And so it goes...

... and so will you soon I suppose

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a bicycle trip that raises a small fortune, must come to an end. And so did ours. We spent the final morning on the bikes, with a relatively brief spin of 40km with 400m (half a Burj Khalifa) of climbing. Butch deserves a special mention. He rode this morning, and therefore rode every single metre of this year's ride. Dieter was his partner again, and the picture shows them coming up the final hill, me giving a little push.

Those with an eye for cycling memorabilia, might recognise the vintage woollen cycling jersey I am wearing. Admittedly, it is not actually vintage, but relatively new in vintage style, but recently acquired and rather cool. Both literally and metaphorically.

We spent the final couple of hours milling around the hotel, drinking coffee, eating sandwiches and chatting – a large bunch of people who clearly didn't quite want to end the event, but knew they soon had to.

One thing I will add before signing off. A number of the riders are also employers of Langdon members, including several of the companies listed in yesterday's post. One or two folks expressed interest during the ride in doing similarly. And maybe your company or employer would be interested too? Every Langdon employer I have ever spoken to has emphasised that while they initially thought they were doing a favour for the organisation and for the Members, they quickly realised that there was a huge benefit to their own company in many positive ways. If your company is potentially able to employ a Langdon member, it will likely be one of the most rewarding things you will do. Langdon provides huge support from the first discussion all through the period of time that a Member is working with you. If a company you own or work for might be willing to consider this, please let me know! I can also introduce you to existing Langdon employers to understand their experience before you make any commitment.

If there is any significant additional news regards the fundraising achievements, I may issue an additional post in the next few days, otherwise, this is it for 2021.

Next year we will be in Rioja – which was originally the 2020 plan, and then the 2021 plan, and now, hopefully not to be deferred again, the 2022 plan.

To all the riders on the trip, thank you for your time and for helping raise such great funds. To everyone who rode, congratulations. To all the professional and volunteer staff who helped make it a success, thank you very much.

And to you, my readers, thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, and thank you for sponsoring.