We had fourteen riders pre-booked and we split the ride into three groups; Steph to lead Alice, Tracy and Alan and leave Mansion Cafe at 10.30, and Roger to lead Anna, Ken and Karen, a newcomer, leaving fifteen minutes later. The third group was determined by organisational needs; Maureen, Lilian and Caroline all wanted to leave as late as possible, Maggie and I did not want to be separated and we needed a fourth leader so that we could accommodate any extra guests; Helen had kindly volunteered and a good job too, because it meant we had spare places at (literally) the eleventh hour to welcome Brenda and John, and in the end we departed in four groups of four.
The weather was kind to us, the route was available on Strava and as a route plan with a risk analysis, the leaders were all familiar with the places we were going and Roger and I had recced the ride in detail, twice each. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, Helen's e-mails had not been reaching her, so she had not had a chance to see the route; I had taken the precaution of printing a spare route sheet which I could give her but while I was organising the final group and Maggie was ensuring mobile phone numbers were exchanged, off breezed group three in a different direction to the plan. Ah well, at least we could be sure that Helen would not get lost.
I led group four through Worcester Park, Tolworth and Long Ditton against a breeze which made mild upward slopes feel like stern hills, but it was a lovely ride. At the River Mole we took pictures, inspired by a lad who looked as though he was about to throw himself in above the weir but was just showing off.
The last known picture of John, with Maggie and Caroline, at the River Mole.
The potholes in Bridleway 10 immediately afterwards had worsened in the short space of time since my recce, as had those we had already passed on Weston Green Road. There is nothing the local authorities can do; it's the premature autumnal gales which dislodge exploding conkers from the trees and as soon as workmen have tarmacked one patch and gone than Whump!, another exploding conker lands.
We passed through a relatively quiet Walton and made the cafe near the bridge without incident but were somewhat dismayed on arrival to find only Steph's group one had got there. Now we knew Helen had ploughed her own furrow, but how had we overtaken Roger? He was in front of us and surely followed the route, since we recced it together. Steph, meanwhile, told us of her detour to see the old London Irish ground, which puzzled me until it dawned that she had done the route in reverse! So much for the plan.
The others turned up to my great relief; Roger had indeed kept to the route, which in the recce included a coffee stop at Long Ditton; we had sailed past him without realising it!
A lovely afternoon ride along the Greenway through Sunbury and then past Hampton and into Bushy Park, where John did a magic trick. One minute he was with us in the park, the next he was gone; not even a puff of smoke. Disappeared; it was when we stopped for the photo that we realised.
Caroline, Maggie and the Glorious Leader in Bushy Park.....but where is John? Off on his own, apparently, to explore a secret path. He's been reading too many Famous Five books.
Helen's group made it to Bushy Park as well, and in the planned clockwise direction! Lilian, Brenda and Maureen
A rendezvous of sorts for afternoon coffee in Kingston Market, where John says he was loitering to try to find us but we had already reported him to the police as a missing person. We coffeed and tead and caked as the only heavy shower of the day descended, which left those of us who had not gone home or been reported missing to make our way back to Sutton or Cheam.
Judging from the e-mails all our guests had a good time. I did. But heavy the head that wears the leader's helmet. Henry the Fifth felt like that with soldiers to command. He had no idea what it's like to be guiding a group of free thinkers.
