Brickendon 2022 wk11

Ever-present timekeeper Graham Potter and his stalwart assistant Debbie were not present this evening being laid low with the lurgy. Get well soon both!

The valiant Nick Harris stepped up to the start line, set to work with his usual cheerful disposition and attention to detail, and managed to get first rider off James Moss away without incident. Then it all fell apart.

Whether it was a momentary lapse of concentration, a sudden recollection of one of the many hilarious comments made by the pusher-off, or a glitch in the space time continuum, his countdown for Chris Wedge lost about 4 seconds at the most crucial point. 15 seconds.... 10 seconds... 5 GO! Chris adjusted well and like a true pro, didn't remonstrate, just shot off into the distance. 

Where those 4 seconds went will probably remain one of the many mysteries of the universe to which we will never know the answer. That most riders recorded excellent times on a warm evening could be construed as proof of Einstein's theory of relativity which tells us that an astronaut travelling round the Brickendon circuit will experience time slower than those left standing by the 30 limit sign. My own empirical evidence suggests that either way lasts an eternity.

Well done to Chris for a 21:14 (+/-4s), to Ivana for riding Brian's bike to 25:52, and to new guest rider Hacies at 23:13 on his first TT.