Well, we are lucky. It's mid November and we rode in a dry 12 degrees with little wind. The roads were largely dry and the 30 or so riders who came out last night were in good spirits. Perhaps also people are enjoying the chain gang more as we all get better at group riding?
As is now the norm when we have a large number of riders, we first sent out a 'super-fast' group of 8 or so riders, led by Stuart 'King of Speed' Hodd. A minute or two later, the merely 'fast' group set off with John 'Max Heartrate' Vidler. Steve 'Staggler-Meister' Curtis advertised for participants in a less fast group, bringing order to the 'Sons of Anarchy' at the back of the pack.
Have you seen that bit in 'Babe' when the pig sedately steers the sheep around the arena, bringing an eerie and stunned silence to the crowd? We had a similar moment last night. No sheep or pigs, but an almost supernaturally coordinated procession of riders whipped along Bexhill front in single file, accompanied by just the swish of their tyres. I counted 12 riders ahead of me and 4 or 5 behind. It must've been quite a sight. I was very impressed with the discipline of the group.
The pull up South Cliff broke the spell as the less strong fell off the pace. We settled into a good through and off along Cooden Drive and Herbrand, with 12 or so riders maintaining a rising but controlled pace. We caught a rider dropped from the super-fasts, or at least I think so! There are an increasing number of riders on the marshes of late, so he might've been a 'lone wolf', prowling the dark & twisty lanes, formerly the haunt of smugglers, pirates and the lawless vagabonds of Little Common... Or just some bloke out for an evening ride, who knows?
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| Ivan At The 'Standard ' before the First Of His Five Pints! |
The pace continued to rise as John V doled out the punishment and the group dwindled to 8, then 7, 6, 5 riders. We hit the slopes of Spooky Mountain and again my legs failed me. I watched the remaining 4 riders speed up the slope and resigned myself to a solo effort across the Pevensey Levels. A couple of riders caught me up and we made uneasy joint progress to the roundabout, less willing or able to rotate the lead.
After a longish wait, we had reassembled the group and agreed to let the faster riders set out first, not as a separate group but to reduce the new for overtaking on the narrow lanes. I decided to wait a bit but an encouraging slap on the shoulder with a call of 'come on' from the King of Speed changed my mind. But I wasn't really ready, fumbling for pedals and struggling to get around other riders. I set off behind the faster riders but ahead of the others. I couldn't bridge the gap to Stuart and company, so I pressed on as well as I could and tagged onto the group behind as it caught me near the western slopes of Spooky Mountain.
Familiar bikes and kit flitted in and out of view as the group rode a good through and off all the way back to the lights, thinning in number here and there as slopes, junctions and corners slowed some riders. All in all, a very satisfying ride!
There has been a definite improvement in group riding, with better easing off when a rider takes the front. People are more willing to be dropped and then join a following group, doing their turn at the front and riding predictably.
It's good stuff folks and could be better still with more communication. Don't be shy! Tell the rider taking the front when he's clear to move to the left; call 'last man' as you join the end of the group coming through; tell each other what you're doing - it all helps produce a smooth, safe and quicker ride.
I enjoyed a pleasant après-chaingang ride back across the marshes to Normans Bay, with Peter, Kevin and Stuart B. Peter and Kevin have both bought tarmac-melting front lights, in fact Kevin has two! The brightness is amazing and they seem robust; Kevin has had one of his for a year now. The separate battery pack is detachable and rechargeable and the price is less than £20 on eBay. Search for Cree bicycle lights.
Safe riding, Neil
PS- Some regular post chain-gang pub regulars decided to try the 'standard' instead of the 'Anchor'
Unfortunately it was open mike evening, so there was lots of loud music which may not have been to everyone's taste as it was difficult to hold a conversation. Ivan loved it though and ended up drinking five pints of what he said was the best Guinness in the town!
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