22/1 HSLCC Chaingang - laser Show

Bizarre and unusual conditions were in place for the Wednesday chain gang. For the first time in an age it was not blowing a hooley or pouring with rain. I could cycle in an upright position, without having to lean over at 45 degrees and without fear of being blown flat at every side road. It felt, well, wrong... Not only was there no gale to contend with, there was not the usual nagging 15 to 20 mph south-westerly either. It was very nearly a still night. Time, then, for action!

A good turn out - 18 riders - made off at a good pace on mostly wet roads. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Parker for the first time, having swapped several emails in recent months, but there was no Stuart Hodd! Does he only ride in windy weather?

Newbie Steve Elliot Is Becoming A Regular!

We split into the customary two groups by the end of Western Parade, the front group in a hurry to get somewhere fast and the rest of us trying fast to hurry, or something like that. I fell into a well-disciplined group with Simon, (new) Steve, Malcolm and another that rotated the front quite nearly all the way to the roundabout. A group of eight or so had already arrived and were chatting animatedly, a cloud of vapour rising from their breath and steaming bodies. It was a bit nippy even if not windy and wet!

Special guest Appearance From 'Tadders'!

We waited for the rest of the gang to arrive and thought a car was rounding the corner, only to see Chris sweep into view behind an array of high-powered lasers. Was there an alien invasion in progress on which rested with Chris the last hopes of mankind ? Was this a close encounter of the third kind (what are encounters of the first and second kind anyway)?

We did what we could to protect our eyes, the tarmac bubbling around our feet and carbon fibre frames sagging like spaghetti. However, after a few swift adjustments of his plasma drive, the brilliant beams lessened and what had briefly become day became night again - the stars became visible and riders were able to reset their spongy frames in the cold night air. Phew! (Chris, only kidding, your lights are awesome).

The return leg quickly split into two or three groups. This time Malcolm, Simon and I made a small peloton but Malcolm had found an extra gear and had left us by Spooky Hill. We fell into a steady rhythm of rotating the front and made good progress across the busy marsh (why is it so busy of late?), along Herbrand and into Cooden Drive. We maintained a good pace throughout and whilst personally I didn't set any significant Strava PRs, I did set my highest average speed for a chain gang, with something still left in my legs. Thanks Simon, that was really satisfying and I think I'm getting the hang of the group riding thing now. It also put my relationship with Strava into perspective - does it encourage good training habits? Perhaps it depends how you use it.

Another Successful Chain Completed !

A group photo ensued at the traffic lights before we went our separate ways home or to the pub. I did an extra loop and used some of my spare energy to get a good time on the segment outside the police station. My fingers are crossed for similar conditions next week!

Neil Smith