30/5 HSLCC Fri Night Ride- Steady Eddy

As the last Fri night ride before some of us switch to Bewl Water it was bit of a shame that there were only four us out, still its always good to do this ride whether its one rider or thirteen. Malcolm was using his Eddy Mercx time trial bike on the ride for the first time. This bike has only a single chain ring so Stonestile was going to a struggle for Malc who announced that he was going to TT the circuit and would see us at the top. This was seen as a challenge for Marcus who announced he was going to try to get some Strava PBs and would stick with Malcolm. This left just myself and  Steve D, happy just to potter around the route. Neither of us had completely recovered from the early bird ride the day before but I was feeling more  jaded than Steve. Sure enough, Malcolm and Marcus were soon out of sight , while myself and Steve rode most of the way around together. On reaching the Stonestile approach we were very impressed to see that the council had done a massive amount of work repairing the whole road, no more would the sounds of 'hole' startle the local wildlife in the depths of winter. There are now freshly  laid large areas of smooth tarmac covering up what was a mass of nasty little holes, this will help all of us to improve our Starva PBs for the Stonestile approach (which sure enough Marcus did). Unbeknown to us Malcolm had an unpleasant verbal  encounter with a stroppy motorist which put him off his stride on the Stonestile climb, Marus managed to avoid this altercation and was able to bag The KOM  (1:06:28) for the complete Friday night Chaingang segment just beating Nigel by 20 seconds.

Eddy Bags Stonestile!

Jon S And Nigel In Toulouse- The Ooh/Ouch day

We left Foix this morning in heavy drizzle with the account from the hotel manager of having to pull ourselves up sections of our planned route by the railings at the side! He wished us luck and gave Andy plastic bags for his shoes (not the height of fashion but effective for a while) Nigel had taken advantage of the
Decathlon next door and bought shoe covers. We could wait no longer and set off to the town to find the Post office. Our plan was to post the bike bags to the last hotel in Lourdes. We were told the parcel would arrive on Tuesday at noon. Not good when we are leaving at 10! So after exhausting my schoolboy french
we managed to pay a bit more for express delivery to get there on Monday (fingers crossed!). Now a bit lighter we set off along the D17 into the hills and the first of three big climbs. The route was duly named by us 'the Scaramanga' as the profile looked like three breasts! The first ascent was steady through lush tree lined roads with sheer drops through the forest. As we gained height the views were stunning and reward for the effort. Our path was blocked by a logging truck briefly and gave an excuse to catch our breath. Up past the railings that did not defeat us and although steep the section was like a Stonestile ride. Around the bend we saw a golden eagle on a fence post that took flight into the valley and joined another to soar and wheel above us. This had us speechless until further on a deer bolted across the road and leapt off a sheer cliff to disappear. Simply stunning. We climbed up into the clouds past waterfalls and along an endless ribbon of perfect road flanked by tall trees. Down the other side and straight up another hill. Lunch was taken at 4pm. A little late but we were pushing on and snacking
on the bike before

and then a short descent to the final mother of all hills. This wound up towards the snow line and crested the ridge. The top section was in the clouds and the rain came back. Then the reward for that slog, a long and sweeping descent back out of the cloud The long descent had us grinning from ear to ear but gripping the brakes at every hairpin. The road was wet and this spiced up things. At the bottom many km from the top of the Col we found ourselves shaking with cold and buzzing with adrenaline. My hands were numb and had pins and needles that lasted for 5 mins. It was just the best days ride despite the rain patches.It has convinced me that it really is worth the money to get a breathable rain jacket and waterproof/warm shoe covers. Oh and of course remember to bring my waterproof glove next time. Next time - oh yes when it's only an hour and half from Gatwick to Toulouse then a short ride to the hills why did we not do this ages ago. This a cycling heaven that everyone should/must experience.It's another day of a similar profile on Sat before the big push over the Col d'Aspin and the Tourmalet on Sun. Fingers crossed the legs hold out and the weather breaks just long enough.
Now my bed is calling and the kit is drying

Jon

The Bonk -29th May 2014

Another top ride with five riders from HStLCC leaving from the usual bench  by the Harrow at just after 8 this morning: Steve C , Malcolm, Andy A, Steve D and myself. The pace was brisk setting off down to Westfield and Sedlescombe . Steve D disappeared  confidently over the horizon on a few occasions  following Curtis'  immaculate  GPX file forwarded ahead of the ride.

