks outside Whittington. If ever I needed a reminder of why I no longer ride in group #1, this was it. A few minutes later, I was doing 178 beats per minute up Hints Lane watching Paul, Stuart, Simon, Lee and Leigh go up the road. By the A38 footbridge, I was out the back again, but Lee, Leigh and Mike waited for me and Jamie and the five of us came in together whilst Paul, Stuart and Simon pressed on.

Stuart defies his age, nudging 20 mph and Simon defies all laws of physics as he powers his 96kg frame up hills with great ease. His wattage is eye-watering. Newbie, Jamie, has real power. Once he develops greater speed endurance, he will also be at the sharp end.

Garmin said I needed a 43 hour recovery. No chance of that happening as I have codgers and dodgers on Wednesday morning.

Report by Bob Steele.