28/11 HSLCC Fri Night Ride- Black Friday

Just occasionally riders on the Friday night ride have to suffer insults from ignorant members of the public or more often, car drivers, but on this 'Black Friday' we were to have no less than three such incidents.

Arriving at the lodge Diego was a bit anxious after a black pick up truck followed him and Simon up through Ore village before overtaking them with just a few inches to spare, then just as we were about to set off, the truck appeared again and someone aggressively shouted out 'get some road tax'.This rather unnerved us and I secretly hoped we would not run into the 'black truck' again.

Diego And Simon Unnerved By 'Black Truck' Man!

The weather didn't help our nerves as it was supposed to have been bone dry but it was now raining. This was particularly worrisome for Malcolm who was on a fixed wheel . Myself and Malc descended Battery Hill a minute ahead of the others at a safe sedate space . By Winchelsea we were all back together as one group and even managed to get a 'through and off' going up to the entrance to the  reserve. Thankfully the rain had now stopped and we could now appreciate how mild and windless the night was. No-one seemed to want to push the pace and we rode very sedately through the reserve and along the harbour road.

Our second incident took place as we went past the chip shop in Rye. Some overweight gentleman clutching a steaming back of chips, nearly walked straight out in front of us before just stopping in time. Annoyed at this he called out 'you are all gay!' which caused much merriment . Now began the serious task of the five mile drag up to Broadoak, Malc and Steve B lead the way with the others doing through and off in an effort to catch them. I myself was content to ride at my own pace and was just pleased to arrive not too long after the main pack . The constant climbing in such mild weather had caused me to over heat  and it was a relief to take off the wind proof and let some sweat evaporate.

Even without Marcus present, we descended Brede hill at a fast pace and I managed to bag a second fastest PB without any stress.

Just Stonestile now  awaited us but our numbers had dwindled somewhat as JV and Steve B had broken away for home while Malc on a relatively high geared fixie had decided to stick to the main road instead . All went well despite the return of the rain, until an impatient car driver at the top of the climb informed us that we were all a bunch of 'wankers', charming! I for one am glad its only
Black Friday' once a year!

Chain Gang Goes Surfing

Washed, dried and oiled. Metal polished, spokes buffed, rims checked. Brakes adjusted, lights charged and rider dressed ready for action. Garage door up and out into the dark, lights and Garmin on, feet clipped in. And I'm off down the road, eager for a hard ride after three days bashing a laptop. Chain gang time - my antidote to too much work and not enough play.

Tom Cruise Is Not The Only Tom Who Can  Be A 'Rain Man' !

It was a classic November evening following a classic November day - gloomy, damp, drizzly, dark and bloody dismal. But the wind was mostly light and southerly, my fresh legs pressed down and the bike moved forward with pleasing ease. I hacked through the traffic to the rendezvous feeling like I could ride all night.

There was another good turnout with twenty riders making the start and four late arrivals tagging on later. The super-fasts sped off in a pack of ten, shortly followed by the fasts in another orderly group that kept a good shape until South Cliff. The drizzle had become heavy rain, quickly soaking through my kit to my skin - luckily, not a cold night but not all that warm either.

As in pro rides, the hills whittle away at groups, sorting riders into bunches of a similar speed. The ten fasts became nine, and then seven as we hit the lower slopes of Spooky Mountain. Peter Buss and I were just hanging on up the slope, chasing John 'Electric Legs' Vidler and 'Young Man' Michael, amongst others. I managed to keep in touch and stay with the group to the roundabout but Peter fell away to complete a short solo TT to the layby.

By now, the heavy rain had eased slightly, having already soaked us as we rode along Bexhill front, Cooden & Herbrand. My gloves were squishy bags of tepid water, my shirts drenched and heavy with chilling water. Why was I doing this? Oh yes, it's fun. No, really, it is. Honest, I love it!

The roads were more water than tarmac. Riding through the spray of the rider in front was more challenging than coping with the rain. Either way, it was hard to see where I was going as my glasses were covered in water droplets and muck, scattering the bright red light of the rider in front into a dazzling, blinding firework display. I peaked over the top of them, squinting through the water running into my eyes and spitting out the grit washed into my mouth. Snot was blown down onto my top, water squelched in the shorts pad. Ah, the glamour of cycling!

This was the time for good group riding and fellow chain gangers did not disappoint. Pelting across the marshes at 19 to 25 mph, a few centimetres from the guy in front, an arm width from the guy to your side, whilst maintaining a smooth, safe line takes some doing. The group rode an excellent through and off the whole way out, coping superbly with traffic, potholes and puddles. I rode my third fastest chain gang without pushing too hard - further proof to me that you'll get a faster ride working together than working alone.

We didn't hang around at the turn, but set off promptly to keep warm, having seen six or so Eastbourne riders head for home. I settled into a swift group of six to seven riders that stayed together for the whole ride to the lights - Simon G, John V, Peter B early on, Young Man Michael, Tom 'Cheeky-Chops' Norris and another whose name I've lost (sorry). It was a great group ride at a good pace, thanks guys.

The usual chain gang buzz was shorter than usual; not less energetic, just a bit damp and quick as riders headed home or to the pub. Time only for a cheery thumbs up from the excellent Stuart Hodd. A night for chatting indoors, not out, drying off in front of a fire and warming up with a hot cuppa. Bliss!

So, I didn't do that, but rode back across the marshes with Peter and Tom, getting splashed all over again as we split the same puddles in two for a second time. The ride back to Bexhill was strangely bright and quiet. A carless Herbrand tempted me to switch off my front lights. I rode along the dark, shiny road, my tyres fizzing through the sheen of water and my eyes picking out the sea anglers on the beach and the fishing boats a little offshore. These are the things I miss when in the brightly-lit, speeding group.