We set off through the hazy sunshine. Half anticipating a bit of rain, I had packed a waterproof. Altogether I was overdressed as it turned out to be a sweaty and pacey ride. Fortunately Steve picked up a puncture which gave him the opportunity to show off his compressed air puncture repair action and me a chance to slip my extra layer off. 

We continued en route through some beautiful lanes. This was Steve's "Chris flying door ride", one of the many he has banked on the spreadsheet for us all. It was leafy and entertaining with some good ups and downs. Like life. There was a challenge in the tail though with Battery Hill awaiting us all at the end of the ride. Shouldn't really have been a problem but a combination of great riding from the peleton and inadequate breakfast combined to bring on the bonk or at least a minor bonk at the bottom of Battery Hill. Not really what I wanted as I was quite looking forward to the ascent having sped down the hill many times. 

Fortunately the route planning had also including a cake and tea stop at the top of the hill where we all indulged in one way or another, flapjack, bread pudding, yummy looking cake, bacon sarny. Everyone's proclivities were evident, albeit briefly. 

I found a handy link to provide advice about the bonk and how to avoid it. 

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/beat-the-bonk-17082/

I'll be reading that again. 

48 miles in great company. Lovely day for it too. Great club. 

Club Run to Rolvenden: the 'P' word

Sunday 25th May 2014

It was a great day for a ride. The sun had its hat on. Riders appeared at the Harrow for 9 am. Eight in all. A quick review of route options and the direction of the wind led to the conclusion that a route east to Rye, with a tailwind, followed by an inland circuit westward would reduce the impact of the wind. Heading off through Pett and down towards the cycling path through Rye Harbour nature reserve, a newcomer in the form of young Jacob on a new bike held his own until we got to Rye, where he peeled off to get back to Hastings.

The route along the cycle path through Rye harbour was beautiful as ever. Terns flew overhead making best use of the wind too. 

The route continued inland to the family run cafe at Rolvenden where bacon butties seemed to be the order of the day. The cafe was popular with cyclists and motorcyclists alike. After the cafe at Rolvenden the route led through some beautiful lanes sweeping and looping up and down through lush green woodland. It was here that we paid the price for mentioning the P word over tea and bacon. The heavy winter rain has led to the formation of many holes. Following the route was a little like a Travolta dance of sorts with riders pointing out potholes to the left and to the right. Nobody dressed in white though.  First one struck in the woods. After this the group split with Nigel leading away at pace, by way of preparation for his Pyrenean holiday and an ascent of the Col du Tourmalet. Good job the group split too, for shortly afterwards and after three more punctures, Malcom, Chris and Alexander were left by the roadside to head back with not one spare tube between them. Pernicious Impact pinch punctures. Fortunately judicious hole dodging and bunny hops meant that the return to Hastings was trouble free. 

Despite the holes, it was a great ride and a credit to the club whose supportive, convivial ethos is alive and well. 

24/5 HSLCC BBR Ride- Sunshine And rain!

Listening to all the heavy rain outside my bedroom window in the morning I was relieved that I had made the decision to cancel the Early Bird Special ride (Nemesis) basing my decision  on  a dodgy weather forecast. By about 9:00  the rain had stopped, would it hold off long enough for a Bacon Butty Ride? It was worth a go! I arrived at the bridge cafe with only 5 minutes to spare and was surprised to see no one else there. It looked like I would be doing a BBR ride on my own, at least I wouldn't have to wait to get my food served up to me at Chile farm! I needn't have worried though, as in the next three minutes I was joined by Lee, Steve D, Duncan , and Malcolm D. Then at galley hill we came upon Malcolm C and Pete B who had done a pre BBR ride but had been delayed due to a hat trick of punctures.

