27/28 Aug -Margate Weekender

A few years back I organised a weekend road trip to Margate partly based on sustrans recommended roads.

Only Ivan could pedal a 29er for 155 miles

To make up for the cancellation of our french trip this year, myself, Malc C, malc D decided to repeat the event.

Day one involved cycling a twisty  85 mile route across the marsh while day two would be a hillier but more direct 60 mile route inland.

Mother nature was being unkind, as on the Saturday the wind was an easterly while on Sunday the wind was an westerly. This meant two days of unavoidable headwind even if we reversed the routes.

Riding on the main road towards Lydd we were suffering badly as we battered into the coastal winds. . I resigned myself to another 70 miles of misery but thankfully once we reached Lydd the route took us away from the coast and the wind was far easier.

We had all day to get to Margate so treated ourselves to coffee and cake at a fancy tea shop called lathe barn. Ivan thought it was too upmarket for us but I rather liked it (moving up in the world).

lathe barn tea shop (Oh how posh!)

Suitably refreshed we headed on towards Folkstone. Here the wind picked up once again. Having done mostly mtb this summer I was really struggling with the angle of my head relative to the road and was getting terrible neck pain (partly due to wearing spectacles), this was made worse by straining my neck to paint a ceiling a couple of days before.I was the only rider with the route on a GPS but Malc D has an innate sense of direction so I was happy to let Malc navigate through the town. However somehow we ended up going the wrong way down a one way street and only realised when a large van was heading straight towards us. Fortunately van and bikes stopped in time but we received a right ear bashing from 'white van man ' whose favourite word appeared to be w***er

All smiles after climbing out of Dover

There is a really steep climb out of Folkstone before joining a 'secret' C road to  Dover. This runs  directly parallel to the horrible dual carriage way but you would never know it was so near as there is a huge escarpment  between them which blocks out all noise and sights of this traffic hell. The country side around her is amazing and untouched so we barely saw a single car all the way to Dover . There we found a great coffee house where the proprietor really new his coffee (imported directly from Nicaragua) and the food helpings were so generous we had to sit back and allow some digestion before we could face moving on. While waiting I loosened my stem bolts and tilted the hoods up a little. What a difference this made, my neck pain was gone  and did not trouble me from then on.

We now had to climb up that long steep hill that the castle is perched on top of. I really enjoyed this climb as the castle is an awesome thing to look at and was surprised when the others said they had never visited it (best castle in England)

From Dover we criss crossed one way and then another as we followed the traffic free  route. However, this made us feel that we were not getting any closer to Margate. The others were beginning to tire but now free of  neck pain I was actually feeling more energetic. The highlight of this particular section was passing through the village of Sandwhich. There was a carnival/festival going on with a rock and roll band playing in the town center. We really wanted to stay for a few beers and soak up the atmosphere but with 15 miles to go we thought it prudent to continue on.

The roads in Kent are in better condition than east Sussex but this one is the exception

Eventually we arrived at Margate where voice commands from the my android phone in my back pocket successfully directed  us to our hotel.

Margate has a lot of potential but despite fast growing house prices, it is a bit of a dump. After showering we walked along the seafront expecting to find lots of pubs and places to eat (as you do back home) but could only find one pub, a kebab shop and a small restaurant. The pub was good fun, the locals were friendly and it was great to see them enjoying themselves singing karyoke. The restaurant closed early but the kebab shop came to our rescue.

The next day it was time to head home. Despite feeling tired from the Saturday it felt somewhat easier riding home (25 miles less tyhan the saturday) and we even had sufficient energy for  a couple of beers in Rye where yet another festival was taking place.

We really enjoyed this weekend trip. Just staying away for one night makes it feel like a proper holiday. We will do another weekender next year but will give Margate a rest for a couple of years and head to Rochester instead.

Steve C

PART DEUX - En Francais 'Mon Nouveu Club ' Sunday 14th August 08:30 - Somewhere north of Tonniens

 My first comfort break on my first outing with The Tonniens Cyclotourisme Club.

I had made it a goal since spending extended time here to cycle with a local club.  I don't really like doing long trips on my own -  I'm used to the camaraderie and banter associated with cycling with HSLCC and find cycling on my own a bit dole - and also I feel safer in a group (in case of 'mechanicals' and getting lost.)