But sometimes it's good to open up to what I'm riding through - the smell of the rain and the sea, the bright fuzzy glow of Bexhill or Eastbourne through mist and spray, the fox at the edge of the road - and connect with the moment. Riding can be too much about getting there and not enough about enjoying the ride.

...Dirty, wet and watery. Metal grimy, spokes dull, rims streaked. Brakes grinding, lights dim and rider drenched. Garage door up and I'm into the dry, lights and Garmin off, feet unclipped. And I'm home, eager to get changed after riding 40 soaking kilometres. I'm also filthy, clothes and skin flecked with what looks like soot or coal dust. But I'm satisfied and annoyingly chirpy as I bustle into the house - the chain gang buzz is a great feeling.

Neil Smith

Nigel Comes Out Despite the Rain,  To Get Away From His  His Java/C++ Programming Deadline Dilemma!

23/11 HSLCC Club Ride- Wittersham Wet Lives Up To The Name

With such terrible weather forecast I wasn't expecting more than a few riders to turn up and so was delighted that I was joined by six other masochists. I had pre-warned everyone to bring wet weather gear  and so was flabbergasted to see  Tom arrive  in just a summer short sleeve top, no tights and worse of all no waterproof! Steve D was his normal impatient self and wanted to get off bang on 8:00 rather than waiting for the customary departure time of 8:10. In the end we couldn't get off until 8;20 as John S had phoned to say he had had to fix a puncture but was on his way.

We ignored our Garmins and headed  directly for Appledore via Pett and Rye. So far the promised rain had not arrived, so to avoid overheating we had all taken our jackets off. Ivan and Malc seemed to be content to do much of the work on the front on the long ride out to Appledore which was pleasantly easy on what was a windless day.

Our luck with the weather continued all the way to Peasmarsh where there was a moment to take a photo, eat a snack bar and take a pee.

Just past Beckley we came across two large black Labradors running about all over the main road, we guess they must have escaped from the neighbouring house so Malc went over to let the owners know. While this was going on the rain started falling steadily so it was now time for us to pull on the waterproofs. We didn't mind too much as we were just grateful to have got two thirds into the ride without them. We did feel for Tom though in his sopping wet summer kit!

Our last few Moments Of Dry Weather!

As time went on the rain became heavier, so Tom and Adam  decided to leave the route at Cripp's corner and take the shortest route home . Myself and Malc bid them farewell and wished Adam good luck as his wife is now two days overdue for the birth of their second child. The others had got ahead of us and were far off in the distance. It was too wet to push the pace on the main roads down to Sedlescombe , so we weren't sure if we would see them again.

Now began the steady climbing back to Hastings via Westfield and Three Oaks. We were pleased to finally regroup with the others who had waited for us near Pestalozzi .With all  the climbing I felt comfortably warm despite the rain, and must admit that I rather enjoy riding in the wet as long as the roads are safe, to me it makes the ride seem more of an adventure!

At Westfield JV informed us that Rocks lane was closed due to flooding so we decided to do good old Stonestile instead. Unfortunately Malc had already gone ahead believing that we would be going back via Rocks lane. Myself , Ivan and Steve D went after him and caught him up near Three Oaks where a 'road closed' sign had been erected. This meant that we would have to head back via Ivyhouse lane instead. Despite riding down Ivy house lane many times I had never gone up it before. I found it to be a great ride back and one that I will choose more often. Steve D  now broke away from us leaving just myself, Ivan and Malc to arrive at the Ridge.

The three of us headed straight down the old town hoping for a couple of beers at 'The standard' only to be disappointed when we realised it was shut. Never mind , we consoled ourselves with beer and Breakfast in Witherspoons instead!

Record turn out for the Di Paolo's Bacon Butty Run

I was expecting a low turn out, probably just me with youngsters Finlay and Fabien (now just turned 13) for the BBR. The BBC radar forecast had large light blue patches running across the SE suggesting light rain at times. It was right, a grey morning with rain in the air but not properly wet. As I rode over Galley Hill I thought it was Paul B coming back the other way in a BCF top and then saw Ivan also coming back from a ride but quickly doing a u-turn to ride with me to Di Paolo's for a mug of tea. Just as we were locking the bikes up at 9:30 Paul B rolled in having decided to also do a u-turn to join us for a coffee. We were not the first there as Angela had already ordered a full English for Fabien and Bob. Before long it was something of a club gathering with 15 of us in the cafe, including President Stuart.

Ten of us set out at 10:00 and within a few minutes picked up Clive to set the record of 11 riders on the Di Paolo BBR. We decided to vary the route, after Whydown turning right to go up to Ninfield rather than the usual left to Hooe. We regrouped at the garage before the Bulls Head at Boreham Street then went down the lane direct to Wartling and down the hill. It was a mistake to take the closed road past Chilley Farm. There was a series of large holes covered in metal plates and a lot of mud churned up by the lorries on the road. Finlay remained clean thanks to his full length full width mud guards but most of the others looked as though we had been riding a mucky spring classic. Trevor was making a guest appearance and missed the mud by turning back to ride up to Tenterden.

From Hankham we went to West Ham and then to the Eastbourne Crem roundabout where we turned left. Malcolm had remembered the left in to Netherfield Avenue to avoid the big roundabout. On the right off Netherfield Steve B came off on the concrete slabs then Finlay on the next left turn. Over all the years we regularly used this cut through to the famed Sandwich Inn cycling cafe I can never remember anyone coming off there before, was it diesel on the damp corners?

Nine off us stopped off in Pevensey Bakery and then we did the usual return run up to Pevensey and back along Normans Bay.