BBR Veteran Enjoys A Short Bout Of Sunshine!

Malcolm D knows the BBR route like the back of his hand so we were all happy to take his lead on the classic BBR route, taking a little more care down the country lanes due to the wet slippery gravel . By Chile farm the sun was out and it was feeling pleasantly warm as we munched through our sustenance.On leaving the farm I had ditched the vest and wind proof but began to regret this as by Pevenesey the sky was ominously dark, the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped a good few degrees. Things got worse so that by  Bexhill it was proper rain and we were all soaked through. At least I didn't have far to go, I would not liked to have been Lee,who would have to endure the rain all the way back up to the ridge and along to battle.Despite the rain, this was another very enjoyable BBR ride. 

3/5- HSLCC Fri Night Ride- Joe Makes It Look Easy!

Good dry weather for the Friday night ride with a solid turnout of six riders. This included for the first time young Joe Kingman, rising TT star of HSLCC. Marcus was back for the first time for a while having returned from holiday, he was a little embarrassed to be wearing the jersey of a northern cycling club he

Its Easy For Joe!

Who Are North Road CC?

purchased recently in order to be allowed to ride an event, at least in came in a rather fetching powder blue! I was riding my Cannondale Caad 8 again but had fitted some lighter wheels to make it a more even match to my Giant Defy. Handling on this bike is really solid , so I was surprised to get so badly dropped down the decent of Battery hill but later discovered that Marcus had lead the second  fastest decent of all time so no wonder I was dropped! Malcolm suffered a puncture on the nature reserve which Steve D and Steve B were unaware of but the rest of us stopped to give assistance. It was pretty windy through the reserve and it was a relief to start the drag up to Broadoak, with the wind now at our backs. I could feel the difference the lighter wheels made to my speed, that and the wind helped me to get my second fastest ever ascent up to Broad Oak, so this proves to me the CAAD is just as good as the Defy. At the top there was no sign of the two Steve's , I guess they got fed up waiting for us to catch up. I was concerned that the ride would be a bit tame for Joe but he said he really enjoyed it having extended it with a pre ride through battle.Joe and Marcus had  worked together on the Rye-Broad Oak drag and managed to achieve the sixth fastest ascent of all time. In addition to that , Joe bagged a KOM for Udimore hill! At this point Joe broke away from us for home, telling us to expect him again next week. Just as we were about to set off  down Broad Oak hill, a convoy of two massive tractors and carts rolled past, we waited some time to avoid us catching up with them but we must have misjudged how slow they were going because before too long  we were stuck behind them This rather spoiled our usual eye watering  descent towards the Doleham turning.

Ivan To The Rescue!

 At this point Malcolm realised his gear cable snapped leaving him stuck in a high gear which left  him no choice but to skip Stonestile and struggle up the main road instead.  Just by pure luck Malcolm was spotted by Ivan in his van on the way home from work, so we arrived near Westfield just in time to see Malcolm being squeezed in the back between lawnmowers and chainsaws for a handy lift to the top of the ridge, leaving the remaining three of to enjoy the dubious pleasures of Stonestile lane 

17/5 Hooray For The Bacon Buttie!

Nigel Has to Go Super Retro!

