11/10 Chain Gang on the club’s 140th Anniversary – Great Celebration at Rocksalt

Pride, they say, comes before a fall. In other words, life likes to kick you in the arse just as you get ahead, so I’ll keep this low key… However, it’s worth noting that the club membership is at the highest level in living memory and the chain gang has this year seen record numbers of people. We are organising and sharing more rides for a variety of abilities and tastes. And we have fresh supplies of our rather fetching kit, so perhaps we can puff our chests out a little on the occasion of the club’s 140th anniversary.

Enticed with offers of post-ride cheesy chips and beer, we had around 30 riders on the chain gang start line, sending just five or so up the road as ‘ultras’, before the rest of us followed en masse. I found myself alone at the front with a helpful easterly breeze on my back, but was soon joined by Lord Buckland and then ‘Babs’ Baker, Dan S and Dave. We rode very well as a group, with really good communication and neat rotation, with Dave riding strongly and skilfully despite being new to fast group riding. We hoovered up Tom Norris just the other side of Herbrand Walk level crossing and sped on in single file until past the Star Inn. Dan rode doggedly throughout this section, until I could relieve him.

Spooky Hill loomed and we maintained a good pace, dropping Dave at this point before swooping back down into the marsh. We rode on maintaining our good form, when we were unexpectedly caught by a following group. This broke the rhythm somewhat as they had a different riding style. I nearly broad-sided the first of them to arrive as the rider said nothing, just appearing alongside me as I began my ride down the outside. Talk to me, people!

The return leg had a messier start as people jockeyed for position, with some riders determined to shelter behind a larger rider, if one could be found. I settled into a group with Lord B and Dan again, and a number of others. To be honest, the wind was not too bad, helped as we were by Malc D – the ‘Silent Shadow’ - putting in a shift on the front along Herbrand. The group worked pretty well for the length of Cooden Drive, with a good ‘man-off’ at the end between Lord B and ‘the rider with no name’. I think I saw his Lordship give his opponent a brisk wallop with a riding crop as he passed him, but I couldn’t swear to it.

Without much ado, we stacked our bikes at Rocksalt and piled inside for beer and chips. It was a good turnout and Rocksalt did us proud, providing stacks of tasty goodies in recognition of the event, for which we are very grateful. I didn’t think the assembled throng of lycra-clad athletes would get through it all, but we did the food justice. Good effort team and thanks again Rocksalt!

Chris had the club shield with him, the one you can see part of on the club blog, and said a few well-chosen words to mark the occasion, to which we raised our glasses in raucous approval. Andy was on hand with the latest batch of club kit; I am now the proud owner of a club shirt and really chuffed with it. Lord B found my efforts to make a PayPal payment, without glasses but with a pint of Guinness inside me (I’m a complete lightweight), painful to watch, the phone screen a bigger blur than usual. I got there eventually…

‘Have another drink Neil.’
‘No Stewart, that’s it, I’m done, no more.’
‘A half then?’
‘No! Oh go on then.’
He returned with a pint. Oh dear, this would be tricky. I’d have to drink it – it would be rude not to – but I knew there could be consequences. I already had a stupid grin on my face, so I decided to eat more food to soak it up. Tom N looked on with amusement; Dave Morris twitched his moustache, a twinkle in his eye; and Nick S took a photo.

‘Are you ready?’ said Tom.
‘I’m shreddy’ I replied.
We completed a moonlit celebratory ride to Pevensey roundabout before parting company. The wind had picked up and I made a chillier and slower ride back to Bexhill, grateful for the chance to clear my head and to reflect on being with the club on its 140th anniversary.

It’s also the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn and, more relevant, the calliper brake. Life has changed a bit since 1876: jobs, clothes, health and housing to name but a few. But as cyclists we measure the years and the pace of change in bicycles. 140 years ago your bike could still have been wooden, but was probably a steel and iron penny-farthing. The tyres were solid, you did not have gears and brakes were very, VERY basic. The safety bicycle, bringing the triangulated frame and equal size wheels, was not invented by John Starley for another nine years. Pneumatic tyres had been invented, but were not in use until John Dunlop ‘reinvented’ them in 1887; a derailleur of sorts was invented in 1885 but available only on the ‘Whippet’ safety bicycle. Thank you Wikipedia.

Jumping forward a 100 years and you’ll find the first ‘modern’ aluminium bikes were on sale in 1975, and the first carbon fibre bikes have been around since 1976. We now have electronic shifters, disc brakes and amazing LED lights. What will the next 25 years bring, I wonder? And we spend large amounts of money buying and maintaining our machines, as well as the clothing (no more tweed, unless you’re Duncan F) and accessories that are ‘essential’ to our sport. There are worse things to spend your money on, which brings me back to beer.

‘Where have you been, Mr P***head?’
‘Er, cycling, with Tom, to Pevensey.’
‘Why did it take so long?’
‘Er, I don’t know, perhaps I was going more slowerly than I think, I mean thought (burp).’
‘Hmm, and where is his Lordship in this sorry story?’
‘Er, well, his chauffeur took him home.’ (This is true, Dave M is Lord B’s chauffeur – check out the ‘tash and the dapper kit! And it’s also true that the maids had to put him straight to bed).
‘Oh I see, and he thought he’d leave you to ride around in this state, did he?’
‘Er….’ An answer to this I could not find, other than ‘yes, he callously and carelessly left me to ride home and I’m 140 years old.’
‘Yes, I see… Right, I’ll have words with his Lordship!’ Sorry Stewart – maybe now is a good time to take a holiday?

 Here’s to another 140 years of Hastings and St Leonard’s Cycling Club!
PS For the safety conscious, I should clarify that all alcohol-related anecdotes in this blog have been exaggerated for dramatic effect. I was at all times fully compos mentis and in complete control of my bicycle.

 Neil