As well as celebrating America’s Independence Day (now they wish they weren’t) This Sunday was Geoff Jones’ ride to Maldon. Your scribe was on the ride only to the lunch stop cum train departure, so I hope someone can fill in the PM gap and fully list the starters. I can nominate Wayne Grant (rear rider), Ben warden, Mick Hanlon, and, of course Geoff Jones and me.

Starting a bit late from Whittlesea we went through Eden Park – that glorious road – then around and around for 90 plus kilometers to a Kyneton fuel stop. Our leader sure knows these roads and the scribe obviously doesn’t. Strange weather: sunny at Whittlesea, cloudy – colder the further north we went.

More of Geoff’s devious route was on. Plenty of low-traffic, bumpy, no takeaways, police-free roads to arrive at Maldon right on time for the departure of the Orient Express. No more to tell folks, as nobody ran out of fuel, was booked, punctured or had a nasty "incident". No more except – Geoff, how do you know these roads so well, with nary a map in sight?