What a wonderfully flexible ride the Bacon Butty Ride is. For those that don't know, its an excellent  35 mile route starting from the Bridge cafe on Cinque Ports way (off of Bexhill road) and winding its way across some lovely quiet lanes through Hooe, Horsebridge walk,Windmill Hill and Rickney before stopping off at Chile farm for the  eponymous bacon butty . Peter Buss and some of the others often do a ride before meeting up at the bridge cafe, turning the route into a far longer one,  Peter calls this the 'Mega Butty'. Club chairman , Chris Parker started  this ride over a year ago as a way of encouraging new riders. When new riders appear Chris or one of the other regulars will ride with them at a slower pace leaving the riders who want a faster ride to go off ahead, this works out really well as everyone knows they will meet up sooner or later at Chile farm.Some riders will break off after Chile farm and get in some more miles while others who just want a short ride will head straight back to Hastings along the coast. Thus , we have a ride that suits everyone! For myself having stiff legs from the Friday night ride , I was more than happy just to do the standard 35 mile route. There was a great turn out of 8 riders at the start plus Nigel who caught us up at Hooe riding the rustiest bike I have seen for a long while, his usual bike was in the repair shop so it was either borrow his mates old rust bucket or miss out on a ride, being Nigel he chose the former although he made it clear riding super retro is not something he wishes to repeat too often.
The 'Bacon Buttie' meets at the Bridge cafe at 9;45 Saturdays, there is almost always somebody there (as long as the weather is OK), new riders should ideally check with Chris Parker that he  is riding, as Chris is the best person to help induct new riders.

16 May- HSLCC Fri Night Ride- Knee Bother

Diego's Knee Holds Up Well!

With the best Friday night weather for a ages it was surprising that we only had four riders. One of these was Diego who I was very surprised to see as he dislocated his knee just a couple of weeks ago. Diego explained that he just had to get out and ride and that he thought his knee would be OK as long as he took it easy on the hills. I had only just made it to  the start of the ride in the nick of time, as on pulling my bike out of the cellar I discovered a rear puncture that I managed to fix in record time, however in my haste I had forgotten to twist the cable adjuster on the rear calliper. this was something I only discovered as I tried to scrub off some speed on the decent of battery Hill. Reaching behind with one hand while scrabbling for the lever just an  inch away from a rotating tyre on a  decent is not something I would recommend doing, but on this occasion all went well and I had a working rear brake again. The rest of the ride proceeded without incident as we just enjoyed being out in such lovely weather. Steve D was back out on his carbon bike which meant his  climbing ability was greatly improved from last week, so he and John S
 were soon gone out of sight up the Broad Oak drag but I had good company with Diego staying with me all the way up to the top. We were a bit disappointed to see that no resurfacing work had been done on Stonestile, perhaps next week?

H&St L CC Broad Oak TT Wednesday 14 May 2014

A fine warm Wednesday evening with only moderate winds resulted in some great times on the Broad Oak circuit this week. Next week we move to the Ninfield circuit signing on at 18:30 in Downs View off Church Lane, but we will be back at Broad Oak in August.

Stuart Hodd (19:57) won the event with a PB by 48 seconds and joins the exclusive list of the very few riders to have broken the 20 minute mark on the circuit. Sixteen year old Joe Kingsman (20:05) was pretty close to adding his name to the role of honour after taking another 25 seconds off his PB set last week. Third was Simon Newell (22:02), fourth  Ivan Johnson (22:28), whose c. 2009 PB is a sub 20, fifth Jozef Mager (22:53 PB).

Of the field of 16 riders all 10 that rode last week went quicker on a fast evening, five setting PBs, 15 year old Ollie Chapman (23:02) by 20 seconds and a massive one minute six second improvement in PB for 12 year old Fabien Large (29.52) going sub 30 minutes and Jon Stainsby  (23:56) equalling his PB.

 New member James Cornford (25:02) has been one of the top BMX riders in the country and a keen downhill MTBer but has had severe knee injuries that means he cannot produce the explosive effort needed, a cadence of over 200rpm seconds after a standing start (!) for top class BMX racing without causing further injury. James has ridden two of the recent Hove Park evening Crits and is keen to try some more road races and will improve his Broad Oak time considerably in August now he knows the course.

Big Improvements For Ollie And Fabian!

Second claim Mark Ingram (24:19) rode his first ever TT having been on our club runs and some of our winter chain gangs in addition to riding with Rye Wheelers.

