Bacon Butty Run Saturday 30/01/2016

By the time I was locking up my bike outside Di Paolo's at 09:25 there were already four or so bikes outside. More arrived, including Club President Stuart Crabb, so by the time we assembled at 10:00 for roll off there were a record 20 riders, two up on the record set last week. I think there were three first timers and two guests. It used to be that it was more like 09:45 before people started turning up but many now enjoy a more leisurely pre ride coffee and chat, some even their breakfast.

I thought this could be one of those challenging (for the leader(s) "herding cats" runs when trying to cater for a wide range of fitness levels, plus new faces, meant riders ended up all over the place and we lost some. But roll off went well, with no one sprinting off ahead, and by the time we did the left turn just north of Cooden station to do a rolling regroup and reassess if we needed a permanent split of the run all was looking promising. The regroups at the T junction just north of Hooe and the disused garage forecourt by the Bull s Head Boreham Street worked well with no long waits for the Grupetto.

Duncan and his boys on Boreham Street

With a large group the narrow road and double white lines as you leave Boreham Street are a bit of an issue for impatient motorists. Nothing is allowed to cross the white lines if slow moving traffic is going more than 15mph, otherwise drivers are liable to pick up three points on their licence, as I know from personal experience........ Twenty riders in single file with no breaks does not allow impatient drivers to pull in if they are suddenly faced by an oncoming car, so you all need to ride at 25 mph plus (not the BBR .....) or leave some breaks for cars to drop in between smaller groups.

Quick efficient service at Starbucks

Soon after the Bodle Street Green regroup, the start and finish for the ESCA Hard Riders TT on Sunday 20 March (online entries open on the CTT web site), Alex stopped to help Fabien sort out his saddle height. It was great to see Alex, who was the strongest rider amongst us, making a rare BBR appearance. It was less than three years so that he was introduced to club cycling by us. He rapidly took to it and had a good season road racing last year riding for a team and is second claim with us. I left them behind and carried on to the regroup at Rushlake Green with everyone setting off for the cafe stop as I waited to mark the turn for Alex and Fabien. Alex has learnt how to judge pace very well and kept me and Fabien on his wheel as we set off in pursuit of everyone else. Alex had us riding echelon in to the wind along the level just after Wartling, but not quite at the 28mph he, Stuart and Barney managed to hold in to a strong head wind on one of their recent team training rides ready for the imminent first SERRL event of the year. So chapeau to Alex for riding well below his capability to set just the right pace for me and Fabien for many miles, just what club runs are all about.

With so many people out we had agreed in Di Paolo's that we should try Starbucks near Pevensey roundabout for the coffee break. Last week with a slower than usual Gruppetto (I think) and 16 or so at Chilley Farm taking a while to polish off their bacon butties it was apparently nearer 14:00 that the ride finished? This week we were back in Bexhill before 13:00 thanks to a lot quicker turn around in Starbucks, although I think there were only 14 of us in there since several had cut off mid ride to go elsewhere and one or two did not want to stop.

Unless anyone comes up with other ideas I think that with any more than 12 wanting a coffee break on the ride we ought to use Starbucks when it is cold/wet in the winter since we struggle to get 12 in to Pevensey Bakery and it is not very warm at Chilley Farm plus it takes quite a while at the farm if everyone is ordering Bacon Butties etc.

Chris P

30/1-BBR: Girl Power

After pulling out of the 'Hill & Mills' audax due to a chest infection and forecast of heavy rain , I arrived early at Di Paulos's all kitted out in a cheap waterproof ready to take on the weather but relieved not to have to worry about icy conditions.

Warm welcome to Caroline on her first BBR

Next to arrive was Celia who was looking forward to her second BBR. Celia has only recently come back to cycling having purchased a second hand carbon road bike. She said she liked the bike but complained to me about how much movement there was on the stem. When I found out that this was one of those adjustable jobs I advised her to get rid of it as soon as possible, telling her the story of how I used to have one until the bolt in the centre snapped  leaving me holding handlebars that were no longer attached to the bike , resulting in a nasty crash face down into the road. This must have played on her mind, as within a few miles of starting the ride she would go on to complain to others about the stem flex and  abandoned the ride to head straight for the bike shop to have it replaced with a solid stem!

The cafe soon began to fill up ,so that by the time everyone arrived we had eclipsed last weeks attendance by an additional two people to give a record 20 riders. As well as Celia we had Sue Landy and Caroline on their first ever BBR. We also had some new male riders; Derek had brought along his friend Jim and Duncan had brought along his two youngest sons Conor and Jem ( just how many sons has Duncan got?)

After a couple of weeks absence, my fellow St Richards inmate, young Theo Tadros was there but informed us that this would be his last BBR for some time as the TT seasons begins in February and he would be time trialling every weekend  with his Dad (local TT legend Pete Tadros) until their rest period in late summer.

Sue outperforms most of the men despite it being her first ever BBR

By the time we set off, the rain had just about petered out and my new bright red waterproof was flapping about in the wind, doing a good impression of  a small sail so at the first opportunity I took it off even though I would end up feeling slightly chilled for the rest of the ride. 

I found it especially heartening to see see Tom out again  , but sans his Bianchi which is still awaiting the obscure crank bolt it needs to get back on the road . This left Tom with his old faithful steel audax bike but this was definitely the heaviest (and oldest ) bike on the ride.

Chris took us again on the Tilley lane variation due to all the flooding but many of us actually prefer this variation over the 'standard horse walk' variation and would happily do this all the year round. 

The only really big hill is Boreham street. Having had a couple of low mileage weeks, my legs felt well rested and I found it an easy climb and  arrived about half
way up the long string of riders grinding their way to the top.Duncan's sons look young and very slim, so I hope they didn't mind waiting to long for the whole company to arrive at the top?

The rest of the ride proceeded without any incidents at all , not even a puncture! With all the recent rain there was a great deal of water running down some of the roads but this was always flowing down the sides so was easily avoided.

Today's Boreham Street league table

By Rushlake green, our numbers were down to 16 as Malc D, Duncan and his boys had broken away for other engagements. All that was left was to head east along the A271 ,then turn south for Pevenesey. Feeling strong and with gravity on my side I decided to pump the old leg muscles a bit harder and found myself overtaking everybody (or so I thought) with only Andy L able to stay with me.

