11 December- HSLCC Chaingang

Good conditions prevailed for the Wednesday chain gang: cool but not cold; clear sky with some moonlight; no wind other than a slight north-easterly tickle; wet roads but freshly salted.  Now, could I keep it 'shiny side up' tonight after the weekend's unscheduled lie down?

It wasn't a great start.  I'd only ridden 100m when I had to brake and swerve around a badger blindly bustling across Little Common Road.  How it didn't get hit by the cars I don't know, but it made it safely across and into a gap in a fence without making me brake too hard.

I rode past the shelter but no one was there, so I scooted up Galley Hill.  Jupiter was again shining clearly to the east, whilst to the south the moon was over half-full and bright enough to cast a silvery path across the waves.  Malcolm and Kie were in residence at the shelter and eventually a dozen of us set off at a good pace for the exotic climes of Pevensey...  Barney was strong at the front and amongst the other riders were two Simons, a Peter and a Stuart (curiously dressed in a white top, of which more later).

My strategy for this ride was to stay in the big ring and try not to over-spin.  I can ride at a high cadence but I'd wondered if a lower cadence might recruit stronger muscles and achieve more speed.  If I got tired I would go up the gears and spin for a while.  It seemed to work quite well as I managed to stay with the fast bunch a bit beyond the turn onto Cooden Drive, and on the return leg I managed to stay in touch until the descent from Spooky Hill.  By the end, Kie and I were not too far behind the lead group and overall I did my best average chain gang speed to date.  And I'd stayed upright.

The highlight of the ride for me was the return leg on Herbrand Walk, along the stretch that's open to the shore.  The only sounds were the waves, the wind and the bike sweeping along the road.  At the Sackville Road lights there was lively banter about BMX saddles (Barney's saddle clamp had broken leaving him with a very adjustable seat) and Stuart's white top and helmet, each spattered with winter salt and slime, which clearly upset a few fellow riders.  "What was he thinking, coming out dressed like that?" I think they said.  Each to their own.

There was also chat at various points about recent road conditions, with many chain-gangers reporting 'unplanned dismounts' by themselves or people they know.  Dare I say that we need a good downpour to wash the roads clean?  I think the rain arrives Friday night.