The easy way to ride fast into a headwind. Chaingang Sept 7th

Seventeen riders and welcome more new faces, Major, Derek, Adrian, Stuart, Nick, & other names I didn't catch. I was trying so hard to hang on that I cant remember much about the outward leg, I think it was mainly our Ivan and new face Stuart Davis from Eastbourne Rovers making the pace, might have been something like 19mph average, riding into a tough headwind. I had a dig at Spooky Hill just for badness and to see who was fresh in the final miles, Max came through very strong and drove it right up almost to the flamme rouge - actually a little tunnel of trees a kilo or so from the finish when a big rider in a US postal top came thru very strong, I'm thinking - crikey whats George Hincapie doing on our chaingang- but I hopped on his wheel, hoping for a lead out. After 100 yards Dave H-H, not G.H. looked back, saw me there, and sat up, so I had to go - too early with a block headwind like that, I blew before the end where all the fit lads who'd been sitting in fizzed past. Poachers! Chatterboxes! Take your turn on the front! Pah!

Simon Newell asked how could they ride so fast into the headwind, Stuart explained how easy it was - something about finding your core and holding onto it, too bad I've forgotten exactly what he said, it could come in pretty handy a thing like that, as could being smaller and fitter than a racing whippet, I imagine.

On way back Simon N attacked then Matt and Max escaped at Spooky Hill, lucky for them a car was coming the other way and all us on fixed were desperately under-geared for the super massive tailwind, or we'd have had them both for breakfast, without a doubt, easy.

Alex did a lungbusting effort to narrow the gap along Herbrand walk. I was feeling a bit sick by now hanging onto the tail of a train of six riders, hitting 27 mph and above like a hysteric washing machine on spin, Malc had an even smaller gear than me and never wavered. Aproaching Bexhill,found a good wheel, had a dig from 200 meters out at washing machine spin cubed, came past two then was all out of puff and watched the big train go by all over again. Next week I'm going up two teeth on the front, 48 x 15. So a fine training ride.a bunch of us went to pub after to drink beer and compare flashing lights. Tune in next week when we'll ask the fast men the secret of their success, and try not to forget what they said this time.
CW