Eventually Andy's superior leg strength got the better of me and he towed me the last couple of miles into the Starbuck's cafe' . Here I was surprised to see that we were not the first to arrive as both Tom and Sue's bikes were proudly propped up outside. This was particularly impressive as this was Sue's first ever BBR and Tom was on his old steel audax bike.Sue was ecstatic about the BBR having thoroughly enjoyed it , so I think we have gained a regular BBR rider there? Derek's pal Jim also rode really well, despite being on flats and a  borrowed bike he kept up with the main field so hopefully he will also join us again?

We were trying out the 'Starbucks'' for the first time as our numbers are now so large that it takes too long to get served at Chile farm. Myself and lord Buss understand why we may have to switch to this cafe but I must admit we did feel homesick for the friendly ambience of the 'warming room' at Chile farm.

Many thanks to 'The Colnel' for leading another wonderful BBR.

PS-Myself and some of the regulars wont be there next week as we are doing our annual 'Snargate Social'. This ride will go ahead no matter what the weather as I need to shed my unfortunate moniker of cancellation Curt!

Steve C

Wednesday Chain Gang - Fashionably Late

'The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.' Franklin P Jones

'The trouble with being punctual is that the buggers ride off early.' Neil D Smith

I rode past the beach shelter and whipped up and down Galley Hill, expecting to join the group in good time. I arrived back at the shelter to find they had already gone! Was I late, or did the marvellous and mischievous Hoddster see me and wave the group off? I believe I was on time! Whatever the truth, I now faced a solo ride into the westerly wind to catch them up, light rain spitting and spinning around, but not enough to make me wet.

Part-way to the De La Warr, I saw a flashing red light - a back-marker to chase and catch! I reeled him in on Bexhill front, shouted 'hi Steve!' and then realised it was Keri. He was going too slowly for us to work together, so I pressed on, peering as far ahead to see the back of the group, but there was no sign of them at all. Ugh! I resigned myself to making the ride alone to Pevensey. The breeze was quite stiff, but not terrible, and I averaged 26kph on the outward leg. That's a long way off my best of 36.8kph, and further still from the KoM speed of 42.6kph!

The rain was light, as I have said, but there was considerable standing water on the marsh lanes with large puddles spread across the tarmac, with gravel and stones lying about. I was glad of my mudguards, but my feet still got a soaking. Everywhere was water and wind, and nowhere in sight was another cyclist. I rode on, dodging the deeper puddles, flying effortlessly up up Spooky Hill (er, maybe), and water-skiing down the western slope into the sodden marshes. I arrived at the roundabout to find 14 other riders and received a fair amount of abuse for being 'late' to the start. Ok, I confess, it was indeed a school-boy error and on a windier night I would have paid a higher price.

But as it was, it went ok and we were soon spinning back to Bexhill. I was hanging just off the back of the ultras, with Malc D, before we dropped off slightly on Spooky. Malc recovered more quickly than me and sped off, reaching another solo rider that he then rode with as a pair to the lights. I had another solo ride. I think the universe is telling me something, like 'ride faster'.

I'm still enjoying the Cannondale 'cannonball' CAADX. The ride quality is superb and, generally, the extra weight is only a problem on longer hills. It's so nice to ride that I can live with its limitations. The cyclocross gearing (46/36T chain set with a 9-speed 11/28 cassette) is plenty. I have spun out in the 46T maybe once or twice on the steepest of hills, and I realise that I could ride just on that chain ring most of the time. A wider spread at the back for hills (a 32T) would cover most situations, but of course the trade off would be bigger steps between the gears. Again, not sure how big a deal that is really. For the chain gang, I slip some Giant P-SL1 wheels onto the bike with 25mm Four Season tyres, taking a kilo off the weight of the bike and, more importantly, greatly reducing the rotating mass and consequent effort. I guess I could save weight elsewhere by swapping out the seat post, saddle, stem and bars, but there is nothing I can do about the weight of the frame, although I think it's only about 1.6kg (the CAAD12 alu frame is 1.15kg). It makes a great bad weather and training bike that you could tour on, if you wanted. I like metal bikes and my experience with the cannonball has made me think that a CAAD10 or 12 would be a good buy, given the level of kit you get compared to a similarly priced carbon-framed bike.

As is my habit, I turned around at the lights for a second ride of the chain gang route, escorting Stewart B to Cooden and Peter B to Normans Bay. I am not sure why, but Peter seemed incapable of properly hearing anything I said, our conversations going something like:

'How did it go tonight?'
'Fine Peter, a good return leg with the wind'.
'Eh?'
'I said it was a good return leg with the WIND'.
'Wha..?'
'I said IT WAS A GOOD RETURN LEG! FAST!! YES? HELLO? Oh, FFS, you deaf old bastard'.
'Don't you call me Jeff'.

And so on, much to the amusement of Stewart who wanted to know at what age he too would become a useless old fart. I said 'at the same age as Peter' which, of course, he did not hear. I give up. I don't think I'd be too good at caring for the elderly, not enough patience.

Not much else to report really folks - I dropped Peter at the 'Normans Bay Home for the Bewildered' and rode on the the roundabout, turned around and splashed my way home. Steve 'Gadget' Ferguson did not accompany me this week as his battery-pack was running low. I offered to recharge it on the third rail at Herbrand, but he was not keen, muttering something about 'surge protection' and 'delicate electronics'.

I wonder if he could fit Peter with bionic ears? Just a thought.

Ride safely, Neil

It's a record

I counted 18 riders at the start of the BBR. It may have been more .

Jaguare arrived just as we had  started to roll off and announced he had a puncture . As riders were already rolling he was left but Malc D stopped to help him but the rest of us rolled on.

We were going to do the new winter route via Tilley Lane Rushlake Green and Cowbeech.

It was so nice to have the wet roads back after the ice of last week’s BBR.

We had three new riders Celia and two from the US of A ( Gerald and Barbara). Although I did chat briefly to the American lady I did not get as far as names but she had a nice bright blue Trek with disc brakes. I do expect some bright comment on the last sentence.

