Wednesday Chain Gang - Relentless

A Warm Welcome To First Time Chainganger , Kelvin! 

Thanks everyone for the get-well cards. The doctor is pleased with my progress and I was allowed out to play last night on condition I kept calm. I think I managed it. I took no chances and changed both the inner tube and tyre at the weekend and checked regularly for deflation – all good.

So, properly prepared, I rolled up to the start of the chain gang to see a large crowd of riders ready again to make the most of really good conditions. Yes, it could have been warmer, but it was dry with light winds, so a fast ride was on the cards.

We elected for two groups. Chris shouted out that only a dozen or so should ride as the ultras, but I had already decided (about a week ago) that I was going to set off with them and have the ride I should’ve had last week (I told you I was stubborn). I think nearly half the 34 riders I counted at the start went off in this group. Clearly, I was not the only one looking to push hard last night.

 We rode at a good but comfortable pace along the front, chatting and joking as we went. We also picked up a rider or two, one of whom fell in alongside me, unsure whether he could hold on. We both knew the speed would rise on South Cliff as the stronger chain gangers unleashed some of their awesome power. This stretch got me out of the saddle, but we soon crested the rise together and swept along the long downhill right hand bend to join Cooden Drive.

 Here again the pace rose. Once we had regrouped after the turn, Barney made the signal to rotate and I made my way down the outside and clipped into place on the front. Riders streamed past me to my right, taking the lead in turn before easing slightly to let the next rider in. We came to the Cooden bends at a good speed in two neat lines, flicking left and then making a sharper right turn to Herbrand. From here on I was winning – no puncture and no emergency stop inches from a vintage roller, as in last week’s ride. But could I hang on along Herbrand Walk, to date the furthest I have ridden with the ultras?

Second Time Appearance For Nigel !

 Well, this was a tougher test – the group accelerated to just under 44kph (27mph), ripping along and stretching out the group. I was holding on at this point, determined to stay in touch but near my limit, pedalling for all I was worth to reach the turn to the level crossing. Somehow, I hung on, and went down the outside of the group to take another turn at the front. The bends come fast and furious at this point – left, a kink to the right, another left, over the smaller bridge and then pelting towards the Star Inn bridge. I was still with the group and I thought, a bit optimistically, that I could go the whole way. But another test lay in wait – Spooky Hill. The stretch of road from the Inn to the level crossing turn is narrow and lined with potholes. The group negotiated these hazards and the oncoming traffic with aplomb, reverting to single file and keeping the pace up. By the time we hit the right hand bend we were riding at 27mph again, stretching our legs ready to tackle the hill.

 I pressed on hard, but fell back within the group as stronger riders went up the outside and made the summit before me. By the time I reached the top I was 20 metres adrift and puffing hard, George Welfare having dug deep and passed me at speed to join the now accelerating group. Ok, that was it, I did not have the legs to bridge the gap, so I settled into a rhythm I could maintain in a solo TT to the roundabout, arriving a minute or so behind the lead group. I counted those who had already arrived and those that came after me and made 37 riders in all, plus Ruth somewhere on a beach fixing a puncture (that’s what I was told)! A fantastic turnout and, given the numbers, a really good chain gang, with everyone riding well in their group.

The ride back was more free form, as is traditional. I somehow set out ahead of everyone, having told the most excellent Stuart H that his rear light was off. I rode on with someone behind me and was then overtaken by Neil Shier, who sped ahead. I pushed hard to reach him but he was on a mission, it seems. Ruth passed us in the other direction, heading toward the roundabout, bucket and spade on her handlebars. A larger group then overtook me and I tagged on, staying with them as far as the Star, I think, before hooking up with Simon G for a duo TT along Herbrand and onto Cooden Drive.

Simon shouted that he thought we were going to be joined by another rider. I looked back and thought it was a pair of car headlights, before being engulfed in a group that included Ruth, Stuart H and Tom. I was a bit stunned. ‘Grab a wheel’ shouted Tom, so I latched on and we flew along Cooden, up and over the bump (in my fastest time ever) and towards the lights. I rolled in alongside Simon G, we having agreed to ease off earlier than in past weeks as we neared the lights.

 A fast night! Lots of regulars had ridden hard, setting themselves a challenge for the night or merely going as fast as they could for as long as possible. Arriving riders leaned over their handlebars as they caught their breath, panting, spitting and coughing. A noisy crowd of nearly 40 riders gathered at the lights to talk about the chain, the Hard Riders TT or the rides they would make this weekend – a mass of bikes, lights and bright clothing.

 The ride to Normans Bay (to return Peter B to his rest home) was a more relaxed spin. Tom is happy with his new wheels and says his renovated bike is ‘smooth as silk’. This reminded me that mine is riding a bit rough at the moment; I think it is time for a new chain and cassette, maybe even new chain rings. But my thoughts were more focused at this point on getting home for sausage and mash, the food of champion cyclists the world over – truly.