As I rose in the morning I knew it would be a good day. Though not relishing a day in black leathers on such a forecasted hot day, the need to ride took priority. I mounted my trusty stead, barked it into life and headed out to Wickham to see who would choose a ride to Boxhill over world class rugby, football and motor racing.

The thought was intriguing. I was a little early in arriving at Wickham and was pleased to see three fellow members already there. By 10am we were joined by another 5 riders and following the mandatory brief, we were soon on our way.We headed north to meet the A272 before heading west to meet the A29. We were mixing it with varying kinds of transport not least a charity bicycle ride.We were entertained by the forceful advances of a red Seat who thought it clever to use the right hand verge to overtake a car which was in the process of overtaking a series of cyclists, four deep at their worst. Clear of this obstruction we made progress while negotiating the frequent batch of cars also making their way west. We arrived at Boxhill in good shape and more importantly as a group.We paused to take on fluids, a quick snack and had a gawp (we I did) at some of the bike specimens on show in the car park. For those of you with more bike than plastic, it’s a great place to go for ideas on how to personalise you own machine.

Time for the off but before we headed home we decided to take in the pretty breathtaking view from the top of the hill itself.Well worth a visit should you ever go there. As we started to melt in our biking gear, we decided to head home. Down to 7 we descended the hill and headed south to pickup the A29 again.The roads seemed emptier on the way home and good progress was being made. Following a quick splash and dash (fuel stop), we were regretfully treated to a reminder of why we all took that conscious decision to take advanced riding.As we approached Midhurst, there were a number of police cars and a tow truck recovering the broken and battered remains of a ZX10 from under the front of a car. From what we could see it looked like the bike had gone into the front of the car perhaps by loosing control as he approached the apex of the left hander. As I muttered “there for the grace of God go I” to my self, we cracked on to the A3 where we split up and went our separate ways, thankfully incident free. It was a great ride with some excellent and confident company. Thanks to all those who attended and I hope to see you on my next run along with hopefully more associates. Now..... where can I take those willing next time..............

On a personal note and aimed at those who have yet to lead a ride, there is great satisfaction and a sense of achievement in getting a group of fellow bikers from A to B and then back to A again. None expressed distaste at the sprightly pace therefore I can only assume they all enjoyed it as much as I. A good back marker is obviously an asset to the group and on this occasion my thanks go to Paul Young for bringing up the rear (we treated it as a training ride in preparation for our pursuit of the national rally in three weeks).The club needs volunteers to lead these rides. It’s a worthwhile activity and personally I found it enhanced my enjoyment of the whole event. Let’s face it, the leader dictates the pace and as long as all understand that no matter what the pace, you all ride within your own capabilities, how can anyone not enjoy it. The marker system moves people around so all get to have a bit of a play, naturally all within the confines of safe riding. Go on....give it a go.......I’m sure you wont be disappointed and I’m positive Ian would be greatly appreciative. Till the next time..... bye for now.