Double record for the BBR, largest ever number of riders plus three ladies!

Really we should have split the group as this is a large number to keep together but our stand in leaders were Patrick and Peter Baker who had both already warmed up on the Pre Bbr so Peter lead from the front with  Patrick taking up the rear. Apparently these two are sightseeing  in Italy later in the year a mere 800k or was it miles but they have generously given themselves eight days to do it.

We spread out a bit but Peter waited at the turns . By the time we got to Boreham Street Gerald had to bale.Celia was running out of time having really enjoyed the climb to Boreham Street.  Would you believe that Malc and Jaguire caught us by then. Andy was also short of time and one more joined them to ride back. They therefore missed all the best bits of this new ride.

The ride was uneventful but nice not to be cold and worried about sliding.

With a group this size we had no choice other than Chilley farm . Malcolm C had missed a turn somewhere so there were about 15 at the cafe and we got the 25 foot table.  Some good banter when I told them about the indecisive deer that had crossed Tilley lane then changed their mind and crossed  back again to then be told a similar thing had happened to someone with a Squirrel !! . I'm sure he meant Bear.

It took a long time for us all to get served but we got going again and an easy ride back but it was 2 pm by then.

Derek

Explaining the mythical bacon butty (or a view of the rear)

'So why do you put butter on bacon and name a ride after it'.  I scratched my head trying to work out where this line of enquiry had come from. Then it dawned on me on me something must have been lost in translation and our American cousins Gerry and Barbara were clearly struggling with the Queens English. I tried to explain ' soba on on this side of the Atlantic is thick and juicy and comes attached to a side order of fat unlike the crisp like substance you refer to by the same name, and it's not butter it's Butty a colloquialism for sandwich.

That cleared up we were ready for the off with about 20 or so ILS setting out from Di Paolos shortly after 10am.
The ILS refers to the more usual MAMiLS acronym used for most club rides until Shirley became a regular and with Gerry a septarian and Finley both on board middle aged just wasn't accurate.

The BBR re-groups at the top of Boreham Street !

Rotating the pedals in the conventional fashion clockwise if viewed from the right and anti clockwise when viewed from the left we made our way along west Bexhill seafront and onto Cooden. The pace started slowly but picked up once we reached Little Common with such a large group gaps were inevitable and we regrouped in Hooe.

Andy Lancaster an old hand of the club had volunteered to escort Celia an ex club junior now a little more mature out on her first ride on her new bike. Leaving me the honour of looking after Gerry and Barbara and Pete Baker playing Shep. Rotating from the front to the back again making sure everyone was Ok

The next regroup was at the top of Boreham hill and Gerry an asthma sufferer was finding it tough with the short sharp hills and cold damp air, neither features he was use to in New Mexico. We reached the rest of the group at the garage many of whom had achieved PRs for the segment including Gareth riding his heavy winter bike and having already done beachy on the PRE. Gerry decided discretion was the better part of valour and decided he would go back at this point and despite Andy offering finding the hills tough (although I'm told quick on the flat) said she too wanted to head back and would guide Gerry down through Wartling to Pevensey and back via the people's republic of Normans bay to Bexhill.

The rest of the group cycled through some very picturesque countryside (Sussex is quite beautiful ifyou haven't got your head down, teeth gritted, and heart rate in the 170s going for a Strava segment) on the Tilley lane variation. Regrouping at Chilleys farm for coffee and of course Barbara's first Bacon Butty.

Patrick

Wednesday Chain Gang - Ice Cold in Bexhill

As far as I know, I was the only one worried about ice on Wednesday night, pestering Peter B for updates on the state of the marsh lanes and fretting about frosting roads, wondering if we should do the Cooden Crit loops instead. A temperature in my garden of nearly -3 degrees did nothing to reassure me, but the 14 or so riders who gathered for the ride had no doubts, politely ignoring my mother-hen concerns. Dress styles for the night varied from the minimal Castelli-based winter kit approach to wearing balaclavas and fur-trimmed helmets.

Out rolled the ultras - just four of the group willing to set out in the first group, the rest of us watching them ride to the bend before setting off in pursuit. I settled in with a small group that included Lord B in his new 'dazzle-paint' cycling longs, reminiscent of a WW1 battleship, but obviously a bit smaller. We began swapping-off along Bexhill front, never losing sight of the ultras ahead as all riders exercised some caution, especially on the corners. Ice or no ice, cold roads and tyres reduce grip levels. And it was cold.

It was a also a near-windless night, so an enjoyable pace was maintained on the straights. The drop into the tight left and right handers at Cooden was executed with care and precision, before pushing on along Herbrand Walk. The turn into the marshes at the level crossing brought a distinct drop in temperature. I wonder if the air nearer the beach is warmed slightly by the sea, or whether the marsh air is damper, but either way the chill was considerable. We positioned ourselves to avoid the edges of the road. I expected ice in the areas that are usually wet, but we saw none, apart from ice in the gutter on the west side of Spooky Hill.

Our small group kept up a good pace, with Dan S, Stewart B, Gareth and Simon G (and others) all putting in strong stints on the front. I made a bid for glory on the last straight before the roundabout, and thought I might pull away. Clearly, I went too early and first Stewart B and then Gareth both sped past. I don't have the sprint finish I used to have, as my recently revived but short-lived running efforts show (humbled by two teenage daughters, and this humiliation for a man who once ran 100m in 10.6s. Ok, it was a dodgy school stopwatch, but I was fast man!).

We waited rather longer than I wanted for the rest of the group to arrive, not wanting to cool down too much. The grass at the edge of the hedge was frosted over and the small puddles were white ice. It was definitely cold. The rest of the group dribbled in, but there was no sign of Keri. Gareth (his brother) said we should leave him, so we set off as one group for a chatty and careful ride back over the marshes. We were unsure whether there was ice on the the return side of the road at Spooky Hill, so there was no sense in cranking up the speed and finding out the hard way. Michael Maxwell and one other pulled off the front at this point, but the rest of use stayed with Stuart and Barney as far as Herbrand, before they put in a bit more effort to leave us.

