28/3 HSLCC Fri Night Ride- The Light Fantastic

Derek Gives His All On Stonestile!

Our ride  began with a discussion on what constitutes sensible lighting for the night rides. In the end the consensus was that powerful front lights need to be well dipped to avoid dazzling and annoying potentially dangerous car drivers and that it was best to avoid over bright mega lumens type rear LEDS, as they can blind riders following behind (if you must use one make sure it is well dipped). We had a good turnout with seven riders including a rare appearance from Derek who normally saves himself for the Saturday bacon Butty ride . Taking care to avoid the infamous pothole on Battery Hill , we descended in the pitch black with myself and Derek getting dropped by the less cautious riders. We took a chance, deciding to risk the pebbles on the harbour route.There were quite a few but it was just about acceptable. The long drag  up to broad Oak seemed endless but at least I had Derek with me for company for a change. From the top of the drag we stuck together until the Stonestile climb. Paul was feeling strong and made it to the top first , just beating Malcolm. Good to see Derek has regained his climbing legs and was only a little way behind me on the ascent. Three of us enjoyed a post ride kabab before meeting up with Chris P and Colin for a few well deserved beers.

16/3 ESCA Hard Riders TT

Its The ESCA Hard Riders! Spring has Arrived!

 We had 3 DNS and two DNF, Joe Kingsman puncturing and Mark Brittle wrapping his chain round his rear mech and breaking the sacrificial hanger to bring himself to a standstill.

Our best placed rider was Stuart Hodd in 17th place with a time of 41:28 overall, over three minutes quicker than last year, and 3:37 for the ascent of Agony Hill. Making up the top five Hastings riders were:  Nigel Tamplin (45:11 / 3:55), Ivan Johnson (46:29 / 4:02), TT debutant Lee Smith (47:03 / 4:05) and Tom Norris (47:55 / 4:13).
The other times: Simon Grogan (48:03 / 3:35), David Earl (49:25 / 4:33) on his comeback, Jay Miles (51:08 / 4:38), Greg Blackwell (51:55 / 4:48), Chris Parker (53:32 / 5:00), Tim Miles (54:19 / 5:10), Steve Curtis (55:24 /  5:08) and Peter Buss (55:44 / 5:12) who has made great progress and was nine minutes quicker than last year.

I mean to update the table of all H&StL CC times on the course since the first event on it in 2000.  From all the ESCA clubs only Jay Miles and I have completed all 15 events.

Chris Parker

26/3 HSLCC Chaingang- Return Of The Cold

Fast changing conditions did not bode well for a good turn out on the chain gang - cold showers in the afternoon and a temperature fast dropping towards zero - but 20 suitably dressed riders made the start in good spirits. Whatever else the weather was doing, it was near-windless. We would soon create our own heat and the prospects were for a fast training session.

Too Cold For Stu!

A disciplined group set out a little late at a good pace, but was soon broken-up by differing tactics when we met a car waiting at a zebra crossing. Some took advantage of the dithering motorist whilst most held back. This allowed a small group to get ahead, whilst the remainder split into two main groups, before braking up further on South Cliff and Cooden Drive. I fell into a group of four and we rotated the front. We were getting into a good rhythm but were caught at the Cooden Beach level crossing, along with a larger and faster group.

This made things messy. John pressed ahead to help bridge the gap to the quicker group as they stretched away. I tried hard to match him but was dropped, then overtaken, by Tom and others on Spooky Hill. Damn. Well, that was me for the rest of the outward leg, trying to catch a group of lights about 100m ahead of me. I bashed on through their hanging vapour trail, with no bikes in sight behind me and the cold damp air biting into my shoulders.

Look There's A Glow-worm On Me Glove!

There were already 15 riders at the roundabout, catching their steamy breath and chatting animatedly about the ride and the cold. Once the later riders had arrived, we turned for the home leg without delay. Fluency was hindered by meeting cars on bends, but ordered riding was soon restored. Dropped again on Spooky Hill, I rode with just Tom & John, rotating the lead most of the way back. Simon joined us on Cooden Drive and we upped the pace as the end of the ride came close, breaking into two pairs as we pushed ourselves hard. At the lights, we discussed how we could improve our 'through and off' riding, with differing opinions. Either way, I think we agreed that the lead rider needs to ease slightly to allow the new lead rider to get in front, otherwise the pace fluctuates too much to be truly efficient.

Overall, this seemed a faster than usual chain gang, in part because the wind was low, but perhaps also because there seems to be a more disciplined approach to group riding. Others will know better than me! I rode with Tom back to his car before doing an extra 10km or so for the hell of it, otherwise the ride would be over too soon.