Fastest time of the evening was a private TT by In Gear's Pete Tadros (18:04) pretty much matching his 2012 and 2013 SBs but 16 seconds off his 2011 course record of 17:48!

Chris Parker

Broad Oak TT Weds 7 May

 We had a good turnout for the first evening TT of the summer, 16 riders a good number turning out to help out and support plus a good gathering post ride in the Rainbow Trout to socialise.  We can park cars at the Rainbow Trout to keep them out of the way of the local residents near the start and finish, some of whom complain if they perceive our cars to be blocking their movements or view of traffic so please just leave space for the timekeepers etc near the start and finish with everyone else leaving cars out of the way.

 Our youngest rider for may years, 12 year old Fabien, did very well on a cool and blustery evening and was not far off breaking the 30 minute mark which he will surely break in August if not this week if the conditions are better.

Superb performance From Joe Kingsman !

The fastest time for the club was one of our juniors, Joe Kingsman who did very well indeed to knock some 21 seconds off his PB from last year.  The only other PB was Nigel Tamplin by three seconds.

11/5 Club Ride- Horam Via Brightling

Alexander Joins Us!

Ivan Resplendent In New Gear !

We had planned to do the route of the King of the downs sportive but owing to the dodgy weather forecast decided to cancel it and arrange a simple local road ride instead. ,We had a good turnout of eleven riders including Ivan resplendent in black new cycle gear ( although I would worry about its visibility?). There were some unfamiliar faces ; Alexander who rarely comes on a club ride, first time rider with HSLCC Gary, and Kevin on his first club ride for sixteen years! Ivan was concerned about the weather but I assured him that all forecasts said it was going to be dry but overcast (although looking at the black clouds I was not totally convinced) We set off at a faster than normal pace towards battle. Andy accompanied by son Paul was giving it some welly forcing me slightly out of my comfort zone. However, once we reached Netherfield hill it was Andy that was struggling and I felt that I was getting into a rhythm. The route we had planned was to take us around Darwell but Andy informed us that the road had been dug up for resurfacing (a good thing in the long run) so we would have to stick to the main road until the sharp turn for Darwell hole. An unknown cyclist had overtaken us before the decent but was  there again standing at the muddy verge of Darwell hill, I wondered if he had overcooked it on the decent  but with the speed we travelling at there was no way we could stop and ask questions so just had to assume he was OK. Ivan's pessimism seemed to be justified as it was spitting quite a lot and with the strong wind it felt unusually cold for the time of year. Ivan had not brought a wind proof and being so thin he was really suffering the cold so decided to call it  a day at Woods Corner, as did Andy who was really struggling on the hills today. The rest of us pressed on knowing that as long as we kept moving the cold was bearable. It was a great help that most of the riders had the route loaded on their Garmins so there was no need to keep looking around and checking where everyone was. On reaching Heathfield our luck changed and the rain petered out, from here there were some nice up and downs that took us to the Lakeside cafe at Horam. This is turning into a real cyclists cafe as some well known faces from Bayeux CT such as Martin Markowski and John Willis were there as were some other riders from an unknown club. Peter C also turned up to say hello. We didn't hang about too long so were soon back on the road. We knew we were in for a treat as once we turned East the wind would be at our backs. Sure enough it was great fun riding home and many Strava pbs were to tumble.

First HSLCC Club Ride For Gary!

I have rescheduled the king of the downs road ride to sat 14 June, lets hope we have more luck with the weather.

9/6 HSLCC Fri Night Ride- First Workout For Caad 8

First Proper Outing For Caad 8!