I rode with Stewart, Simon G and another, with Stewart doing the lion's share of the work at the front. I tried to take a turn, but could not get past him. He gallantly told me to tag on, before pulling away on Cooden Drive, leaving Simon and me to make our way in. It wasn't our hardest effort, but it was certainly enough to warm us up. Darren (relatively new to H&StLCC) completed a good return effort, but sure looked cold. Thus ended the first lap of the chain gang route.

It was not a night for hanging about, so Steve 'Gadget' Ferguson and I escorted Peter B back to the nursing home. We knew matron would be more anxious than usual about him, especially as he was wearing only a matching silk camisole and knicker set. I know silk is supposed to be warm, but surely he needed stockings and lace gloves as well? Be that as it may, we wove our way steadily to the border with the Peoples' Republic of NB, handed him over the the guards (one of them winked and showed me a jar of goose fat) and completed our repeat of the chain gang route, for no other reason than we could ride, so we did. It was very cold.

It was especially cold near the final straight to the roundabout where, for no obvious reason, we felt the temperature drop by a few degrees. The extra chill quickly found its way through my gloves and longs, making the ride decidedly unpleasant. We quickly returned through the cold patch, longing for the comparative warmth of the east side of Spooky Hill, and then the near-tropical warmth of Herbrand Walk. It's amazing how sensitive you can be to small temperature changes in these conditions, and how grateful you can feel for it merely being freezing instead of sub-zero!

The moon was nearly full and it shone on the sea with its silvery light, the water looking like shiny blue-black oil. The wind had picked up from the east and the cold began to get to us; we both needed food and a warm-up. The cold wasn't doing much for my bladder either, but I made it home without mishap, stepping into a house that felt as hot as a July greenhouse after the chill of the outdoors.

Warmer and perhaps wetter weather next week. Ride safely, Neil

Extremly Truncated BBR Report

Lord Buss back on the BBR until March 

It was great to be on the BBR and Pre BBR last Saturday and to do some more pacy cycling.  I was a bit worried about my fitness as I've been doing a lot less lately, but I was quite pleased with my performance.  It was only Neil and I on the Pre BBR, but we met up with Duncan on the way down from the icy wastelands of Beachy.  There was a great turnout on the BBR - with a couple of new faces (to me anyway.) and once the ground had thawed it was really pleasant in the wintry sunshine.  We did the Hailsham variation to avoid risks of icy lanes and regrouped at various points. Back at the Pevensey Bakery we settled down for some serious lard-age. I ordered a mini breakfast and when Paul B heard this he cancelled his egg and bacon sandwich in favour of a mini breakfast as he had worked out that this was better value.  Once I had explained that I was having an extra egg with mine he called the waitress over and asked if he could also have an extra egg.  After a few minutes he called the waitress over again and asked for a sausage.  This was too much for me and moments later I called her over for the third time and asked if I could have a sausage with mine as well. Bearing in mind that the place was 'heaving' we were lucky that she didn't tip the food over our heads. I am most painfully aware that sausages have cropped up yet again in one of my blogs and can only apologise.

Peter Buss

Part Deux - En Francais

'The Real Father of The TDF'

Clairac - Christmas Day, 04:02 pm

"Do you think you could try to retrieve our voice mail messages, sweetie, I don't know how it works on this new phone and it's all in French?", said Vicki

I considered the situation for a moment and then had a 'brain wave'.  I'll try typing 1571 - which is how we retrieve them from Sky in the U.K

I punched in the numbers.

"Bonjour, avez-vous une probleme?", said an authoritative male voice.

"No, I don't have a problem I'm just trying to get my messages".I said

"Do you not speak French?"

"No, do you not speak English?"

"Non - one moment"

It all went quite, then after a few seconds another voice came on the line.

" 'allo monsieur, what eez your problerm?"

"I don't have a problem, I'm just trying to retrieve my messages, is this not the phone company?"

"No, it's the fire brigade"

"Pardon"

Oh, shit!

I made another call.

"Dermod?"

"That's me"

" I tried to get my messages by dialling 1571 and I got the Fire Brigade!", I said, all agitatedly.

"Ah, jeeze, you don't want to be doing that now. The Fire Brigade is 15 so it must have 'kicked in' before it acknowledged the 71.  It's a volunteer service so you would have disturbed someone having their Christmas dinner; he'll be well fecked off!"

Tonniens - Boxing Day, 01:22 pm

Whilst strolling around Tonneins - which is 5 miles from Clairac- I was amazed to find a monument commemorating the exploits of Theodore Joyeux.  I must admit I had never heard of him, but his is an amazing story.  If you look at the inscription on the plaque you can see that, in the words of Henri Desgrange, he was the inspiration for the Tour de France.  In 1895 he did the first tour of France covering 5500 km at an average of 289km a day over 19 stages.  This was done on a bike without a freewheel or brakes to promote a new bicycle called an 'Acetene' - where the chain was replaced with a gear set (if you Google it you can see a picture); for this feat he was paid 2200 francs - a not inconsiderable sum in those days.  The statue was not actually erected until 2008, but it is great that the town of his birth has finally recognised his achievement.

Commemorating the exploits of Theodore Joyeux

Preyssas - Saturday 9th Jan, 11:07 am

"Bonjour, avez vous du cafe?"

"Oh, oiu monsier"

This was great news; I had been concerned that I would be unable to get a coffee in this little 'one dog town'.  I was on a modest 55 mile tour around the Lot Valley and was desperate for coffee.

"You are on zee Tour de France?", she inquired, good naturedly, after seeing a TDF logo on my jacket.

"Un petit Tour de France", I replied.

"One moment, monsieur I 'av a gift for you"

She disappeared for a couple of minutes and then returned with a big smile"

"My 'usband is a sponsor of ze tour and zis is for you"

She handed me a red picnic blanket (that'll come in handy when I eat the handful of Haribo 'Gummy Bears' that are in my pocket; I can find a sunny spot and spread the blanket on the ground - I thought to myself.)

