Chaingang 14th Nov - man up

Last week we had 21 riders but this week . . . 24! But better than that,  the return of big Dan Harwood, the very man who told me about the chain gang back in 2006 after a pure chance meeting at ante-natal class. I was a clueless dad-to be who hadn't been near any kind of sport or bike club for 20 years -  him one of the old guard of off roading lads and an early adopter of fixed gear.  So I owe Dan a tip of the hat, for introducing me to cycling again,  a place to find some new fun and adventures to replace some of the old kinds that are put away when one becomes a parent.

I've left the fixed at home tonight, finding the pace has increased from previous years, no doubt when we get deep into the proper salty rainy muck season I'll trot it out once more to save the good bike. Way out was pretty fast, with about an 8 mph tail wind, speeds were around 25 at front, a handful of the fast lads changing at the front, some more hangers on, two of whom didn't come near the front till thirty yards from the Pevensey roundabout, but  they couldn't catch Shaun, and I'd already sat up, so there -  Malcolm Elliot & Cav, eat your heart out. Way back I was feeling like three out of ten after the previous efforts and missing a week and was caught chatting plus the  headwind meant I didn't even join  the bunch till the gates went down on the level crossing,  Matt dragged four of us into the wind all the way to Bexhill where a crowd who'd beat the train waited. Shameless plug - if your in a newsagent tomorrow check out 2 drawings I did for Cycling Weekly on "Pain, when to man up, & when to man down" ;-)