It had been very blustery all day and I was tempted to give the Friday night ride a miss but with decent temperatures and dry conditions, myself and seven others were there for the start of the Friday night ride. It was good to see Josef making a rare appearance but sad that we wont see Friday night regular Diego for a while as he is recovering from a dislocated knee (mtb accident). I was riding yet another 'ebay special' that I had recently purchased. This one is a Cannondale Caad 8 from 2010 with just 400 miles on the clock. This was to be its first proper outing! First impressions of this bike was its rock steady handling and  super comfy alloy frame. Unlike my Giant Defy it has a traditional geometry so suffers with less problems of rear end bounce (something that was only solved on the defy with a stiff factory made asium wheel). As usual I got dropped down battery hill but Kie kindly waited for me along the sea defences and helped shepherd me back to the main group. With the strong wind at our backs it was ridiculously easy riding through the nature reserve but once we took the 'dogs leg' at the end the full force of the wind hit us side on. Fortunately most of the ride from here was sheltered by hills so the wind never really bothered us from this point. I found the Caad 8 to be a bit slower than the defy at climbing the long drag up to broadoak, I put this down to the heavy stock wheels and the schwalbe rigid tyres which have more drag than most tyres but are too good in terms of grip and ride comfort to justify changing them. Two thirds of the way up I spotted a rider ahead, this was Steve B who had a rear puncture. Pulling over to lend assistance Steve told me to go on as he only lived at Broadoak anyway so could always phone the missus if he couldn't fix it. The descent from Broadoak again showed the stability of the Caad 8  making me feel confident enough to keep up everyone almost all the way down to the turn-off for Doleham halt . Navigating the potholes along Stonestile lane was easier than usual as there was still some light. Earlier in the week I had reported the numerous potholes on the council web site (using the new google maps supported system ) and was delighted to discover that they had marked the potholes with yellow paint so hopefully there will be some major repairs down there before next Friday?
http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/contactus/reportaproblem/map.aspx
On the ascent of Stonestile everyone stormed past me but I think Steve D had overcooked it as he blew up part way up the climb and had to get off for a while while I just rode at a steady tempo missing  the slightly lower gear on my Defy. Another really enjoyable Friday night ride completed, I am really going to miss these rides once I switch to riding Bewl water in the sumer.

3/5 Bacon Butty Run that had lots of options

Eleven riders participated in a variety of rides that formed Saturday's Bacon Butty Run. I arrived for my first breakfast at The Bridge Cafe just after 9:30 to find Steve B already sunning himself outside drinking tea and chatting about cycling to a trim looking basket ball player. He looked as though he would be a quick rider but we were not able to sign him up! By the time we set out at 10:00 the were eleven of us, three of whom had met up in Cooden at 8:00 to have a warm up with some extra miles before a coffee and chat in the cafe. Nigel had brought a friend along, arriving at the last minute so I did not have time for a chat with him. We did the usual summer route, splitting in to three groups, two of which merged again at a couple of way points before agreeing in Wartling that five would go on ahead to Chilley Farm via Herstmonceux with me, 12 year old Fabien on his second bacon butty run and classical guitarist Trevor (as distinguished from folk guitar Trevor) forming the second group. Nigel, friend and Steve B had been steadily riding and chatting together, arriving at Chilley Farm as the first group were finishing their bacon buttys so they ordered a second round of coffees as we talked about Nigel's forthcoming trip to the Pyrenes with Jon Stainsby and another friend at the end of May and Peter's planned trip to see the final stage of fhe Tour of France in Paris.

Nigel's party are flying out to Toulouse at the end of May, setting off to ride in to the Pyrenes and include the well known Tour climb of Touramlet and then catching the train back from Lourdes five days later. If interested in joning the party contact Nigel ASAP!

The Club Kit Is Looking Good!

Peter Buss has already booked a hotel in Paris, at quite a reasonable price. He is getting the ferry from Dieppe and cycling to Paris with a friend, hoping to see a Brit end up in yellow jersey again then getting the train back. Contact Peter asap if interested, further details were forwarded round by Steve C email. If interested ferry and hotel would have to be booked quite soon before they fill up.

