Lights! Cameras! Action!

 I'm away in Devon for the next two weekends so a Sunday run posted by GB suggested itself as a suitable "shakedown" run. As the week went on, more and more names were added to the list of runners until it reached the heady total of 14! (mostly Lotuses though).

Another reason for heading out was the camera. I had two GoPro Hero 2s & a Hero along with two wifi backs which over the years had fallen into "graceful degradation" one, then both of the wifi backs failed, a charge connector fell out, the batteries although appearing to charge, weren't running the cameras. I mentioned on a club chat that I was thinking of buying a couple of cheap cameras & two of the Rogue Runners offered me their disused Hero 3s. One from my bestest friend inna world Linda, arrived by post midweek & the other from my bestest friend inna world Roger was handed to me at the meet point, so I again have cameras & re-used ones rather than new ones shipped here from the far east in a smoky diesel bulk carrier. I thought this was a very kind thing until I realised that by giving me the cameras they would still get videos of the road trips - they just wouldn't have to spend hours editing the footage down - cunning! (no - it was a VERY kind thing & I very much appreciate it).

Only the first one was in use on the run, the mounts for the second were sorted out on my return home.

It was pretty dark when I set off just before 06:00, pretty damn cold too, I chose a poor selection of apparel & was freezing almost from the outset. 

Then the traffic lights at the road works close to my house had frozen on red, so after sitting looking at the stationary lights of the car facing me I  took the initiative & drove through

The run started from one of GBs preferred start points on the A23 & the cars made quite an impressive sight. GB asked me to lead out, the Loti followed, with the other two kits taking up the rear.

To begin with I was having a little car trouble, the engine stuttering, especially when coming off a right hand bend. After a while I was thinking I should return home & investigate, when it stopped. I wonder if being in the garage with the temperature fluctuations we've had made moisture condense in the tank & the bends were slooshing it into the tank's sump? Who knows.

The roads were good, quite winding, not too much traffic & we made good progress. 

At one point I rounded a corner to find the road covered with doves & pigeons who didn't seem bothered about getting out of the way (they're a little like cyclists in this regard). I really thought this one had left it too late, but It just missed the screen pillar.

I don't much like being at the front, the camera footage isn't as good & I have to decide on the pace, so when we got to some dual carriageway I stayed on the inside lane so folk could pass if they wished.

Then passing through a village - we'd been stuck behind a car following two cyclists taking up most of the road having a chat, one cyclist turned off allowing the first car past, the Lotus ahead of me did the same but then veered off right & only at the last second did I see the other Lotii parked up for a rest. Rather than swerve I went on, turned round & went back

Having had a break, we set off again, up Ditchling Beacon which was mercifully free of cars & only a couple of bikes & then down to the coast to the east of Brighton & the Roedean cafe where the carpark was a mess of Lotus' going back & forth, getting parked up on the sloping gravel trying not to scrape bits on the ground. No such problems for the Stylus.

But there is a post-script, Richard in one of the kits hadn't arrived. I put a message on the WhatsApp asking if he was OK & got a curt "Yep", a little while later there was another message saying he was in the car park of a closed cafe miles away - it seems he's got his daughter to load the route onto his satnav & she'd posted one with the correct start point, but a different end. Not a good result on Easter Sunday - no bacon for him! On the other hand, Matt who hadn't done the route joined us for breakfast in his black & green MK & he lives not 1/2 mile from my Dad, who I was going to visit on my way home, so I had company on the way back. This will of course stop when the extended London ULEZ prohibits the 40mpg petrol Stylus - meaning I'll be making EXTRA car journeys when I go to see my Dad.