Next week's chain gang will be after the clocks go forward. We should have the last shreds of daylight at the start of the ride and perhaps we will see the last of cold weather, at least until next winter. But don't blame me if we don't! In the meantime, does anyone have any tips to help me improve my performance in hills..?

Happiness Is A Dry Chaingang!

22/3 Mad March Marsh Ride

A good turnout for our second social drinking ride with nine riders up for it. The weather forecast was iffy with showers and wind predicted all day . Early in the morning  some of us were caught out in hail so there was some anxiety over what conditions would be like over the Marsh. Despite the poor start,  by the time we met up it was dry and sunny. As we set off, Malcolm D immediately pulled over and stopped having realised that he had brought out the shoes with the wrong cleats. He would have to ride out on his own later. We were lucky to have a strong wind at our backs and made rapid progress through Rye and Camber before reaching Lydd where we met up with Nigel who had done the 10 mile interclub timetrial at Newchurch earlier in the morning. He was in fine form having knocked a minute off his previous time last year and having celebrated with a full English breakfast .From Lydd, the marsh is at its bleakest as it nears the ominous nuclear power station. To both the left and right of us there were thick black clouds with rain falling heavily. We were riding in a narrow beam of sunshine and blue sky, between the two opposing weather fronts, we wondered if our luck would hold or whether we were due for a drenching? We had decided we would stop at the first pub we came to. This turned out to be 'The Jolly Fisherman'  pub at Greatstone. As I pulled up I discovered I had a puncture, so while the others were enjoying themselves inside I set about changing the tube, at least I knew I had a decent leyzanne pump to inflate it. Unfortunately there is one major design fault with these leyzanne pumps and that is when you unscrew the flexible tube from the valve, it can sometime unscrew the inside of the valve, this is what happened here, and despite screwing the inside of the valve back in, every time it unscrewed it again. Fortunately my other tube had a tighter inner and so was OK, but by the time the tube was inflated it was time to leave. Our main objective of the day was to get to the 'Red lion' at Snargate before it closed. Looking at the watch there was no way we were going to complete the planned route and get there in time, also we had a call from Malcolm to tell us he had arrived there. So, we decided to cut a large section of the route off and head straight for Snargate on the A259. Despite being an A road, this turned out to have very little traffic. We were now heading into the wind and I was just about hanging onto the back of the group. Most improved rider award must go to Malcolm C who has dropped over a stone in mass since riding with us and was up near the front of the peloton all the way to Snargate. Some of the riders had never been in the red lion before, it really is an amazing time capsule kept exactly as it was in the 1940's by the daughter of the then owners who was then a,little girl but is now in her seventies.

Back To the 1940s!

 She has lived there all her life and has withstood offers from the big brewers companies to sell up or modernise. After a good few pints we emerged into more sunshine and noticed that the wind had now dropped. This made the riding to Appledore easier than it might have been. Rather than take the boring military canal road to rye we chose the much more interesting 'Heidi' route instead.It also meant we could

A Good few Pints later!

stop off at the excellent bell pub at Iden were they provided us with a free bowl of freshly cooked french fries. More chips were to follow at rye before some of us decided to have  one last drink at the Ypres tower pub. To get there we had to traverse some cobbled streets which Ivan and Malcolm insisted on riding over in honour of the forthcoming Belgium classics. After this the whole group had split up with some riders getting the train and others continuing the drinking.So it was just myself and Marcus  that headed back to Hastings across the main road through Winchelsea. Marcus picked up a puncture but with the use of a CO2 cylinder this was fixed in rapid time (I have been so impressed by these I have just bought an inflater and cylinders myself).With a gut full of beer and partially digested fish and chips, the climb up battery hill was hideously hard but somehow we made it. Many thanks to all who came on the ride and made it such a great day.

19/3 HSLCC Chaingang- Smooth Rolling!

With three of my last four chain gang rides sabotaged by punctures, I was determined to get round without having stop, flip the bike over, take out the wheel, inconvenience another rider, repeat x3. Infuriating!

I made it to the shelter without incident and before long an expectant group of 20 riders had gathered, ready to fight their way to Pevensey through a fairly stiff south-westerly breeze. For the first time in many months the roads were totally dry and I think some potholes might've been filled - shock!