It was very much a classic sociable club run with me calling the route as we went along and identifying regrouping points so the stronger riders could go on ahead and stretch their legs. Malcolm D rode at the front calling the shots and I rode at the back with Matt and the young lads.

Paul B had seen three of the regulars on the 8:00 Pre BBR on their way over to Lewes for a change so can we break the record of 11 riders on the Di Paolo BBR in the coming weeks?

Chris Parker

21/11 Fri Night Ride- Minute men

I woke up from an unplanned nap just in time to start riding up to the lodge to meet the others for the Friday night ride. Still half asleep my legs felt so stiff and unresponsive that I briefly considered turning back. Meeting up with Malcolm, he felt much the same and we declared we would take it easy so as  to give our tired muscles an easy workout. With only a couple of minutes to spare, Dan and Kirby (on only his second Fri night ride) just caught us before departure time, this gave a respectable tally of seven riders.

Myself and Malcolm set off one minute before the others down battery hill. This made the descent much less daunting for me especially as I was wearing my spare pair of specs with an out of date prescription which made everything slightly blurry.

Along the sea defences Diego and John S soon caught up with us but it wasn't until the nature reserve that we were all back together as Dan and Simon had to help shepherd Kirby down battery hill as his current front light was far too feeble for such a task.This gave me a chance to admire the bright lights in the distance coming towards us, they actually looked brighter than the headlights of cars going past them. This is very reassuring.

Before long we had begun the five mile drag up to Broadoak. Everyone stepped up a gear and rode up at their own pace. On arrival I thought I was last (my usual spot) but then we realised Kirby wasn't there and must be somewhere on the climb, left alone with his underpowered light. Feeling concerned, Dan and Simon headed back down the hill to shepherd Kirby up but as it turned out Kirby was only about a minute back. Giving Kirby a couple of minutes to get his breath back we all bombarded him with suggestions about which type and model of front light he needs to purchase. Moon compact light or Cree 2 battery pack lights seemed most popular.

Our descent down towards Wesfield seemed a bit more sedate than normal, probably because demon descender Marcus was off with 'man flu' .

Now all that was left was the tortuous ascent of Stonestile. Kirby has only been riding a couple of months and so is doing extremely well for such a novice and had successfully climbed Stonestile the week before. Unfortunately I wasn't there to photograph the moment for prosperity but at least I got  a picture of his second successful ascent with kirby just having enough energy left for the traditional 'victory' pose.

Kirby Conquors Stonestile, Again!

The East Wind Is An Ill Wind!

What boring weather - where's the rain? We're spoilt by continued dry Wednesday evenings. Ok, last night was cooler and there was a nagging easterly wind, but conditions for late November were again very good. Will America send us freezing snow by next week?

Dave B Last Rode With us Over Ten Years Ago!

More than 30 other riders clearly thought it was a good night for a ride and we officially sent out three groups. The super-fasts were again shepherded through the traffic-strewn streets of Bexhill by the King of Speed and the Awesome Powerman - the Batman & Robin of the chain gang - Stuart and Barney. In their midst and making her chain gang debut was Ruth, who by all accounts rode strongly.

Various riders were sporting the latest in fashionable and functional winter night-riding gear. Peter Buss wore gloves that made his hands look like a mutant's, with two fingers to each instead of four. Stuart Hodd looked very dapper in the latest insulated fluorescent top and shoes. Plenty of us wore gillets, overshoes, longs and gloves. I didn't see anyone in just shorts apart from Tom Norris, but then he's from up north. Tom, sort your socks out!

I rode the outward chain with the fast group. It was not what I hoped for: too many solo rides, not enough calling and then other riders shooting off the front. The wind at our backs made the problem worse, raising the pace too high and too quickly. I got shouty and sweary in an effort to bring some shape to the ride, but then thought 'what am I doing, this is supposed to be fun!' So, sorry about the language chaps, I hope you'll forgive me.

A more disciplined group formed after the level crossing and some better group riding was on display for most of the way to the roundabout. And this week I didn't get dropped up Spooky Hill, landing a Strava PR in the process! I can thank the wind for that one...

I decided to push myself with the super-fasts on way back, but into the wind I got dropped on Spooky Hill; this time I'm not so thankful... I rode down the 'Spooky Slope', past the Star and over both bridges before seeing another rider. He glided past in silence, the only noise his tyres on tarmac, passing without a word like a dark-blue ghost. Was that you Ivan? The legs kept spinning at an impressive rate and the small red rear light grew fainter as he rolled onward.

I turned the corner at the level-crossing and struggled against the wind along Herbrand. It was straight into my face, pressing through my two jerseys and chilling the sweat on my chest. I pressed myself lower, hands on the drops, grimacing into that damn wind, spinning faster whenever the wind dropped a little, spinning slower when that same wind blew harder. Where was the next group? I wanted some shelter and a chance to recover. Hurry up!

Eastbourne Rovers Ruth And Neil Bravely Joined Chain One!

The following group caught me just past the 30mph sign on Herbrand - the usual suspects of Simon, John V and Tom 'flat-back' Norris, plus another seven or so riders. A welcome sight! From there to the lights I enjoyed a good group ride, with good comms and discipline into that blasted wind. Yes, that's the better way, for me at any rate. Having ridden solo against the wind and then in a group, I know which is the faster and more enjoyable!

The group collected at the lights and we stayed chatting longer than usual. I needed the number of a heating engineer (wife's orders, thanks JV) and others were generally chatting about the ride, what ride they'll do on the weekend, or discussing the finer points of group riding. A shame we don't have a clubhouse or a cafe to meet at. Kerry's on the front does both coffee and alcohol, might be worth a look?