"You are most kind"

Life is beautiful in  Villeneuve-sur-lot

Between us we fixed the blanket to the top tube with the velcro handles and used a rolled up plastic bag as additional support.  I downed the excellent one euro coffee and went on my way.  I love France and in particular I love the series of surreal moments that cycling, and life in general here, seems to provide.   I headed for Pujols (pronounced 'poo shoal - the French way and not poo holes as it would be in Spanish.)  On arrival at the town I saw a sign saying 'Centre Ville', which pointed up a really steep hill, so I decided to bypass it and headed for Villneuve-sur-Lot in the hope of finding the 'Voie Vert'. There was a great downhill section that took me into the town and immediately I spotted the 'Voie Vert' sign.

On the Voie Vert

 The cycle path is a similar design to the one I used the year before last from Dieppe, where just as you get up a decent 'head of steam' you have to negotiate width restrictors and end up loosing all the momentum you have built up.  It was amazingly picturesque as it followed the Lot, and small streams, which it crisscrossed via some interesting bridges.  I felt a bit cheated as on the map it shows a cycle path going all the way along the Lot, right back to Clairac, but in reality after about 5 miles you end up on the road again.  I arrived home happy with my little adventure, very impressed with my new B'twin and, best of all, the blanket was still attached.

I have been in a different mindset about cycling since I've been coming here and am quite content to just cruise around taking in my new surroundings.  The roads here are great - in fact I don't think I've seen one pothole! - and the lack of cars is a great bonus, but I have also been really surprised by the lack of other cyclists I have seen while in France - I can only assume they cycle in parts that I haven't discovered yet.   I haven't made an effort to find a club to join yet, but I will do soon.  I know there are quite a few around. I have also spent some time cycling with my dear friend John who stayed with us for a week over the New Year and, as predicted, he is loving the Dawes!

Update on 'The Pigs'....

Whilst I was in England and Vicki was in France with our friend Isabelle, she had reported to me that the pigs were getting very bold and were hanging around just outside the back door, and they had decided to take direct action against them.  Armed with saucepans and spoons they went outside in the darkness and made as much of a racket as they could, this was accompanied by Isabelle (who is great singer and sung at our wedding) singing opera in a soprano voice.  This definitely did the trick and they did not see them again, and I saw no signs of them when I went back for Christmas. When we bought the house we were told it came with 2.5 acres, but we have since decided it must be 2.5 hectares - we worked this out in a very scientific way by standing at the top of the hill behind us and imaging how many football pitches could fit inside the garden - it is at least 6. So it is possible that they are still lurking around somewhere at the back in the undergrowth, or they may have been scared off by Le Chasse.  Since they have retreated we are now seeing deer in the garden - watching them graze with their ears twitching, particularly in the early morning mist, is a moving and memorable sight. However, as lovely as it is, we have to take action to stop them coming too close to the house as they are notorious tick carriers.  Poppy suffered from tick fever between Christmas and New Year and only our quick response in getting her to the vets stopped it from being fatal.  One quick jab and she was well again within a day or so.  Ticks are a massive problem in the UK as well (there are warning signs in place in Normans Bay), but the french ticks carry a parasite that can be lethal (we have found out that there is a vaccination against this parasite which is 90% successful and available in France. (We wre a bit p*ssed off that our UK vet wasn't up-to-date with this information.)) .  We are slowly working our way up the garden creating more short lawn which will deter them as they prefer long grass and piles of leaves where they lie in wait for a host - little b@stards! To assist in this task we have invested in some heavy duty kit: petrol strimmer/brush cutter, petrol hedge cutter and a John Deere ride on lawn tractor.  I was happy as a 'pig in muck' on my tractor until I went down a bit of a dip and it started making funny noises. To make matters worse, Vicki, who was quite a distance away heard it and stood hand on hips looking accusingly at me - I just gave a classic 'Gaelic shrug' as if to say 'not my fault I never touched it'; it's now in the garage awaiting repair.

Je salut France!

We had a fantastic Christmas and New Year in France and the weather was great up until new years eve when it started raining and didn't really stop.  We are intending to stay in the UK until March and then spend a lot more time in France.




Peter Buss

BBR 16 January 2016 - One Rider's View from the Rivet

 Warm cosy bed or freezing cold icy ride?

Sod it if the sun comes out it'll be lovely, however cold it is, so got up and put on my warmest kit, not so warm in places as it turned out.  

Riding along Hastings seafront my Garmin said -2.2 deg C and my toes were chilly despite my overshoes. Bloody hell this is cold, do cyclists ever actually get frostbite? I opted not to go up Galley Hill and stayed on the salted main road.

Di Paolo's had a good number of riders I was pleased to see and spirits were high which I find infectiously uplifting. Chris P briefed us on giving warnings to others if ice was spotted and off we went about 10am as normal, lovely sun shining by now!

Despite ice worries there was still a good number of riders at Di Paolos

The pace was gentle, bit of time needed to get warm again, plus maybe slight trepidation on the road conditions. Little Common roundabout was passed without problem, time to get on with the ride. The riders ahead of me took it slower than normal down Whydown Road hill as it's quite fast but with a couple of slightly tight bends. Towards the bottom there were definite ice patches and it was a case of concentrating hard to try to pick the driest route, quite nerve wracking. We re-grouped at the end of Straight Lane and waited for the second half of the field. I thought they had stopped for Derek whose chain came off at the top of Peartree Lane hill, but in a few minutes they arrived and Malc C had got caught on the ice and come off. Fortunately he wasn't hurt too much and bike was ok, so was happy to continue the ride.

Patrick P suggested avoiding Tilley Lane as even last week it was iffy. All agreed it was better to stay on the main road through Magham Down and onto Hailsham. Up Boreham Hill my legs felt good and I caught up a group of three riders including Peter B. We stayed as a four taking turns on the front and travelled at a fair old pace up hill and down dale, super.

Lord Buss gives ice the two fingers

We all regrouped at the roundabout on the approach to Hailsham. Off we went up the hill mixed with slow moving traffic. The Hailsham drivers were kind enough to bib their horns about five times as we went up, how friendly they are, not. After going through a set of lights in Hailsham I found myself in a group of four with Patrick, Neil and Theo, hey ho this is going to be fun.

Patrick went pretty fast with Neil myself and Theo swapping around in his wake. I was encouraged by the thought that the cafe couldn't be too far away, so gritted my teeth and hung on for 20 minutes. In the end we couldn't stay with Patrick, he appeared to be on a mission to get there first. He eventually eased up a bit and we arrived at a sunny Pevensey Bay cafe together. The main group arrived a little while after having taken a longer route through Hailsham.