Three of us were wearing the new Chris Watson designed club kit so we posed for a photo before setting off. Most of the limited production run of the first batch has now been sold, just some of the extra large sizes remaining, and the second order for some £3,000 of kit placed with Force GB and delivery due in five weeks.

After Chilley Farm we split up, some heading off for a ride inland to get more miles in, some going direct back to Hastings quickly and the third group having another coffee before a more leisurely return.

So there was something or everyone! There are quite a few BBR regulars but no one can make every week. If you stick to the standard options for routes and stops there is no real need or a leader, but it helps. Just turn up in time to depart the cafe at 10:00, ideally contacting some club mates a few days before so you let others know that you are up for a ride.

Chris Parker

P.S. on Sunday it was serious riding without bacon buttys. Simon Newell had recovered from the bug that laid him low last weekend so was pleased with his early season time of 1:04:53 and after failing to break evens last weekend at 10 and 25 I managed a 1:13:46 in the SCA 25 at Steyning, a course I like. Hutch was a DNS, may be he was not on for breaking his 49 minute course record set in the event last year. But there were cakes in the HQ afterwards so I did not go hungry.

3/5 Mega legbreaker

last year I mapped out  a new route taking in three hills from the famous book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Cycling-Climbs-Cyclists/dp/0711231206

One Mega Hill Climbed, Two To Go!

Today was our chance to revisit these famous climbs. The weather was on our side with sunshine and very light winds although it was rather on the chilly side. The first 15 miles of the ride were gently undulating which gave our muscles plenty of time to warm up before we saw the warning signs for our first (and in my opinion) hardest challenge of York's Hill. With an average gradient of 8% and a 1.1 mile climb , this hill extracted a heavy price for daring to encroach on its slopes. Having not had chance to replace the rear cassette with a larger one, Malcom C was the first to fail and had to get off and walk. Surprisingly, Steve D was next but then he had done the Friday  ride the night before (not a wise idea). I thought Derek was going to make it this year but seeing Steve get off must have effected him as he also had to get off . My calves were burning and I was close to dismounting myself but I could just about see the top of the climb and managed to keep going before summeting , where  I remained slumped and  drooling all over my handle bars for a few minutes. For me, none of the other climbs were as bad as this one! Having got our breath back we headed west towards the next challenge. Much to Malcolm D's disappointment, the route only took us half way up Toy's hill before losing altitude as we passed by Chartwell house (Winston Churchill's home) where we gave the

White Lane Didn't Seem So bad This year!

great man the V for victory salute. After easy cycling through Oxted, the next obstacle was 'Chalk Pit lane'. We could clearly see the steep sided escarpment parallel to the M25 and knew the route had to go almost straight up to the top. This climb had exactly the same dimensions as York's Hill but with the smoother road surface it felt significantly easier. Having reached the top of the escarpment I knew that we were  in for a real treat as for the next 9 miles it was all downhill at a gradient of 4% along the pilgrims way which follows the edge of the escarpment . Although being the masochists that we are we just had to deviate from this path in order to descend and then divert up the super-steep
 but mercifully short 'White lane' Unfortunately a trio of cars decided to use this as a cut through and were clearly frustrated to have to claw their way to the top behind a line of six cyclists. One of them came too close to Derek causing him to wobble and fall off (unharmed), eventually they managed to squeeze past us and were gone leaving just the sound of our heavy panting. Being fully warmed up, I found this climb to be OK and was grateful for all those Stonestile ascents that had prepared me for the necessary level of effort to get 14 stones up an average gradient of 11%. We had a very nice pub stop at a little village called Chipstead . While supping beer there was a sudden loud bang and a puff of what looked like smoke from Malcom D's bike. It turned out that the tubeless tyre had suddenly burst off the rim, thank goodness this hadn't happened when

Tom's 'Slightly' Worn Tyre!

