The first day

And off we went - meeting up at Maglia Rosso with Leslie, Stephen, guy, Sue and Crispin Dunne and Alexandra who had accompanied me on the first ride to be picked up at the cafe by Helene. The sun was shining, the wind westerly, the coffee and cakes good but we expect the prices to drop when we cross the Channel. And off we went - Darren on his multipurpose suspended steed and me on the  no cushions, no gears, no freewheel no nonsense 1957 Mercian. We made good progress until a puncture deflated me and my rear wheel. Onwards, upwards through beautiful Suffolk landscape, via Manningtree and Mistley to the less than scenic Harwich which we reached after just over 3 hours, 550 meters of hills, and and av speed of 14 mph.
We are now washed and scrubbed, punctures mended, cycling gear washed (oh yes!) and we are ready to hit the casino - but is the casino ready for us? More tomorrow where we hope to meet up with Willard the honorary  Dutch Wheeler!