I had met a solo Cat 2 rider a couple of weeks a go who advised me that The Tonniens Club meet at the swimming pool every Saturday at 08:30. - this was wrong on all three 'counts'.  I had called into the cycling shop just outside Tonniens the next day to buy some inner tubes and the owner had given me an information sheet showing that they meet at 08:00, every Sunday, outside The Marie!! (Town Hall.)

I was impressed with the information sheet because it showed the route for all the rides in August:  a long ride or a shorter version with a bit missed out.  The short rides are about 40 miles and the longer ones about 60 miles.

Earlier......

I had arrived in plenty of time and sat on the bench in my HSLCC kit waiting to see who arrived.  Just before 8 a.m  riders of all ages and description started pulling up; with one thing in common they were all French and none of them spoke much English - if any.  

They seemed to regard me as a bit of an oddity, but all shook my hand when they arrived.  I felt like it was my first day at 'big school'.  I went around 'Je m'appelle'ing ' my a@se off, before realising that nobody was asking me my name.   There is a edge of formality in France and people don't necessarily offer their name immediately or ask for yours.   It didn't really matter whether they told me their name or not as all French men's names are double barreled and start with Jean i.e Jean-Claude, Jean-Pierre, etc, I was told this by my neighbour Jea- Michele.  

One guy asked me in French what my average speed was.  It was a simple question but I got a bit confused between MPH and KPH.

'Seize kilometers a l'heure' -  I obviously meant 16 miles an hour.

'I zinc you ride wiv me', he said

Having told him my average speed was 12 MPH, he , not surprisingly,  wasn't overly impressed.

The mass hand shaking delayed the start by at least 5 minutes , but eventually I set off with the slower group.  I was feeling good, and looking forward to the ride, but inside I knew I wanted to be with the first group.

It was quite a leisurely ride until we encountered the first hill - this was 'setting your stool out' time.  I found that without too much effort I could arrive at the top with the front of the group, and I stayed mostly at the front for the whole ride.

During the ride several of the riders attempted to make conversation with me, but I knew I was hard work.  I'm fairly happy with the progress I'm making in learning French, but when fully immersed in a totally French group I found it difficult to understand much of what was said.  Some seemed more determined than others to extract some conversation from me:

'Where are you coming from?"

'J'habite in Est Sussex, mais Je reste in Clairac pour le deux dernier moins'

'Pres de Brighton?"

'Oui'

' You must know......(name escapes me)!'

'Non, pardon'

'Oh, stronge! - zay leeve in Brighton and yet you do not know zem?'

Anyway, after about 40 miles and a few hills we were back in Clairac.

One of the guys ( I didn't know his name, but assumed it was Jean)  bade me follow him home and said he would go through some paperwork with me. I felt encouraged by this because it obviously showed that he was happy for me to ride with them again.

Back at his house he opened a bottle of chilled Perrier, which tasted like champagne, and introduced me to his wife who is also the club treasurer (she also cycles with the club.)

The thing about French is that as well as sounding strange the hand writing also looks odd with different flourishes on some of the numbers and letters so that I had problems reading email addresses and telephone numbers; and they had the same problem with mine (although my hand writing is appalling at the best of times.)

His wife explained that I could join the club and start paying subscriptions in September when the new season starts.  I am pleased to have found a group of riders whom I can cycle on Sunday mornings, and also they do organise trips - to the Pyrenees, in June, in particular.  They do have a smart blue and yellow kit, but like HSLCC, most of them don't wear it.  One surprising aspect of joining the club is that it does require a doctor's letter to say you are fit to cycle and then you get a photo I.D.  There was an amusing incident when the wife was scrutinising my mobile number with a look of uncertainty on her face:

'Zis will not work 'ere in France, it 'as too many nermbers'

'It is an English mobile so you have to dial 0044', I explained.

Unconvinced, she tapped in the number on her mobile  We all waited silently in anticipation for the phone to ring -  there was a pregnant pause that lasted ages which allowed the tension to build.

'BRRRR,BRRRR,BRRRR'

We all 'jumped'  in shock, looked at each other, and started giggling.