Malcolm was descending! This was strange as all day we had expected that if any tyre failed it would be Tom's as they were so badly worn that the tread was literally peeling off and flapping around (despite this Tom did not even get a puncture). With 10 miles left to go, we regretted stopping for a beer so early as we all felt lethargic and it took us ages to get the legs working efficiently again. This was shame as the last 10 miles went through some wonderful dense woodland with almost no traffic. Emerging from the woods I clocked a pub just 2 miles from the end (the Snail) and made a mental note to make that the stop next year. We all agreed that this ride even out does the hell of Ashdown for scenery so we will most likely be back again to give our eyes (and thighs!) a treat.

30/4- So Long Sweet Chaingang 2013/14

The last chain gang of the 2013-14 season rolled-off with 27 riders in a party mood. Not quite in fancy dress, but definitely in high spirits with lots of chatter. A large and fast group formed quite early, whipping up a storm as they clattered past me and other 'steady' riders in a blur of spinning legs, cogs and wheels. Clearly on a mission.

The wind was strong enough to test the legs on the outward leg, but not unbearably so. As has often been the case on my chain gang rides, I fell in to a rotation with Simon along Cooden Drive and Herbrand Walk. We were caught by a small group on the marshes and things got messy before I pushed on for the roundabout. It was messier-still on the wind-assisted return leg, with a flurry of overtakes & attacks. One gentleman rider wheel-sucked me to the foot of Spooky Hill before zooming past. Do your turn buster!

From there, it was largely a solo ride for me at a steady pace, barely changing gear until the Cooden Beach Hotel turn & climb. As I crested the hill I could see the flashing tail lights of the faster riders riding up Cooden Bump. I'd blown my chances of getting closer to them with missed opportunities to overtake and tag on when the pace rose across the marshes. Once I lose the group and end up riding solo, I think I lose 15% of my speed. I don't have the legs to accelerate and catch up against that difference in speed. Something for me to work on there.

The ride ended at 'The Forum' in Devonshire Square, with most of the group stopping for a pint or a coffee. Steve Curtis had brought a bundle of locks to deter anyone from lifting the tangle of 20 or so bikes piled outside. Tom and I discussed wheel upgrades and 'funding strategies' that might not attract attention from loving partners. Talk was of the coming time trial season and of regret that the chain gang was, for now, ended. It would be good if it carried on all year, but as Simon said, it's having a break from it makes it special. I'm looking forward to the autumn already.

Lee makes It To His First Ever Chaingang!

Fortified with a pint of Guinness, I rode off intending to do an extra 10km or so, as is my habit. I decided I'd pop down Herbrand Walk again, but once I'd got that far I decided I'd carry on to Spooky Hill. And once I'd arrived there, I decided to keep going to the roundabout and repeat the chain gang one last time. Who needs EPO or Tramadol? Guinness works for me!

It was good to ride alone across the marsh with just my lights for company. I was joined by a bat as it swooped along the lane to the Star Inn. The sun had dropped below the horizon leaving a shrinking orangey-brown light behind lines of thin cloud. Above that, just visible through the confusion of clouds, the new moon was a slender cusp of faint light. I've never seen that before - the moon seemingly rising out of the sunset.

And that's the kind of memory the chain gang has given me - stunning evening and night skies, encounters with wildlife (animal and sometimes human, just) and a huge amount of fun. I'll also remember flogging into gale force six and seven winds and being stung by icy rain, fighting to keep the bike upright and maintain some sort of speed. Then thrashing back into Bexhill with the wind and rain at my back, water everywhere, sweating, gasping and exhilarated by the speed and physical struggle of riding in wild weather. There is pride in having ridden with just a few others mad enough to go out when, frankly, we should've been at home on the turbo or sofa. But where's the fun in that..?

I'll remember other rides for the frustration of punctures, mistakes or just being below par. But these are outweighed by the exciting memory of riding well in a small group, making efficient & swift progress, or by feeling I've learnt something that'll make me a better rider. What a buzz!

Right now, I am bereft. The chain gang has ended and all is ashes...

Neil Smith

Cheers! See You All Next Season!