First time since joining RGActive I’d managed to get out and meet the team and to do a group ride.
Turned up at Loughton at about 8:40 ready for the 9am start.
After a quick discussion over my pace decided to go with group 1, the faster group. Although I wasn’t too sure it being my first group ride.
Rode out as a pack of about 9 riders, taking turns on the front. When it got to my turn a got a flat, probably from hitting one of a few potholes coming through Epping. Once I’d repaired and got back up to the group, got told off for dropping the hammer when I got to lead the group, even though I thought at the time I was doing a similar pace (and showed similar on my Garmin +/-2kph).
The group then split again, and I went in the faster group of four. We headed out towards Great Dunmow and turned around to head back.
Man the wind when we turned around. Once you were a metre or so off the wheel in front, you could really tell.
Carried on working as a team for the return back to Loughton, got dropped on the final hill, which was a doozy, but that was less than a mile from the finish.
Good day, 2:40 moving and just about 3 hours total.