Having given her all my details, I said I must be going.  She looked at her husband and asked how I was getting back.

'I'll go back along the main road to Clairac'

'You must go wiv 'im, it is very dongerous'

He nodded and smiled in agreement and put his helmet back on. By this time - about 12:30 P.M - the sun was really beating down and I felt touched that he was happy to accompany me back via a safer route.

He led through some back roads and onto the Voie Vert (I had been on this from Clairac, but hadn't managed to locate it going the other way.)  He led me over this quite hilly route until almost back at Clairac, and then he said farewell.

I expressed my gratitude and said, in bad French:

'I don't know your name'

'Jacqui', he replied (well it starts with a 'J' anyway)

When I got home Vicki was having lunch on the shady terrace with Isabelle (the friend who was staying with us),  I pulled along side and slumped over my bike, panting for breath.

'It was that tough then?', Vicki said.

'No, the ride was O.K it's the drive that does me every time'

I have mentioned it before but the short haul from the gate to the house would be classified as unclassified if it was classified at all - If in doubt ask Matt Schubert who punched the air in triumph after he negotiated it on his recent visit.


Sunday 21st August

11:30 a.m - Lafitte-Sur-Lot

'Arrettez!, arretez!.....STOP!'

The cry went out from one of the French cyclists following my puncture near the end of my second outing with the club, and it confirmed my theory that the French have two words for 'stop' .

Two of my fellow riders took control of the situation and fixed the puncture for me, I just supplied the 'chambre d'air' and they did the rest - even pumping the tyre up for me.  I was very grateful for this and was again touched by their kindness.  The older of the two - a guy in his late 60s or early 70s, wiped his greasy hands on the grass and I shook his hand.  He was an amazing rider for his age; looking like a coat hanger wrapped in lycra with brown boney legs but honed muscles.

Earlier.......

I arrived 10 minutes early for my second outing with the club feeling much more relaxed than I had the previous week.

Some of the familiar faces arrived including Jacqui and his wife:

'I can confirm zat you can join zee cloobe after you 'ave seen zee doctor', she said

Another guy pulled alongside me who spoke good English.  He was riding a Pinerello 'Dogma'.

'I love the bike', I said

'Eeetz the sam bike zat Chris Froome rides', he said with pride ( I would be proud as well).

He told me that he was an estate agent.

'You must sell a lot of houses' (I thought to myself)

After the usual mass hand shaking I watched the 'Premier Group' set off head off - destination Pujols.

The guy on the Pinarello gestured for me to ride with him

'Are you sure?', I relied

'We 'ave discussed you and zinc you should ride wiv erse'

Well I have to say my chest swelled with pride.  I didn't dare to glance back at Jacqui and just hoped he was part of the decision.

This was an altogether different pace to last week and I immersed myself in the pack of 10 riders and hoped I didn't disgrace myself.

The first real test was on the fairly steep incline up to Grateloup.

One of the group pulled alongside.

'Are you O.K, monsieur, it eez not too turf?

'No, I'm O.K, thank you'

'Oh, O.K I'll shall now go on a ed'

He tried to pull away, but we carried on at the same speed - this is my 'stomping ground' and I was feeling good.

Once on flatter ground he said.

'Today we will do a very long ride - quatre vingt dix kilometres, and it eez very 'illy'

'No problem, the same as my rides in England.' (sometimes!)

I did struggle at times but I was never dropped and was usually in the middle of the group.

Halfway through the ride the leader called things to a halt because someone at the back had a problem.  I cycled back to see what was happening and they were looking for an allen key.  I was amazed to see that most of them didn't have any saddle bags and none of them appeared to have any tools!

I pulled out my multi tool to cries of:

'Bravo!'

Ten minutes later another of the group had a problem with a dropped saddle, again I produced my tool and saved the day.

Overall the ride was probably similar to a Pre BBR Brighton Special, but I loved the experience of riding with a new group. Even though the language is an issue at times, cycling is cycling whether it's France or England.

I found it interesting to compare cycling with HSLCC and the Tonniens club.  The age range is similar i.e mostly middle aged men.  Strava is unknown to them; some use Garmin software, but mostly they just seem to have small bike computers, but they all have top carbon bikes.  There is not much hand signalling going on but then there aren't many pot holes (I've hardly seen any), and there is much less traffic - only occasionally do you hear a cry of  'voiture'.

