InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

Hoping to get up to Thurrock for my annual attempt to create the ring around London's M25 ring road.   Pepé already has the poppy under the headlight and the year bands on the clocks. I'll have to dig out the big red t-shirt to squeeze over my riding gear. The usual two wristbands have been ordered, one for me and one for Pepés speedo.  Update 11th November 2019 After all the planning I woke up on Friday 8th with a terrible gut ache.  I had to work from home as the loo was the most common seating place.  It was no better Saturday and the codeine phosphate quelled the urges. Sunday was no better and I watched the Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London on the TV.  SO I missed the run. I was slightly better on Monday and worked from home again.  I observed the 2 minute silence in the house as a break vfrom work.  Once again, codeine phosphate came to the rescue.

It was with some trepidation that once the Remembrance Day Parade had finished on TV that I went to the garage and tried to start Pepé.  Of course I had to press the "go" button and was relieved to hear the "whirr. click" from last week. I then got the power unit out and attached the leads. A few seconds.  Press again. Start. Phew. I left it running whilst I finished togging up. Boy was it cold out of the wintery sun. My phone showing 6°C. The wind chill on the motorway at 70mph... I Googled it and it came out at -2.3°C.  I need Santa to bring me some winter gloves. My usual ones were not that good today. I'll be more specific for him. Not too bulky but waterproof and warm. If anyone knows of a brand/model that fits this bill that won't cost an arm or leg, then tell me. So back to Sunday. I set off about 1145. This is my fifth Ring of Red. In fact I have been going since the first one.  The traffic was light to the...

Hopefully by November 12th the common  fainting (vasovagel syncope) problem will have receded and I will be fit enough to get out on this run. So far I have been every year since it started. I sometimes think that I should support the RBLR run to Newhaven Fort but that is a very early start. RoR starts well after local cenotaph events are over and well after the televised Act of Remembrance in Whitehall is over. Plenty of time to get togged up and out. I ordered a couple of wristbands. Last year I had two. One went on Pepé's speedo surround and the other disappeared. The 2015 band is on the rev counter. 2016 pinged off somehow so I asked the organisers if they had any spare.  For a donation I ordered another one.  Then this morning I opened a drawer and there was the "missing" one from last year. Now I have 2 for 2016. One spare! ! One will go on the bike with 2017. Ring of Red .

This year the Ring of Red will be on 13th November. The official Remembrance Sunday. We are too busy to actually have Remembrance Day on November 11th when it is supposed to be so the nearest Sunday suffices. This year I plan to head up the A2 to Cobham Services and see if any Meldrews turn up and then about 1230 head up to the meeting place at Thurrock Services. Hopefully the weather will be kind again. Report and pix to follow - and they are here ..... RUN REPORT

Decided to go to Thurrock and join there. Arrived about 1230 after a petrol stop on the way. Pepe does about 180 to the tank before I start to get nervous. So as it clipped up 115 on the odometer I decided to fill up to ensure I had enough to get to the start and join the ride. It is easily 60 miles home from here. Doing the maths convinced me to tank up. Even in misty drizzly weather sitting in a large column of bikes is hot business, once the fan kicks in. We were on the road and the M25 just before the allotted hour. Well done to the marshals in the absence of the local police service.  The photographer, former SOC member and Kent Centre Sec, Roger Wood, for the run from Thurrock stood atop the van belonging to  one of the charities we were supporting. I had cable tied one of the Ride of Remembrance car-flags to the sissy bar but sadly I didn't get enough wind to fly whilst  stopped.