Hard Day in January '17

Glad you got home safe nevertheless mate! Hope to see you in June at the RadRace! :)

Shame about the wrench, though I am glad the HDIJ Rider of Merit cog made it through.

Thanks again to all the riders who turned up for this and apologies for those who didn't make it all the way round. Most importantly everyone finished the day safely.
I was very pleased with the quality of the group. Special thanks to @clubman for his invaluable riding and route advice, it was a real treat to have you along. The 2012 edition was my first experience with group riding which you helped guide me through. Also @Ecobeard for co-leading and doing more than your fair share on the front. You were all also patient when my Garmin reading (and ability to simply stand up) temporarily failed me. I will amend the route for next year's edition to be much more pleasant on the return leg and avoid those A-roads.

Well before the cafe stop I thought the group had sorted communication and was keeping a nice tempo and generally working together well. @HoKe took welcome turns on the front and the back and @jaeyukdapbap did an excellent job of backstopping for the group all the way back but I was really happy with how everyone rode.

As per tradition there was an award for Rider of Merit for the day. Special consideration is given to @h2o for a sterling effort and excellent disposition and in any other year the award would have been yours. Sorry the elastic snapped so close to home, you were only a few mins behind all told. However @Thuekr 's journey from Denmark specifically for this ride and ridiculous gear ratio (and you came all this way and left your brake at home! ;) made it impossible for me to give it to anyone else. Well done.

Great job again everyone - and welcome back @skive - hope to see you all next year.