Although I've only been out with them twice I do feel they have accepted me, and I feel I have earned some respect through keeping on the pace (and also for owning a multi-tool.)

For me the pleasure of living here is partly the old cliche of the slower pace of life, consistently great weather and the outside lifestyle, but also the richness of the experience and the discoveries to be made.

Some of the highlights would be Matt Schubert and his family spending the day with us and taking him on my 'Grateloup Loop' and then diving in the pool afterwards.  This was followed by a BBQ with great food prepared by Vicki. The night market at La Parade - a truly amazing event with about a 1000 people! -  great food, live music, stools selling local crafts and loads of cheap wine.  The Rock Concert, also at La Parade - similar atmosphere, but more intimate. The band were called 'Les Blues Meggedon' and they sang great rock and blues all in English!.


 Mostly, now, we just chill out, having spent the first few weeks constructing a new front garden.   Low point for me would be discovering that a lot of the newly laid slabs had not stuck because I hadn't made the 'muck' wet enough and meant I had to relay them the next day.  Memorable moment: watching a small song bird feeding on insects in our garden being swooped on and carted off squealing by a huge hunting bird to be eaten alive - what a cruel bitch Mother Nature can be.

Anyway, I'm back for a few weeks on the 31st Aug and very much looking forward to a BBR, a Chain Gang and meeting up with old friends.

Peter Buss

6/8 Ditchling Beacon to Chanctonbury Ring

I have passed Ditchling Beacon on a mountain bike many times but never driven to it . This was the start point however for Steves latest new route.

I had no idea how to get to it but Steve was going to navigate on his mobile and so we set off with Ivan and Malc behind in Ivans van.No sooner had we got to bexhill bypass when Ivan whisked past  me at the lights.So they were still ahead at Brighton bypass but missed the turn so we turned at next junction . As soon as we were on the right road they then missed the left turn. Turned around again and then missed the next left turn.We arrived to find Duncan and Paul already .
Already the car park was packed with walkers and para gliders taking off just outside car park.

Brief stop at Chanctonbury Ring

No climb to the top this time so off we went down hill but as always with the downs the long descents are followed by long climbs but in good time we were at Chanctonbury Ring an old hill fort. There is nothing to see there but Steve assures me it is there but just covered up. He then gave us a history lesson on ancient Rome with some very strange facts not suitable for publication. I suggest you ask him if you want to know more. Quick photo then off again.

How am I supposed to ride over this?

From here there is a very steep descent which is narrow and covered in tree routes but as it was dry this not a problem. The wood at the foot of the hill was a problem as shaded and very wet and a large tree had fallen across the path meaning a four foot climb over branches trying to carry a bike which weighs twice what a road bike weighs.

Our stop was at Partridge Green . I had not realised this was the place we had stopped on our Downs link ride a few weeks ago. It is a velo cafe with sensible prices but much to Malcs disgust no ability to make scrambled eggs. Apparently its all about what type of hot plate you have.When I last visited with Steve and Malc we all said we would not make the mistake of having coffee and cakes with loads of sugar . So what did we do, you guessed. To put it right some had egg and bacon rolls ( Duncan having 2 as they got Ivans order wrong )  so thats ok then. We had also decided not to stay so long this time but after and hour sitting in the sun!!!!!.

A happy hour at Stan's Velo cafe 

We were off and following the downs link but Malc had this plan to go off route and cycle along the river bank. Some gates to climb over and hard going on grass into a strong wind but after a few stiles we were on a dirt track beside the river and good going. It was here we came across a dog walker with 2 dogs not on leads that decided to chase a herd of cows. It's weird how what looks like a nice dog can change into an aggressive monster in these circs. They ended up stampeding the herd in our direction . The others had passed but me and Steve had them hurtling towards us. They turned just before they got to us but bit scary. The dog owner is lucky as  his dogs could have been shot. There's me trying to tell Andy F to take up MTB to avoid Audi's !!!

We were at Bramber a village we love. From there its a massive ascent to Truleigh Hill and from there a short up and down ride back to Ditchling. Normally we would stop for a beer but I said I have to get back.  Ivan pulled an undertaking trick that had me behind him again . Another great day with great weather and a good route.

