27\05\17 - Grand Tour de Stour 200km Audax

Met up with Alex & John for a jolly day out in deepest Essex.  Fantastic weather - for a while.  Headed SE from Long Melford to Holbrook and then headed SW to Manningtree before zooming down to Harwich.  The west from Holbrook was interesting asat that point we saw the black clouds that had been behind us, and that's what caused the zooming.  The storms were heading north and could we escape them?  No.
With lights on we got to the cafe on the front at Harwich just as the hail began.  Within seconds of our arrival the storm hit.  Lightening, Thunder, Torrential Rain - and we were dry!  Talk about luck.  Half an hour later we left and within minutes it was sunshine for the rest of the day.  However the wind got much stronger and more variable in its direction.  Our first hundred was inside four hours as we whizzed through the villages and lanes back to LM via Sudbury (138kms).  Here John took his leave of us and we did a further loop out west to return at 210kms, our second hundred taking four & a half hours.  In order to train for an upcoming event and ever the glutton for punishment Alex then rode a further 50 miles back home.  I'd had enough!  PW.