I enjoyed an après chain gang ride with Peter B, Tom N, Stuart B & Duncan. The latter two were gone by Cooden station and Peter, Tom and I had a pleasant ride back across marshes to Normans Bay. The wind was again at our backs and the pedalling was blissfully easy, just a minimal effort needed to maintain a good pace along the lane.

But the return was a grind: back across the marsh, past the Star, along Herbrand and Cooden Drive into a solid easterly wind. I got cross with it, pedalled harder. Bastard! My legs were burning and I was looking forward to turning at the lights and being blown home to food and warmth. That was enough for one night but I'm already looking forward to next week.

Neil Smith

ESCA Reliability Trial- the 3.5 Hour Group

The 3.5 hour group

Myself and Derek arrived at the recommended car park in plenty of good time along with a number of other HSLCC members. Mother nature was being kind to us and the weather forecast promised us a dry ESCA.The temperature was in between cold and mild,was it tight wearing weather or not? looking around the carpark I could see it was about 4 to 1 in favour of tights but not being someone who feels the cold I decided to go for the bare legs option , only to change my mind after cycling to the HQ, so I had to  cycle back to the van to put them on again. This caused general mirth back at HQ where members were laying bets before how long I would take them off again (most riders thought 15 minutes!).

The 3.5 Hour Group Waiting To Be Released!

All too soon the 3.5 hour group were lined up at the start, garmins at the ready! After waving goodbye to lee and JV (from the three hour group) we were off! Whenever we have done reliability trials before we always seem to come in too early so our pace was initially steady rather then fast as we stayed together in tight formation. The first fifteen miles were fairly flat but just before some proper climbing near Horsted Keynes, Gary suffered our one and only puncture. This gave Diego time to do some calculations and we were shocked to hear that at this pace we would fail by 20 minutes! Some of us wondered if this calculation was correct, so our pace remained steady as we climbed up towards Hindleap warren. From here there is a brilliant steady descent all the way down to Colemans hatch before the sudden dog's leg down  to the bottom of the 'Wall' (Kidd's Hill). This ecstasy of thrilling downhill riding would now be paid for by the effort need to get up this famous climb (I am surprised Pete Tadros has never attempted to bag it).The strongest ones in our possy were Diego, kevin and Gary, and they were soon out of sight while the rest of us settled down into survival mode. Pete b managed to get around me early on but couldn’t drop me as  I hung to his back wheel, then much to our surprise Derek made a great effort and managed to get round both of us and put a little distance between us for his best ever performance on the ‘Wall’.

 With overheated legs at the top, it was finally time to strip off the tights. Looking around I could see the ground  dropping away in all directions, now gravity was on my side! For the next half hour or so we seemed to be endlessly riding  downhill ,enjoying smooth road surfaces with graceful sweeping bends. Everyone had suddenly become very quiet and focused, there was the unspoken wish to claw back the necessary time and for once become reliable! We were now only loosely riding as a group, if riders couldn’t hang on nobody would notice. First to drop off was Derek, being the lightest he was at a disadvantage with all the descending. Next to go was Chris Parker. There were now just five riders left : Gary, kevin and Diego were doing all the work at the front with myself and David struggling to keep up. Every time there was a bit of climbing the gap between them and us widened, only for it to close up again when the road pointed downhill . At the last checkpoint some riders from another club got in between the front group and us. This increased the gap to a distance that our by now painful legs couldn’t close. We both found the last five miles particularly tough as the terrain became more rolling . Relieved to reach the  HQ, we quickly joined the registration queue with Kevin, Diego and gary just ahead of us. We were all confident we had made it . Sadly it was not to be; Chris P informed us we had missed it by a few minutes and some more calculations by Kevin confirmed this. Unreliable again! Never mind we all agreed this was a fabulously well organised event and a superb route, well done Sussex Nomads!

Steve C

ESCA Reliability Trial - The 3 hour group

JV, David Morris and myself arrived at the HQ with plenty of time to spare as David was doing the 3 and a 1/2 hour ride. John and I thought we'd have plenty of time for a coffee while we waited for our time slot.
It turned out there wasn't any coffee laid on, it wouldn't be the first time we'd be disappointed today.
So we bid farewell to the chaps on first groups and got ourselves ready.

Our group consisted of JV, Malcolm, Nigel, Tom, dan, Ben and myself.

I'd made sure we'd be well prepared to try and be reliable. Three of us had the route on Garmins while I kept tabs on our average speed (we were aiming for 17.6mph) and the time. 
What could possibly go wrong?
Anyway, we set off at 9.35 and set a fairly brisk pace.
Within 2 miles and the first junction there was a little confusion and a u-turn.
This was soon repeated at the next major junction as we went wrong again.
There was such confusion at one point that Nigel was convinced that we were doing the course backwards which would have been fun, especially doing 'The Wall' the easy way.
So we pressed on at a good pace along some really nice rolling roads and terrain averaging up in the 19's at this point, so well on schedule.
Unfortunately this wouldn't last as Malcolm then had our one and only puncture of the day. 

We then pressed on to the first check point and up into Ashdown forest.

The hammer was firmly put down along the winding descents into the forest trying make up some lost time and for the climb that waited.
We all spent a lot of the ride scaring Dan and Ben with horror stories of 'The Wall' but they coped brilliantly.
With 25 miles and time ticking we regained our breath and quickly pushed onwards.
At this point we were averaging 17.3mph, so a little down on our target even with 10 minute cushion.
We were flying along at this point with Malc, JV and Nigel and myself pulling us along, but we'd be frustrated further with more wrong turns and overshot junctions.
The terrain was rolling along with some steady climbs which wasn't helping our progress.
We checked in at the next control point with 12 to go and raced on.
At this point the ride then become more of a TT with the speeds up in the mid 20's much of the time.
After a couple more errors and the final control point it became clear that we would all have to morph into Bradley Wiggins clones to get back in time, but we pressed on never the less.
As we approached the finish line and a cheeky sprint finish (cheers tom) we made it back in 3:20, 20 minutes late and massively unreliable.