Derek

6/8 Ditchling Beacon to Chanctonbury Ring

I have passed Ditchling Beacon on a mountain bike many times but never driven to it . This was the start point however for Steves latest new route.

I had no idea how to get to it but Steve was going to navigate on his mobile and so we set off with Ivan and Malc behind in Ivans van.No sooner had we got to bexhill bypass when Ivan whisked past  me at the lights.So they were still ahead at Brighton bypass but missed the turn so we turned at next junction . As soon as we were on the right road they then missed the left turn. Turned around again and then missed the next left turn.We arrived to find Duncan and Paul already .
Already the car park was packed with walkers and para gliders taking off just outside car park.

Brief stop at Chanctonbury Ring

No climb to the top this time so off we went down hill but as always with the downs the long descents are followed by long climbs but in good time we were at Chanctonbury Ring an old hill fort. There is nothing to see there but Steve assures me it is there but just covered up. He then gave us a history lesson on ancient Rome with some very strange facts not suitable for publication. I suggest you ask him if you want to know more. Quick photo then off again.

How am I supposed to ride over this?

From here there is a very steep descent which is narrow and covered in tree routes but as it was dry this not a problem. The wood at the foot of the hill was a problem as shaded and very wet and a large tree had fallen across the path meaning a four foot climb over branches trying to carry a bike which weighs twice what a road bike weighs.

Our stop was at Partridge Green . I had not realised this was the place we had stopped on our Downs link ride a few weeks ago. It is a velo cafe with sensible prices but much to Malcs disgust no ability to make scrambled eggs. Apparently its all about what type of hot plate you have.When I last visited with Steve and Malc we all said we would not make the mistake of having coffee and cakes with loads of sugar . So what did we do, you guessed. To put it right some had egg and bacon rolls ( Duncan having 2 as they got Ivans order wrong )  so thats ok then. We had also decided not to stay so long this time but after and hour sitting in the sun!!!!!.

A happy hour at Stan's Velo cafe 

We were off and following the downs link but Malc had this plan to go off route and cycle along the river bank. Some gates to climb over and hard going on grass into a strong wind but after a few stiles we were on a dirt track beside the river and good going. It was here we came across a dog walker with 2 dogs not on leads that decided to chase a herd of cows. It's weird how what looks like a nice dog can change into an aggressive monster in these circs. They ended up stampeding the herd in our direction . The others had passed but me and Steve had them hurtling towards us. They turned just before they got to us but bit scary. The dog owner is lucky as  his dogs could have been shot. There's me trying to tell Andy F to take up MTB to avoid Audi's !!!

We were at Bramber a village we love. From there its a massive ascent to Truleigh Hill and from there a short up and down ride back to Ditchling. Normally we would stop for a beer but I said I have to get back.  Ivan pulled an undertaking trick that had me behind him again . Another great day with great weather and a good route.

Derek

28/7 & 4/8 Birling Butts Mid week MTB

Our Birling Butts ride has now become our default mid week mtb ride.

last week only myself and Malc were able to get out to 'play'.To make the ride harder we took the SDW over Alfriston rather than the  Drovers track. This made the ride  more enjoyable and also meant we would no longer have to do the road climb up to Bo Peep.This has put the hill density at over 100 feet per mile so it is now in the leg breaker category which is especially tough on knobbly 29 inch tyres. I then added an extra loop into Cuckmere Haven so that we could enjoy the stunning view over Seaford head. I really enjoyed this extra little loop but so do lots of walkers on the Vanguard way so sadly we wont do this loop again.

This Thursday five of us manged to take time off work to repeat the ride. . The most notable thing was that Derek brought along his 29 year old son Tim. How would he get along riding with us old fogies (average age 59) ?

So that we would finish at the  pub (great chips) we switched the start of the ride to Butts lane but rather than pay for parking we started at the bottom of Butts Brow rather than the car park at the top. I have got used to this incredibly long and steep climb (this must be the hardest climb in Sussex?) and Tim was going well but Derek was really suffering and had to get off at one point. On reaching the top he declared that he never wanted to do that climb with cold legs again!