The excellent Stuart Hodd arrived, sounding very chipper and looking rather dapper, clearly as excited as I was to be on the bike and ready to rumble. As Wednesday afternoon rolls towards early evening, I get butterflies in the stomach in anticipation of the ride, especially if it's not raining. It's a real buzz to make swift and safe progress in the dark, cool air filling my lungs, a pool of light dragging me forward and riding in good company.

The Chaingang pauses At Pevenesy!

We set off more or less in one group, making steady progress along Bexhill front. A faster group began to stretch a lead by the time we reached South Cliff, with me hanging on the back, but they soon upped the pace. I then stayed with a small group that did a good job of rotating the lead across the marshes - a great way to make progress into the wind. At least we would have a wind-assisted return leg.

I managed to stay with the main group most of the way up Spooky Hill (this is progress) before having some hassle with an impatient mini driver near the crest. I don't think they liked my slowing-down signal at the Star Inn bridge, but I think some politely assertive riding is prudent. I watched the car push through the group taking more risks than they should, rather than pass more safely. Best to get out of the way if they really want to get through - there's only one winner if a car hits a bike.

I fell into another small group which reduced to just me and John at the start of Cooden Drive, again taking it in turns on the front, before the last hard push towards the lights saw us make our best individual efforts. Once we were all assembled, most people set off for the pub. Sober souls such as Tom & myself hung around a bit, reflecting that perhaps we need a Bexhill pub for the local & Eastbourne contingent, but I'm a complete lightweight and wouldn't trust myself on the bike after a half-shandy... I'll have an orange juice. Great.

I managed a good average for me and, even better, no punctures! I'm not sure what I can attribute this to. I'd put back on the bike it's original wheels, tyres and tubes - Giant P-SL1s. They're the same weight as my Ultegra wheels with Continental tyres and ride very nicely. Good grip from the tyres and stiff, smooth-rolling wheels. The rims on the Ultegra's are quite worn after a year and 4,000+ miles of riding. Winter riding has accelerated the wear but now spring is with us, with more daylight, warmer air and dryer roads. Roll-on next Wednesday

Neil
Smith

14/3 HSLCC Fri Night Ride- Your Life In Their Hands

Glad to be back on the road after a week spent recovering from the double whammy of a collision with a car last Friday and a nasty chest infection, it was most agreeable to see a good turnout of six riders at the Fairlight lodge. One of them was Diego who I have met but never ridden with. Conditions were a little foggy and with the deteriorating condition of Battery Hill I wasn't looking forward to the decent. The nasty pothole near the church has become a lot worse, if you hit this in the dark its going to damage your wheel and have you off. Having safely got round the pothole and made it to the bottom it was a relief to get down to flat riding. We considered riding through the reserve but nobody knew if the pebbles had been cleared away yet, so we had to take the main road to Rye. We rode in a good safe single file peloton around 21mph but this wasn't good enough for some car driver who sat behind us beeping his horn at us now and then. On reaching Rye the car was still behind us and still randomly beeping. The railway barriers were just coming up and the traffic was just beginning to move, as we bunched up I could sense the car driver right behind me getting more agitated. Sure enough he revved the engine and I shouted a warning up front to the others . Simon and Marcus turned round expecting to see a boy racer and were surprised to see a grumpy old man at the wheel with his wife in the passenger seat! After giving them a stern look it was a relief when he dropped a gear and accelerated past us. The 4.5 mile slog to broad-oak was as hard as ever, especially when not 100% well, so I really appreciated Diego's help in dragging me up there. Paul B is going really well on his new TCR although he did complain about the front forks being a little harsh, he is riding so much faster than a few weeks ago when he was struggling even to keep up with me. We were all enjoying the fast riding through Brede when all of  a sudden a very fast car came up behind and accelerated to overtake. Going too fast to be safe, what the driver only realised at the last moment was that he was on a collision course with a traffic island. At the last moment he swung violently to the right , and swerved round it and onto he other side of the road. What an reckless fool. If he had hit the island it would have caused serious injuries to himself and in the process he may have taken out some of our group. The rest of our ride proceeded without any more incidents ( thank goodness), with Diego enjoying his fourth ascent of Stonestile.

Diego Tells Me He Loves This Hill!

