Wednesday Chain Gang - Rapid Mid-week Riding

Great conditions and a great turnout again this week: a cool, dry and near windless evening enjoyed by at least 25 riders of all abilities. The ultras rolled off as a group of six or seven, leaving the rest of us to make a mass start a few minutes later. Shirley Y had already given herself a ten minute start, but would be overtaken by the ultras before she reached Pevensey. A number of riders made a rare appearance, including Chris P, who has not done many chain gang rides this season.

Stewart B and I took the front of the second group, quickly getting up to speed and starting to rotate as soon as the road widens on Bexhill front. I offered his Lordship the honour of making 'the sign', but he kindly let me do it - two weeks in a row, happy days! Having 'stirred the porridge', I felt a glow of satisfaction as riders moved down the outside. We had a fast and efficient group of eight or nine riders that rode well together for the whole outward leg, including Simon G, Dan S and Stuart D. To the disapproval of Lord B, I put a sprint in on the final stretch, expecting him to follow, but oncoming traffic deterred him. Stuart D went past me on his day-glow Specialized Dura Ace thing, proving once again that small is nippy.

Turning around at Pevensey, we had just a short wait before the third group arrived and we began the return leg. Like last week, I found myself at the back of the ultras and shouted forward that I was hanging on, not coming through. The most superb Stuart H shouted back that he was hanging on too, but before long he went down the outside and I followed him, finding myself at the front as we went up the west slope of Spooky Hill, dammit.

I dug deep and gave my all to get in front of Stuart, then watched as the faster, stronger ultras whipped by, led by Barney 'The Greyhound' Willard, giving his turbo a small burst. My lungs were burning and there was no way I could catch the last wheel, the group riding a tantalising 20 or so metres ahead of me. But it might as well have been a mile - I could not bridge the gap as we swept down the hill and on past the Star Inn. I kept up the pace as well as I could and was joined on Herbrand Walk by Lord Buckland, Simon G and John S. We rode well as a group - evenly matched and prepared to cooperate to the end (almost).

The sea water that has flooded the road since Monday's storm Imogen had finally drained, leaving a scattering of small stones, overlaid with rice-crispy road grit, spread that afternoon by the council in anticipation of a freezing night. At that point, as we rotated along first Herbrand and then Cooden, the temperature was still a few degrees above freezing. Lord B and Simon G went past me near the lights and eased off, but I kept rolling through, again earning the disapproval of his Lordship. Seems I'm doing that a lot lately; reminds me of being at school where I was constantly in trouble. Old habits die hard, perhaps.

We made more than enough heat through our efforts to stay warm, each of us riding strongly on what proved to be a fast night. I managed my third fastest ever chain gang, and riding the cannonball too. As I remarked to Stuart H, not riding into a strong wind really helps me and, perhaps apart from the strongest riders, it helps most others too. You never make up the time lost riding into the wind when you ride with it.

Steve F again cried-off from doing a second helping of the chain gang (nails needed painting and he was trying on some of Steve C's blouses), so I rode back along Cooden with Lord B and Peter 'where am I' Buss, discussing again the BBR debacle that saw Peter abandoned by Colonel Parker at Di Paulos, for which I was framed. Nice try Chris! Anyway, from what I can gather, Peter had a good solo ride and joined the group again at the cafe, so no harm done. Given his less than pleasant odour, he was probably better off riding alone. It was a one off - he usually smells quite nice.

Peter was stuck in top gear. This would normally indicate a broken gear cable, but it appeared to be taut. He appealed for us to ride slowly. So, with enormous effort, I patiently waited for him on condition that he turn on his hearing aid. There followed a loud buzzing and clicking sound, similar to that you get when plugging an electric guitar into a powerful amp. His ears started to glow orange and there was a background hum (no, not an unpleasant smell again). I knew we were now wired for sound, but tested it by shouting at him. Contact! Peter swerved as the shock of the shout pierced his eardrums, Lord B catching his handlebars and saving him from a dose of gravel rash. 'NO NEED TO SHOUT!' he bellowed, hurting his ears again.

I saw that he was also in the big front ring and whispered that he change down to the small ring. Ah, that's better! Having handed custody of Lord B to his butler, we had a good chat across the marshes to Normans Bay, where further examination of the cable showed that is was indeed broken. It's a simple enough repair, if a bit fiddly, and I think also that Peter will need to change the outers as well, as they have all sorts of kinks and creases in them. Two years of commuting in all weathers have taken their toll.

My solo ride to Pevensey and back was noticeably colder than the earlier and faster ride. Cold air collects in the hollows and between the reeds; the warmer air is felt at the top of Spooky Hill and also once you turn onto Herbrand Walk. Entering town feels like going to Spain compared to the frosty air of the marsh.

The same job that awaits me on my Giant TCR - new gear, brake cables and outers are on their way. I think the bottom bracket also needs changing as there is play in the crank arms, but that's a job for the bike shop as it's a press fit (I'd prefer a screw-in bottom bracket so that I could maintain this myself). I'll take the derailleurs off when I do the cables and check for excessive wear. The headset on modern bikes seem to be a weak area, so I'll whip out the forks and check that they are running in clean grease and not rusty water. The gear and brake levers are wonky and new bar tape is needed - a more practical black colour to replace the 'nice when new, knackered after one ride' white bar tape that came with the bike.

That just leaves the blistered paint on the seat tube to sort out. Ideally, I would strip the paint off the frame and polish up the aluminium, but that looks like too much work. I'll find some way of making it look better or just live with it. I hope to have the bike ready for the Hardriders TT on Sunday 20th March. If not, I'll bash round the course on the capable cannonball! Hope to see you there.

Safe riding, Neil