The route was 53 miles and I had done over 55 miles, so 2 miles of cock-ups.
But it was a great effort from all the lads.
If anything was unreliable it was GPS and Garmins, not us.

Over and out
Lee S

Big Group and Bright Lights

Well, we are lucky. It's mid November and we rode in a dry 12 degrees with little wind. The roads were largely dry and the 30 or so riders who came out last night were in good spirits. Perhaps also people are enjoying the chain gang more as we all get better at group riding?

As is now the norm when we have a large number of riders, we first sent out a 'super-fast' group of 8 or so riders, led by Stuart 'King of Speed' Hodd. A minute or two later, the merely 'fast' group set off with John 'Max Heartrate' Vidler. Steve 'Staggler-Meister' Curtis advertised for participants in a less fast group, bringing order to the 'Sons of Anarchy' at the back of the pack.

Have you seen that bit in 'Babe' when the pig sedately steers the sheep around the arena, bringing an eerie and stunned silence to the crowd? We had a similar moment last night. No sheep or pigs, but an almost supernaturally coordinated procession of riders whipped along Bexhill front in single file, accompanied by just the swish of their tyres. I counted 12 riders ahead of me and 4 or 5 behind. It must've been quite a sight. I was very impressed with the discipline of the group.

The pull up South Cliff broke the spell as the less strong fell off the pace. We settled into a good through and off along Cooden Drive and Herbrand, with 12 or so riders maintaining a rising but controlled pace. We caught a rider dropped from the super-fasts, or at least I think so! There are an increasing number of riders on the marshes of late, so he might've been a 'lone wolf', prowling the dark & twisty lanes, formerly the haunt of smugglers, pirates and the lawless vagabonds of Little Common... Or just some bloke out for an evening ride, who knows?

Ivan At The 'Standard '  before the First Of His Five Pints!

The pace continued to rise as John V doled out the punishment and the group dwindled to 8, then 7, 6, 5 riders. We hit the slopes of Spooky Mountain and again my legs failed me. I watched the remaining 4 riders speed up the slope and resigned myself to a solo effort across the Pevensey Levels. A couple of riders caught me up and we made uneasy joint progress to the roundabout, less willing or able to rotate the lead.

After a longish wait, we had reassembled the group and agreed to let the faster riders set out first, not as a separate group but to reduce the new for overtaking on the narrow lanes. I decided to wait a bit but an encouraging slap on the shoulder with a call of 'come on' from the King of Speed changed my mind. But I wasn't really ready, fumbling for pedals and struggling to get around other riders. I set off behind the faster riders but ahead of the others. I couldn't bridge the gap to Stuart and company, so I pressed on as well as I could and tagged onto the group behind as it caught me near the western slopes of Spooky Mountain.

Familiar bikes and kit flitted in and out of view as the group rode a good through and off all the way back to the lights, thinning in number here and there as slopes, junctions and corners slowed some riders. All in all, a very satisfying ride!

There has been a definite improvement in group riding, with better easing off when a rider takes the front. People are more willing to be dropped and then join a following group, doing their turn at the front and riding predictably.

It's good stuff folks and could be better still with more communication. Don't be shy! Tell the rider taking the front when he's clear to move to the left; call 'last man' as you join the end of the group coming through; tell each other what you're doing - it all helps produce a smooth, safe and quicker ride.

I enjoyed a pleasant après-chaingang ride back across the marshes to Normans Bay, with Peter, Kevin and Stuart B. Peter and Kevin have both bought tarmac-melting front lights, in fact Kevin has two! The brightness is amazing and they seem robust; Kevin has had one of his for a year now. The separate battery pack is detachable and rechargeable and the price is less than £20 on eBay. Search for Cree bicycle lights.


Safe riding, Neil

PS- Some regular post chain-gang pub regulars decided to try the 'standard' instead of the 'Anchor'
Unfortunately it was open mike evening, so there was lots of loud music which may not have been to everyone's taste as it was difficult to hold a conversation. Ivan loved it though and ended up drinking five pints of what he said was the best Guinness in the town!

Harrow Club run

I arrived at the Harrow just before 8 not knowing whether to expect anyone else to ride bearing in mind that there had been 2 rides on the Saturday and that the weather overnight had been appalling.

But i was greeted by Tom who had Rule 9'd it and ridden over from Eastbourne and Gary, then shortly followed by Malcolm and finally and most surprisingly, given his record of getting out of bed, Nigel.

So we set off back through Battle negotiating alot of standing water and debris from the overnight armageddon along the way.

I planned a route to stop off at the Lakeside cafe in Horam, a usual sunday club run stop.

But this time we rode out through Netherfield and around the Darwell reservoir, this is a really nice and testing start to the route, with great scenary and a pretty good road surface.

We rejoined the traditional route at Brightling, then past Woods Corner and up to Bodle street.

The roads at this point were getting really waterlogged with mounds of debris making handling precarious at times.

Although it was staying dry and not too cold so we were thankful for that at least

The climbing and rolling profile continued through to Rush Lake green, Vines cross before finally arriving at the very welcome sight of the Lakeside cafe.

We timed it just right as a couple of other rides arrived shortly after.

We all tucked into coffees and various meat in rolls apart from Nigel who had cooked up

some rice with beef, treacle and ginger. Although he looked on enviously when the guy on the next table was tucking into a 'Scooby-doo burger', a heart attack on a plate consisting of 3 burgers, onion rings and a block of chedder.......and chips.