5/3 HSLCC Nice And Steady

Following Todd's accident last week, it was a rather subdued chaingang that met up on a perfect evening for riding. All agreed that the front group needed to work together better as a group to reduce the chance of another accident. As the most experienced road riders Sean and Barney were willing to offer their guidance, acting as 'ride captains' in keeping the front group together as a safe working pack.To reduce accidents, any riders who chose to go off the front of the pack would not be chased down, there would be no overlapping of wheels and at choke points (eg road junctions) the pack would be single file. Sean expressed the wish to teach the front pack to ride as a true' through and off chain' but thought this was a target for the future. For now a safe working pack would suffice. With Sean and Barney leading; the entire field of twenty plus riders road together at warm-up pace. On reaching Cooden drive, Sean and Barney gradually increased the pace until the riders started to pull apart into two main groups. Unfortunately at this point Neil picked up a puncture and I stopped to give some assistance. Puncture repaired we set off to try to catch up. Neil is significantly stronger than myself so we worked together as a pair with myself slipstreaming. I was looking forward to seeing what the chaingang looked liked from an outsiders perspective on the opposite side of the road  . Before long we could see flashes of light in the distance and then we were dazzled by an impressive array of bright lights. The 'captains' had even managed to get 'through and off' working and apparently kept this going for about five miles. On turning around at Pevenesey we spotted two riders fixing a puncture at the side of the road. One of them turned out to be Richard on his first ever chaingang. This was bad luck, but Richard did not seem to be put off as his parting words were see you Friday! At the end of Herbrand walk another pair of riders were at the road side. This time it was John B and Sean. John's chain had snapped and  Sean was helping him rejoin it. Despite out best efforts, all the riders were gone by the time we got back to Bexhill but I finally caught up with many of them in the Anchor pub down the old town.Club secretary Chris Parker  came down later to join us , specifically to see how everything went. On hearing our tales he was delighted and greatly appreciates the contribution Barney and Sean are making to a safe chaingang.

1/3 HSLCC Early Bird- Marsh Blast

Ideal Terrain For A Fixie!

Meeting us for the first time on an HSLCC ride was Dazza Wall, a mate of Nick's. Dazza's bike is nicknamed 'anvil' as its quite a  hefty cyclecross bike rather than a racer, but this does have comfort and load carrying advantages  for the epic charity ride deep into Europe that Nick, Dazza and other will be doing in about five weeks time. Descending down battery Hill in the  light is so much safer than when we do it on the Friday night ride. On reaching The Smugglers' pub at Pett level there was a figure dressed from head to waist

Lets Give It Some Welly!

in pale blue with a matching fixie. It was none other than Colin! The promise of a flat steady ride had persuaded him to make a rare appearance. As long as the winds are gentle, its hard to beat a long steady ride over the marsh. With good surfaces and nothing higher than a mole hill , the miles passed easily under our wheels. At one point I persuaded the others to give 'through and off' a try. There was some disagreement over the right way to do it but in the end I persuaded everyone to give Simon G's preferred method a go. This went comically badly, if anyone thinks I am bad at this sort of thing, they should try doing it with Paul, Derek and Dazza. After five minutes of this, we wisely decided to get back to simple group riding. Right at the furthest Northerly point there was one hill. Colin became anxious that the route was going to start getting too lumpy for his fixie but he needn't have been concerned as once we headed South it was back to the flat lands. After 60 miles we decided we deserved some tea and bacon sarnies so stopped off for half an hour at the  excellent  Strand cafe at Rye. We now had a choice: continue the route towards Udimore, then Winchelsea station and Panel Lane or take the easier route along the main road with the climb up Battery Hill as the only difficulty. When Derek informed us that he had never climbed Battery, that clinched the deal. Battery Hill it was. The long ride finally started to catch up with Dazza and Derek and they both suffered badly up our 'old friend'.

Dazza Suffers Battery Hill !

28/2 HSLCC Fri Night Ride- Another Solo Run

After Wednesday the calm of the Friday night chain-gang.Misinformed again by the Met office I got another soaking but am pleased to inform all it was an incident free night.Fine riding was being practised,no cutting up or sudden braking and definetly no wheel sucking but you will have to take my word for it for like Steve two weeks ago I rode solo.Riding alone I was glad I had my commiserations from Ridelondon shower top on, I could easily be tracked by the space station in that one, a gaudy high vis little number but ideal for lonley nights.It arrived home the same colour as it went out courtesey of my mudguards and no other spraying wheels.The only incident of note was a tickeling of the inside of my thigh I started to get on the Rye road,I was starting to enjoy it but thought I better see why it was happening and found my saddle pouch had sprung a hole and my tyre levers where hanging out just about to jump ship ! Its good to hear from Chris W up in the badlands he is a much missed member of this club, well I am doing the Puncheur tomorrow with its Ditchling Beacon finish, safe riding and hope to see you all soon, Simon G  p.s. I hope its not too long before we see Todd out again

Simon G