All enjoyed some grub. I think that's a great cafe, all the staff are very friendly and helpful and every week my poached eggs on toast and tea are just fine.

Slightly modified route this week

We set off back to Hastings the back way past the caravan site and had a gentle warm down ride back to Bexhill. In difficult conditions an enjoyable ride was had by all I think, even Malc C who will probably be a bit sore Sunday morning.

Duncan H

BBR 9/1/16 Second BBR, New Kit, No Disasters

The new Tilly lane variation was a great success

I was happy that Chris P had changed the route to the Winter BBR compared to last weeks difficult riding down Horsewalk and New Bridge Road. I arrived fresh at Di Paolo's this week having driven over as I needed to get my service record stamped at a Bulverhythe garage and didn't fancy carrying my book for 35 miles in my back pocket. I was also in a brand new close fit top and with knee warmers as Patrick P's advice after my clothing disaster last week with my commuter rain wear flapping all round the place. I had thought I might get away with that as the ride name mentioned Bacon Butties, but it was quicker than I expected.

Patrick and Tom enjoying the pre BBR warm-up

Guess what Finlay got for Xmas!

After Chris P's helpful briefing we set off about 10am at a fairly gentle pace with a bit of a south westerly crosswind. I soon warmed up and felt good in my kit. I was a bit more cautious than normal on a few curvy descents where the road seemed to have quite a lot of water and detritus on it. Really didn't want to fall off two weeks in a row especially as last week was actually my first BBR, which I guess is probably an unenviable record.

Which reminds me. I chatted to Steve during the ride about my off as he was right behind me last week. He said "Actually Duncan you did me a favour, I was going to take that exact line round the bend". I thought that was funny and actually I felt happy to have done Steve a good turn, although really I would rather buy him a pint than show where not to go.

'The Colonel ' calls for a regrouping at Bodle Street Green!

The first serious bit of work on the ride was going up the hill to Bodle Street. I found myself behind Patrick P and for a couple of minutes I thought I would see how quick he goes up the hills. Well I found that out and think he was poodling a bit but I didn't want to exhaust myself in the first half hour of the ride, so soon dropped off and went at my own pace.

At one point later on a long flat stretch I tried to give Finlay a tow but he was struggling and later told me he was pretty tired. I spent a lot of the ride with Steve and Derek as we are reasonably well matched. Patrick P had another puncture this week and I thought I would see him in the cafe, but the cafe stop changed and I didn't see him until the pub.

We arrived at the Lime Cross Nursery and I was looking forward to a cuppa. We parked up round the back but found the cafe very busy. The girl said it was table service only which would take an age so the group consensus was head on down to Chilley. That's good I thought, its all down hill.

The author appreciated the log fire at Chilley farm.

Derek, myself and Steve found ourselves together again going past the main Herstmonceux Castle. Derek seemed to be stuggling a bit so I went up front to lead. This seemed to work for a little while but I was quite a bit quicker up the little hill to the Lamb dropping Derek and Steve. I wanted to get to Chilley as quickly as I could, so curled up small in what I think is my most aero position with forearms on the bar tops. This seemed to work pretty well against a strong headwind. I was running at 155bpm which is a lot of effort for me. I decided to slow that to about 145 and struggled across. I could see a group of 4 ahead and that gave me an incentive as I seemed to be catching up slowly.

I rounded the corner into Rickney Lane and was very relieved to feel the slight tailwind and about 200 yards ahead the group of 4. I committed to catching them, so went pretty hard. I caught them a 100 yards before Chilley, they were relaxing by then and mainly for a laugh went past at speed hoping to be first in the queue. I parked my bike but was beaten into the shop by Malc D  who had hopped off quick. He referred to that as the Le Mans style dismount.

We had a nice time in the outside farm bit, with a lovely log burning stove which helped warm me and others, mainly Ivan and Derek up.

We headed off for the final leg as a group. I always think Pevensey roundabout is potentially lethal and a place to concentrate hard to get across safely. I also much prefer to stay clipped in rather than having to go from a one leg start. Ivan and Malc D  had gone over first, I saw a space and nipped across, ending up behind them along Sluice Lane. There was a cross/tail wind but they were running about 17mph which I felt was a bit  slow with that wind helping. I wanted to try for some PB's, so after a few minutes coasting in the gap behind I overtook. One of them I think said "Where's he off to?" as I went passed which made me smile.

Good to see at least Ivan and Shirley are paying attention.

I knew I only had to get to Bexhill soI put in quite a bit of effort all the way and was happy with the pace ending up with about 3 PBs. I waited by Cooden Station out of the wind until Ivan and Malc D came along and once again dropped in behind feeling knackered.  Malc went off home I think and I was very happy to tail Ivan who seemed very strong and I noticed was running a single gear, chapeau to that. I finished at Di Paolo's and went to my car. Just as I was changing shoes the rain started and I was very happy not to have to do "the grind" back to Hastings.

 No more cold bare winter legs for Shirley.

Several of us met in the Standard where the fire was a magnificent sight to behold complete with a couple of sofas and table. Perfect. We all had a good chat and warm up. We were the only ones in the pub for two hours, so it felt like it was HSCC Clubhouse.

Chatting to Chris afterwards I can see there is a need for a bit of mentoring as to Club etiquette when on the road. I don't remember all that Chris said but I took away the keywords as being: Be Predictable, Concentrate, Communicate. Any tips from the old hands to us newbies will be gratefully received :)

So that was my Most Excellent Saturday and I look forward to more.

Duncan Hacon

8/1/2015 Fri Night Ride - Stonestile lane closed, what a 'shame'!

For the last couple of weeks, numbers on the Friday night ride have been very low with only Dan and  Nathan keeping the flame alive, so I was determined to turn-up as long as the forecast said it would be dry.

With a dry forecast on Thursday, myself and others committed ourselves to riding but by Friday evening the forecast had changed to rain at 9;00 but hopefully we would still get round with just a soaking at the end?