We then ventured back out into the cold air and made the turn for home along Gun hill, past Arlington avoiding the usual marsh road at Hankham because of the tricky road conditions.

At Pevensey we then said goodbye to Tom. 

I had to say my farewells too as i was running late and the cycling police at home had given me a curfew. 

I put the hammer down for the remaining ride, arriving home just on time and therefore proving to be 'reliable'.

Talking of which, see you all next weekend for the ESCA Reliability ride.

Over and out

Lee S


Ride it...
http://www.strava.com/activities/217234022

8/11 Saturday Early Bird- Benenden Buster

After several days of heavy rain it was pure luck that it had stopped just in time for this Saturday early bird. A good turnout of five riders were at the Harrow but we knew we would also gain another rider at Pett Level (peter B)  As is often the case, Steve D set out too fast and we were very spread out along the ridge with Derek struggling to keep up, fortunately this time Steve did slow down and we were all back together by the steep descent of Chick Hill. Passing by the Smugglers pub Peter B tagged onto the group.

Mark's 'Suffolk'  received many Admiring Glances!

Another rider, Mark was also waiting for us, this time on the harbour road, which took our numbers up to a pleasing seven. Mark was on his brand new steed, a Whyte Suffolk. This is a new kind of road bike , having cable activated hydraulic brakes, a sturdy alloy frame with lots of clearance, rear rack mounts, cyclocross style straight bladed forks, taller than normal head tube and super comfortable flattened handlebars http://whyte.bike/2014/product.php?xProd=116
These bikes are selling as fast as they can be made and Mark was very fortunate to get hold of one. He much prefers this for general winter riding than his Giant defy which he finds flexes too much (this is going up for sale), despite being alloy its a comfy  frame and the disc brakes are far better than rim brakes for the winter.With JV having purchased a fairly similar bike in the form of a Genesis Croix De fer, could a new trend of disc braked durable Winter bikes be upon us? While the rest of us had to endure the expensive rasping sound of grit wearing out our rims, Mark had the benefit of superior stopping power that would never wear out his wheels. So, after five years or so this bike will have paid for itself by saving the cost of replacements!

The roads on the 'Buster'  are exceptionally quiet and in very good condition, so we made good progress Northwards . The one road that we knew would be in poor condition would be Moore's lane, but Mark knew a  diversion that would avoid this muddy stretch. Ignoring the off course beeps from our Garmins we all followed Mark who took us on a very pleasant diversion around the Woodchurch area. I have saved this diversion and this will now become the official 'Benenden Buster' route for the future.

Hydraulic Disc Brakes- lovely!

On the Northward leg the riding is easy because its mainly flat, however the Southward leg is much more lumpy and our average speed began to drop and our legs to tire, but at least we knew that we would have a fuel stop in Bodium. This was a new cafe for us in the castle grounds which I chose for the simple reason that it was the only cafe in the area and would give us chance to catch our breathe before the last and hardest seven miles. Unfortunately, much to Malcolm's dismay they don't start cooking until 12:00 so bacon butties were off the menu , at least we could console ourselves with carrot cake, scones and sausage rolls.

A New Member for HSLCC?

Everyone knew the way back so after exiting the cafe ,  it was every man for himself with riders branching off at various points. As usual the ride back from Sedlescombe past the vineyard,three oaks and then rocks lane was really tough (but still strangely enjoyable). To celebrate a great ride myself and Malcolm decided to stop off in the Standard Pub in the old town for a swift pint of beer which soon became two!

This is a perfect winter route, made even better with Marks diversion around Woodchurch and is definitely a route we will repeat again before winter is over.

Full Moon and Fireworks

As I rolled out of the drive on my way to the chain gang, I thought there might be a low turnout. But 'cold and dry' beats 'wet' for most riders and last night we were blessed with clear skies and lightish winds. After bossing everyone into a group photo, I counted 21 riders. John and son 'Fast Freddy' Cordner joined us after we'd pedalled off, making 23. With temperatures forecast to dip to 3 degrees, I was impressed.

The 'super-fast' group left first, captained by the excellent Stuart Hodd and the awesomely powerful Barney, with seven riders willing to ride together at a 'super-fast' pace. However, last night was not as super-fast as it might've been as there was sufficient wind from the north-west to put a dent in all our efforts. The merely 'fast' group of 14 riders set out a couple of minutes later, having been shouted at (in a friendly way) by Chris, John V and me.

The aim was to ride through and off as a single group for as long as possible, with John and I corralling the riders into some sort of order. It didn't start too well... 'What speed we going?' was the entirely fair question. '19 to maybe 22mph' I replied. 'How does 15mph sound?' Slow, frankly!

Not surprisingly, with such disparate intentions, the fast group split early in the ride, I think by the end of Bexhill front. It wasn't helped by someone taking a turn at the front and buggering off into the distance, despite shouts of 'ease off'. Perhaps he misheard that as 'piss off..?' He was then followed by someone who knows better but who will remain nameless, even though I know their name and could name AND shame them. Yes, you matey - it's a chain gang!

John V and continued to shout after the terrible-twosome but gave up, deciding instead to concentrate on getting the rest of the group of nine or so riders into order. And things went well! I felt a bit of a prat shouting instructions at grown men but I felt it was in a good cause. Most managed a turn or three on the front, before the ever rising pace (thanks John) saw a few riders drop off the back. I went on the lower slopes of Spooky Mountain. I know it's just a bump but last night my legs really didn't have the oomph to power me up and stay with the group. It felt like Agony Hill. Ugh!