My On-One 29er is great on the flat but terrible at descending

With the recent persistent rain I was concerned about the lack of grip on the  badly eroded descent down into Alfriston. It turned out to be even more treacherous than expected, even Derek who is normally a demon descender said that one mistake would have you off. I let the others go ahead so that I could descend as slow as possible with my back wheel slipping and sliding until eventually I reached the bottom.

Extra loop to admire Seaford Head 

Thankfully the rest of the ride is non technical so I really enjoyed it but Tim who had started so well was starting to flag. Even though this is the shortest of our mtb rides, he had never ridden so far off road before.

last week , to make navigation through Friston Forest easy we stuck to the family trail but this week Malc and Derek navigated a way directly  through the woods. All went well until I lost sight of the others. Unperturbed I carried on in the same direction thinking to myself what a great route this was. Suddenly the trail died out. All there was in front of me was an indistinct path almost completely blocked by the under growth. Surely this couldn't be the way through? I waited for Tim and Derek to catch up expecting Derek to redirect us but no this was the path we had to take. Being small of stature Derek and Tim managed to ride through but I had to get off my bike and use it as as a shield to push through with thorns and nettle trying to get me from all directions. Eventually I reached the others at the end of the forest relatively unscathed but Duncan had come off worse and was bleeding from a number of lacerations. Apparently there is an alternative to this last over grown section so I will try to map that bit out next time.

Tim's lowest ebb was the final five mile uphill section between Birling Gap and Butts Brow. Derek urged us to leave them behind but we stayed around to add encouragement and were more than happy to wait and enjoy being out in the warm sunshine. Like myself Derek is a great believer in the restorative power of energy Gels. Normally one would be enough but it was only after the second gel that Tim's energy levels recovered and he then made it to the top without too much trouble.

All this effort was rewarded with the usual bowl of chips at the pub where Tim cheered up considerably. It was great to have him along and hopefully the experience hasn't put him off mtb riding?

Steve C

2/8 Tubbies In The Mist

It had been raining all day and although the rain had stopped we were enveloped in a damp mist as we met up for Tubby Tuesday Training. A lot of the regulars were missing (put off by the weather?) but there were still five of us.

Peter Br is even more cautious a descender than myself but post descent there was no sign of him at all. After waiting a while, myself and Mick rode back up Battery Hill hoping that Peter was near the bottom rather than the top of the climb.We found him punctured at the top of 'little Battery'. Amazingly this is Pete's first ever puncture but he was well prepared with a new tube and a gas cylinder so we were soon heading back down to meet up with the others.

Mick made for an amusing sight as his rain jacket was trapping the air making for a good impression of the Michelin man. It was also acting as a parachute which significantly slowed down his progress for the entire ride.

Tubbies in the mist

The weather was such a contrast from just two weeks ago when it was so sunny and hot that Marcus became overheated. This time it was so dark we all needed our front lights on, the wind was quite strong and the mist was making everything damp. 

The climb did us good as the heat generated warmed us up and helped dry us out a bit. We stopped for a bit of a chat at Broad Oak but Derek soon complained he was getting cold so off we went again. 

By now it was fine rain rather than mist so descending the potholed strewn cottage lane was a scary proposition made worse for myself and Derek as our specs were covered in water droplets. Underneath the overhanging trees it was almost pitch black. I could barely see the road surface but knew that if I kept to the middle of the lane I would miss the potholes. Finally the road began to flatten out and I was mentally congratulating myself for a safe arrival when there was a familiar ping. Another spoke had broken in my rear wheel, the second one in two weeks! These wheels that came with my CAAD 8 are rubbish, the rear one will now be given away to anyone that wants it. The wheel was now badly out of true, despite fully releasing the brake, the blocks were rubbing a bit on the rim

With the wheel rubbing on the rim I expected to be struggling to keep up on the climb up to Westfield but Mick's back was playing up  slowing him down even more so I need not have worried. 

It was a relief to make it to Stonestile , from where myself and Malc headed straight to the pub. By the time we came out it was proper rain , so I had to endure a very cold wet descent back to the old town with only the front brake to slow me down. Despite the wobbly rear wheel, my Cannondale still handled brilliantly, those Cannondale engineers sure know how to make a good frame.