Photos taken at the start and tea stop of the Mid Essex Tour - Jubilee Ride on the 21st July, 2011
Taken by Peter Turner at the Bricklayers Arms, Stondon Massey and Papermill Lock, Little Baddow.

Thanks to all who attended the event and made it the great social occasion and ride that it was. Despite the lousy weather forecast during the days before the event, we had a day of very mixed weather. Some riders experienced heavy rain whilst others remained totally dry all day! Dark clouds were hovering above Essex for much of the day so very few riders saw the sun. Some photos have been uploaded to the Essex “A” web site – despite the fact that most people were in wet gear all day there are still plenty of smiles to be seen.

66 riders registered for the event and there were a handful on no-shows – most likely put off by the weather forecast.

A country lane, which formed part of the route, was unexpectedly closed on the day before the event. This necessitated a hastily arranged detour, which ensured that everybody completed the route without getting too lost.

Finally, many thanks to the management and staff at the Bricklayers Arms who did a brilliant job of catering for us with teas, coffees and biscuits at the start of the event and for keeping the pub open at the end for drinks etc. We were even able to watch stage 18 of the TdF, with Andy Schleck’s amazing climb on the Galibier, on their big screen.