I was blowing hard so I settled for a steadier ride, eventually catching another rider with whom I rotated along the rest of the road to Pevensey roundabout. The air was crisp and cold, without being painful, and the roads were mostly dry. What's not to like?

After a good rest at the turn waiting for the 'moderately fast' riders (the 'mods' to the super-fast's rockers..), we headed back as we saw fit. Chris encouraged me to ride with the super-fasts, which was fun until again Spooky Mountain did for me. I was gasping! Must be the altitude. From there I rode a solo until I reached the level crossing and pushed on down Herbrand Walk. The full- moon was shining a silver path across the sea, lighting a route you can only sail. The lights and shouts of the approaching group became ever brighter and louder, and I allowed them to catch me near the beach huts.

From there, with a few hiccups, we rode in a good formation all the way back to the lights and at a fair pace. We met a Gritter on Cooden Drive and the ride was suddenly accompanied by a gentle crunching as if riding over rice crispies. My tyre tread turned white as they picked up the salt. I shouted at someone for going three-abreast and they dropped back. Sorry about that! I'd make a terrible traffic warden - a tiny bit of authority and I turn into a cross between Captain Wainwaring
and Hilda Ogden. Picture that on a bicycle, if you can...

I swear the ride ended with 25 riders or so; Chris says 29! Where the extras came from I don't know. There followed some lively discussion in some quarters on the importance of riding predictably. Clearly, a manoeuvre near a junction had caused some consternation but the issue was discussed and resolved amicably. We had a few new riders - some friends of Dan Selmes I am told - welcome chaps!

My circuitous ride home was romantic in a moonlight, smell of burning and fireworks sort of way. The ride was a lovely way to enjoy the pleasures of the season. I got home feeling knackered and saw my inhaler in the garage. Ah, I forgot to take it before sucking in the cold night air! Peak flow was down 100 - well that's this week's excuse anyway!



Cheers, Neil

2/11 Club Ride

A hardy bunch of 8 gathered for the morning ride. The forecast was for strong winds and possible rain mid morning, so after 5 mins wait we set off presuming that nobody else would show up. As we set off a panting Kie came zooming up to us, running a little late and fearing he would have to ride hard on his own to catch us.On the approach to Battle, Malcolm pulled over with a faulty gear cable, and decided to head home and change his bike.
The rest of us cruised into Battle and we soon getting warmed up on the the climb of Netherfield hill & the rolling roads to Woods Corner & beyond. We took to the shelter of the lanes as we turned towards the coast & into the stiff headwind. We headed through Hailsham en-route to Pevensey for a cafe stop. 5 of us felt that we had worked hard enough to treat ourselves to a cooked breakfast for homeward fuel. We then doubled back to the Pevensey lights and up the Wartling road towards Boreham Hill, with Ivan commanding a relentless pace ( made all the harder with a full stomach), proving that a cup of tea was all that he needs.
We now faced the long drag up into Ninfield, fortunately with the wind in our favour ( it's all in the planning......), and through to Sidley & along Bexhill Road. We regrouped at the bottom of Filsham Road, before all going off in our homeward directions, making it home just before the rain started.
I expected to see more club members out for the ride as there were no main events on this weekend. With only Ivan, Malcolm D and Peter Baker from the club in addition to the regular Sunday Early Bird Riders, could it have been the weather forecast that kept people tucked under their duvets? Let's hope for a better forecast this coming weekend and hopefully a large field of riders & a good showing for the new club kit!!!

J.V

26 Oct-Ups & Downs of The Sunday Club Ride

A group of 9 enthusiastic cyclists set off from the Harrow at 8 am to do battle with hills of East Sussex. It was good to see some new faces amongst the regular ones, maybe due in part to the friendlier start time of 8.00am and hopefully by awareness from the club blog & regular email alerts.Simon G & Ivan were great additions to the regular Sunday field, as were "newbies" Gary & Adam. We set off, heading down Queensway, taking the turning towards Crowhurst and our first set of hills, as we climbed all the way back up Forewood Lane to Telham. The long drag fragmented the group and we regrouped at the main road. This would be the pattern for the rest of the ride, with riders pursuing Ivan up the hills and regrouping at the top.
Through Catsfield, before the climb up to the North Trade Road took us further inland through Penhurst, followed by the pleasurable ascent of Brightling Hill. A timely saddle problem for Dan H & puncture for Nick S gave the group a chance to rest the legs briefly at the top.

 Descending into the Darwell valley could mean just one thing, another climb. This time it was to be Eatenden Lane, over the Mountfield level crossing and all the way up to Netherfield Church, before the fast drop & slow climb up towards Battle.Through Whattlington to Cripps corner, we then took Poppinghole lane to Robertsbridge, where we had our second equine encounter with a rather jittery horse that kept scuttling sideways as we tried to pass. Cautiously we all made it through without spooking the horse or jockey to much. Yet another tough hill took us towards The Curlew, with Nick attacking Ivan at the start of the climb and then running out of gusto, as Ivan camly rode past and disappeared into the distance, as did most of us at that point, to the amusement of the whole group, with the usual barrage of abuse that such a failed move deserves.The sight of the Curlew Pub meant that we only had a short descent to Bodiam Castle, and a well earned stop at the Castle cafe. It was here that newbie "Adam" informed me that I know his sister-in-law, the gutsy & courageous "Iron Man" competitor "Nicky Wood", whom I have ridden with on several occasions as part her training. Having a sister-in-law with a never quit attitude, puts Adam in the rather uneviable position of never being able to chuck in the towel, whatever the ride threw at him, or face ridicule from the family!
After resting the legs, we remounted and took the steady climbing lanes to Northiam, followed by the newly resurfaced Furnace lane climb to Broadoak. Nearly done, all we had left was the drop through Brede, before the climb into Westfield and back out again up to the Ridge.
Heart rates were raised & legs truly tested, with all 9 riders finishing with slightly weary smiles on their faces. A tough ride & a baptism of fire for Gary & Adam on their maiden club outing with 52 miles & 4850ft of climbing!!
J.V

Good weather for Inaugural Official Saturday Morning Double Butty Run

Since everyone has been saying how good the coffee is at Di Paulo's I made sure I was there early to savour it. When I got there at 9:25 Steve Curtis was already there to make his once a month guest appearance on the ride. Yes the coffee was good but I went for toast and marmalade rather than a bacon butty as others arrived and we chatted. As 9:45 approached no one from Pre Bacon Butty Run (BBR) had turned up.