Dressed all in black but at least Nigel has a hi-viz head

Arriving at the Lodge I was grateful to see a good turnout of riders. This time Dan and Nathan would have Simon, Capt. Caveman, and Shadow for company. JV had emailed me earlier during the day to let me know that Stonestile was closed (flooding?) and so we would not be able to mount its hallowed slopes. Instead of cries of disappointment the news was greeted with cries of 'thank f**k for that'!

As usual, I took a one minute head-start down Battery Hill where particular care was needed down the damp road. Near the bottom there was a cyclist clad in fluorescent yellow with very bright lights this could only be Paul Baxter. It seems after Wednesday he was still  out of hibernation mode and expressed his love for the Friday night ride which conveniently passes close by  his front door.

Paul wondered where the others were as we cruised through Winchelsea but it wasn't long before we were surrounded by an assortment of bright lights.Our numbers increased by one as Mark was waiting for us inside the reserve. Nobody really seemed in the mood to push up the pace and the only interesting thing that happened before the Rye turn was when Paul's water bottle came flying off causing some frantic braking.

Paul was worried about keeping up on the Broad-Oak drag but I felt more tired than usual and we were an even pace as the others disappeared into the distance. About halfway up, the heavens opened with a heavy deluge of rain. Hoping it was a brief shower we pressed on but it soon became clear that the rain was  set in for the rest of the ride so we had to pull into the side and quickly pull on pack away jackets.

Regrouping with the others we were surprised to see Malc D there waiting for us. Malc had missed the battery Hill departure by just a couple of minutes. While we were travelling through the reserve he had stuck to the main road and so actually got ahead of everyone on the Broad- Oak drag.

Due to the Stonestile closure we  decided to stick to the main road up to Westfield with all riders riding at their own pace. Heading down Brede hill was particularly difficult for me as my spectacles were covered in water droplets so I couldn't see where I was going  and soon got dropped.

I felt safer once the road eventually levelled off and wondered if any of those impressive Xmas decorations were still on show in Westfield but all that was left was a rather forlorn solitary soggy Xmas tree dripping water off its sparkling lights.

When's the next bus, I'm not cycling in this weather any-more!

The others  seemed content to ride quite slowly in the rain so I was able to catch them up before the steady climb at the end of Westfield lane.  Here we stopped at the bus shelter for brief self congratulations for doing our bit for the Friday night ride despite the awful weather .

Steve C

Wednesday Chain Gang - New Year, Old Faces, Good Conditions

 There was a fantastic turnout for the first chain gang of the New Year, with 25 or so riders making the start and others joining at points along the way. Is this evidence of New Years' resolutions, or merely because, for once of late, it was not blowing a hooley and pouring with rain? It was quite chilly though.

About half the group rated themselves as ultras last night, making for a large first group. The rest of us rolled out after some confusion over whether everyone had arrived or not, but the starters gun was fired and Lord Buckland and I led the group out.

Ah, the bliss of not bashing into a vicious headwind, or cowering against the rain! Pedalling seemed smooth and effortless, forward progress was made without the roar of a gale in my ears. Very pleasant and very lucky, given that I woke this morning to torrential rain and yet another force 18 gale.

The small group started rotating at the front - Lord B, Nick, Simon G, Peter 'sick note' Baker and me I think. I looked back to see where everyone was and saw a long line of white lights weaving and bobbing along behind us. We rode on and the 'rotation' group' grew to seven riders, with Dan S powering away at the front. I owe Dan a big thank you for very generously waiting for me a few times on the chain gang two weeks ago - thanks Dan, chapeau!

Simon G put in a good pull up on his fixie, spinning the pedals as fast as he could. I pulled alongside and got ahead near the brow of the hill, swooping fast down the west slope to meet Cooden Drive. We continued to rotate as we sped towards the Cooden Hotel and, as usual, I found myself on the front as we reached the short, steep slope down to the tight right-hand bend. The surface was a bit damp and sketchy, the tyres perhaps feeling the cold a little. Having made it round the bend safely but a bit slowly, we were soon turning hard left onto Herbrand and putting extra pressure on our pedals.

Compared to last week's 'Herbrand Hell', this week it was more like Hawaii and I really enjoyed riding at a good pace in a group, without fear of being blown into each other, or blown off the back. But it was chilly. There, I've said it again. We continued to make good progress as we rotated across the marshes. I think Nick hit the front just as we met a thick patch of mist, somewhere near the Star Inn. The air was cold and my glasses steamed up, which meant I did most of the ride peering over the top of them, like Mole from Wind in the Willows, my eyes streaming in the cold, damp air.

Lee on only his second ever chain-gang

On we rolled, the only impediment to our speed was how fast we could pedal and how big a gear we could spin. Ok, it was not exactly Greipel versus Cavendish on the Champs Elysees, but Stewart and I enjoyed our own personal sprint challenge into the roundabout at Pevensey, with me just pipping him to the post, although I think that (out of respect for the elderly) he held back a little. Thanks Stewart - this small victories mean a lot to me. Hard behind us came the rest of the group, special mention of which must be made of Peter Baker, just back from a lung transplant. It didn't go to well - from the sound of his cough, they've swapped his lungs with those of a 60-a-day smoker, so overall I was impressed with his effort. And he has had man flu - rule #5 applies Peter, well done old bean.

We paused to wait for the rest of the riders, chatting and swapping insults, in that way that men do. A cloud of steamy breath rose as a small cloud from where we rested, drifting up and over the street light on the bend, blending with the mist on the marshes. The last few riders arrived, so we duly began the return leg, giving them approximately three seconds to recover from their outward leg. Nobody wanted to wait around too long, getting cold and feeling damp with chilled sweat.

I went off with the ultras, the group not as fast I thought as in recent weeks, or at least we rode with a more uneven pace. As evidence, I made it up Spooky Hill with the group, taking a turn at the front to lead the group over the bridge at the Star Inn, before being dropped on the way to the level crossing. Progress! I made a lonely ride along Herbrand, with no wind assistance this week, becoming aware of a group of white lights gradually gaining on me.

