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