As I thought about going outside to unlock the bikes Tom N and Peter B appeared and ordered a coffee. The Pre BBR of four riders, several regulars were not free to come along, were a bit behind what I had been told was their usual schedule. Paul popped in to chat with us, but went without coffee, and first timer Gary headed off back home straight away.

So the BBR of seven riders set off at 10:00 sharp, a little later than the advertised depart time of 9:45, if you read my emails. It was a good job we were late leaving otherwise Malcolm D would have missed the roll out by arriving at 9:58. It was not until the afternoon that I found out the BLOG Calendar said departure was 10:00 which contradicted my emails but would actually suit me better.

We will stick with the advertised BLOG departure time of 10:00 even though I was told the Pre BBR riders can get back by 9:20 some weeks when they have a shorter ride and longer coffee stop.

As a one off we did a slight variation on the route out of Bexhill to check out a possible chain gang circuit for evenings when there is ice on the marsh road. As usual everyone regrouped in the car park of The Lamb at Wartling after the dig up Horsewalk and confirmed we would be heading for Chilley Farm on the summer route and not switching to the winter stop at Pevensey Bakery.

Unusually there were a few hairy moment as we set out south from Herstmonceux. Often we do not see a car but it must have been an MG owners run coming the other way along what is little more than a single track road. When group is riding in to blind corners on narrow lanes the first two riders need to go through single file and shout very loud if a car is coming the other way so everyone behind can file up. As we hit the first blind corner I was riding at the back, outside and slightly offset behind as I chatted to Steve. Since we were a bit spread out I had not heard any call that a car was approaching the corner. It was a close shave as I locked the rear wheel and then released to just miss the car with blaring horn ........ So make sure you always shout warnings very loud and if not filed up make sure you are not level side by side as you ride in to a blind corner. Although several more MGs were coming the other way, and not keen to move tight into the side of the road in their precious vehicles, they were fortunately going at a sedate pace otherwise there could have been more potential problems.

There had been rain forecast, there was a hint before we set out, but by the time we were at Chilley Farm there was blue sky and warm sun as we sat outside in September like conditions on the first day of November. No one had a bacon butty at Di Paulo's and Chilley Farm , which would be unusual for me since I always had a bacon roll at The Bridge Cafe, so who will be the first to reach Gold Standard on the Double Bacon Butty Run?

Chris Parker

P.S. vegetarians are very welcome and can become Gold Standard Double Butty riders if they have two egg Butties, one at each stop.

P.S. Platinum Standard is for those that can make it three Butties on weeks there is a Triple Butty Run with some going further on a leg out to e.g. Heathfield after the Chilley Farm stop and having end of ride sustenance back in Hastings!

31/10 Friday Night Ride- Five Minute Separation

Dan ready For His First Fri Night Ride!

A great turn out of eleven riders on a perfect Friday night including the welcome return of Stu Hodd (who hopes to come more regularly from now on) and Dan Selmes on his first every Friday night ride.

Myself ,Derek , and Paul set off five minutes (by my watch) early down battery hill as we are all nervous descenders ,Malcolm also came with us as he was determined to have an easy ride and would stick with myself all evening. Simon and all the others set off at 7:35, five minutes after us.

Great To See Stu Is Back!

 Once the nervous group arrived at the  sea defences we had a strong wind at our backs and ended up riding quite fast despite putting in little effort, however,we still thought the rest of the group would catch us up by at least the entrance to the harbour.  By the time we entered the reserve there was still no sign of the second group so we rode more slowly through the reserve. At the 'dogs leg' I stopped altogether, deciding I would not go on until I at least saw their lights. After a few seconds I could see them coming down the long straight of the reserve.I gave chase to the rest of the first group and we waited a while at the road junction before deciding we might as well start the ascent up to Broadoak.

A Stonestile Virgin No More!

Derek soon got dropped, but myself, Paul and Malc worked together as a mini chain-gang with partial success. Finally about two thirds of the way up Stu and Marcus came past us  but Simon and the others did not catch us up until we neared the Broad Oak junction. Simon and the others were not impressed with how the evening had gone  and I felt really guilty as only a few days before I had emailed everyone to remind them of the 'traditions' of the Friday night ride and yet had unintentionally split the group in two! With hindsight, five minutes was far too long a head start  (even Pete Tadros would struggle to close that gap) and we all agreed that from now on, the nervous descenders would only set off one minute ahead of the others and would ride really slowly on the flat util the others had caught up (i.e nervous group set off at 7:34 and main group at 7;35).

After apologies had been offered and accepted, group harmony was restored and we continued together until Stonestile ascent. Here we were amused to discover that not only had Dan never done Stonestile on a Friday night ride, he had never ridden it it at all as so was 'Stonestile virgin'. As happened to Andy L a couple of weeks ago he was caught out in the wrong gear on the first and nastiest section of the hill but unlike Andy, Dan kept going and made it to the top so fully deserves the traditional first ascent photo!