Sure enough, I made the turn onto Cooden Drive and started up the slope, looking over my left shoulder to see a bunch of riders arrive at the Herbrand turn. I pressed on as hard as I could up the slope, getting beyond El Presidente and his chequered board, but Nick caught me as we descended the Cooden Bump, with JV, Gareth and others in tow. We rode briefly as a group before a few more enthusiastic riders made a break for the lights. Honours go to Nick, with JV and then me just behind. Not racing, just testing ourselves.

A noisy group awaited us. Shirley turned up from nowhere, still in summer shorts. How cold does it have to get before you get your longs on Shirley? Steve C came over name check a number of the riders who last night either made a notable appearance of some sort.  Rather surpringingly, it was only the second ever chain gang ride for Lee Smith (4th cousin, thrice removed). Lee has ridden plenty of the JV club rides, but is normally at work during the week and cannot make the start of the chain. Some welcome holiday meant he was able to make it last night - good to see you Lee, and surely the chain is better than the turbo?

Paul Baxter comes out of hibernation

Paul Baxter also made an unexpected appearance. He has, apparently, been in hibernation since August (there was some straw in his hair) - he hasn't been on any rides since the summer. Will he stick at it and start coming regularly again, Steve wonders? Please do Paul.

Sadly, this was also Josef Mager's last ever appearance at the club, although who knows what the futures holds? After a number of years working at ATB sales, Josef is heading back to Slovakia to start a more settled life in Slovakia with his new girlfriend. Josef was was of the regulars for the off road season, so we are really going to miss him in the summer.

Is this a one off return by Paul Fuller?

We also had a very unexpected appearance from Paul Fuller. Paul used to be one of the most regular chain-gangers, but we haven't seen him for a year or so. He is not sure yet whether this is a one off, or a more regular reappearance! Come on Paul, you know it makes sense - come again next week!

There were also many of the regular chain gang crew in attendance, including the unbelievably awesome Stuart Hodd, back on the bike for some Wednesday fun, having missed last week for no good reason that he could recall. Stuart reckons that is the first time he has missed a Wednesday chain gang in two years. Frankly, you did the right thing staying in last week - it was grim.

Steve 'Gadget' Ferguson and I rode a second chain gang at a more gentlemanly pace, chatting as we rode out of Bexhill and across the cold marshes, meeting occasional pockets of warm air, before plunging again into near-freezing pools of still coldness. Unlike in a car, you feel every temperature change on a bike; last night's chillier sections were short and sharp, just enough to pep up the ride without making it unpleasant.

My weather prediction for next week is snow. Well, possibly. I heard someone on the train say it, so it must be true. Colder, anyhow. Wrap up warm and see I'll see you there.

Safe riding, Neil

The mtb sub group say goodbye and good luck to Josef!

A Bacon Butty to remember or maybe forget.

Having read Neils Wednesday report I thought mad fools going out in that but then when I saw Steve intended to do the bacon butty regardless of the weather and after feeling guilty I had not cycled since the Monday social ride I decided to go.

There was a strong southerly wind when I left and of course heavy rain was forecast. A good turnout of 10 riders gathered at Di Paolo's including a rare appearance these days of Chris P who plotted our course.

By Cooden Patrick had his first of two punctures of the day, That's three for him this week and Neil will be working on a nickname if one has not already been allocated.

Not sure when the rain started but when it did it was heavy. The two nasty downhill sections of the lanes to Chilley farm are in terrible condition now. Potholes everywhere and as you will have noted from Duncan H report they were full of water . Direction changes are dangerous because of the gravel and mud and moss on these lanes.

This is the deep hidden pot hole that had Duncan H off

Patrick's second puncture was just before the turn off to the lanes to Chilley farm . He nicely waved us on so he could deal with that and not hold us up but shortly after that Duncan H had his fall.

A battle then followed into the wind and rain on the long open stretch to Chilley farm lead out by Duncan F and we all followed on behind

Chris had outed Chilley farm in favour of the cafe at Pevensey so this adds a few miles most of which were into a head wind. Duncan H fell a littte behind I think with the effects of his fall and we were all glad of the cafe stop and even Kim stopped having intended to go straight past . She was getting in some miles with us and I later heard she was one of two who had done the pre BBR earlier.

So I ordered my bacon and egg butty . The cafe was packed as usual as its good value

Young Theo had cycled strongly always just behind the leader at any point but we were a little worried  as he was in summer gear but he shrugged  off the offer of a jacket from Patrick and was anxious to get going again to generate some heat as he had to cycle to Pett , so Duncan F led us off . Steve and Chris P  fell back and chatted about all things club whilst the rest of us just wanted to get out of the wind and rain,

Why is it that here a southerly wind always seems to be against you?

Derek

BIKE LESSON FOR TODAY and FOREVERMORE: DON'T GO THROUGH PUDDLES - ONE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT LIES BENEATH!

Oh dear, took a tumble today when out with Hastings & St.Leonards Cycle Club at the North end of Rickney Lane about a mile or so south west of Herstmonceux, on a very wet and windy day.
My own silly fault to a degree*, I went through the edge of a puddle on a sharp bend to clean my rims which for some strange reason I thought would be a good idea. Lurking beneath, unfortunately, was a hole about 4 foot long and about 3 inches deep. My front wheel went up against the defined edge of this as my line went across it. Immediately I feel myself heading for the tarmac as my bike did a somersault. Bruised and little cut on my palms, sightly bashed my helmet on the deck.
Found myself laying on my back in the road with my bike on top of me. Steve Curtis kindly picked it up and checked it as I regained my composure. To add insult to injury the front wheel had gone flat, a "pinch flat", my first. So had to put a new tube in. Slightly frustrating that when I unscrewed the pump adaptor the damn valve inner came out letting the air out! Bugggeration! Screwed it in by hand and pumped up again with adaptor not so tight. Held breath and luckily valve stayed put.Front of both bike hoods have been ground by the road, but only cosmetic, I think. Bike OK but will check again tomorrow.
First time I have fallen off it since purchase in 2008, so probably about time it was Christened.
*Disclaimer, I guess if the pot hole wasn't there I would not have fallen off.

PS Went back to check out that puddle where I had the tumble.
No wonder I fell off, there is a five inch vertical edge to the little pond! I am happy my fork's not broken :)




Album photos may be of some interest:

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Duncan H