19/6 -The Bianchi Bomber Blitzes Bewl

An eventful night at Bewl Water for the off road section of HSLCC.

The Bianchi Bomber Proves You Don't Need A 29er To Have Fun!

Riding Bewl for the first time was none other than the Bianci Bomber. This was also the first time his mtb had been used this year, he would go on to prove that you don't need a fancy full suspension 29er to have fun at Bewl.

Ivan was riding his new bike for the very first time.A Whyte full suspension mtb (ex demo) with top end XT groupset and alloy frame (£1700)

We had a great turnout with all the regulars present  apart from Paul . Malcolm and Josef were already out on the circuit somewhere while the rest of us were content to do one lap.

Setting off as a group of five, I was the last one through so had to shut the main gate (to stop any dogs running across the road) but unfortunately the lock was broken so it took a few minutes to secure the gate with a loop of rope. By the time I remounted the bike the others were already out of sight. I would have to play catchup for the next few miles, eventually catching them up just before the nasty road section.

Ivan Upgrades To Full Suspension!

Derek had switched his tyres to lightweight racing tubeless ones and shed about half a Kg of rotating mass. He was definitely going faster than normal and despite feeling good I couldn't drop him on the long road section.

Meanwhile somewhere up ahead Tom and Ivan were riding hard together. Ivan was finding that compared to his hard tail, the full suspension bike was faster on the flat but slower up hill (perhaps his should have bought an epic with its 'brain' that stiffens up the ride when climbing?)
. The Bianchi bomber stuck to his tail like glue for over seven miles before getting dropped.

The first week I rode Bewl I had the tyre pressure too hard and was badly thrown about by the hard bumpy surface. Having purchased an electronic tyre pressure gauge I had been able to set the tyre pressure to exactly 34 psi. What a difference this made! It felt like a completely different bike and I was really enjoying the ride .

The weather was absolutely perfect and we were treated to a wonderful view of the sun shining on the  reservoir as we  rode across the dam and the final five mile section.

Arriving at the end I recorded my third best ever time and was busy putting my bike away when the Bianchi Bomber turned up. Having got separated from Ivan and ending up on his own, he had managed to get lost and forced to  backtrack quite a bit before finding the route again. Despite this he was ecstatic and was buzzing from the ride, so hopefully he will become a regular Bewl water rider?

17/6 HRH Club TT

Times for second week of three for the Classic Hastings-Rye-Hastings TT (10, 17 and 24 June) - Signing on is later at 19:00 sharpish for first rider off at 19:30

Many thanks to Steve Curtis or timekeeping with Steve Butcher’s assistance.  We must have marshals at the Rye mini roundabout, so many thanks to Steve Denny and Ivan Johnson.

Still Smiling Despite Another Cold Windy Evening!

We must have a marshal(s) in Rye so volunteers always required, please.  I will time keep on 24 June (unless anyone else will) and so far we have Tim Miles marshalling at Rye, riding out ahead of the field to stretch his legs.

Chris P

13/6 HSLCC Fri Night Ride - Keeping The Flame Alive

With heavy showers making Bewl water too dangerous, myself and Peter Baker decided that tonight would be a good time to do our bit and ride the Friday night ride. I had already had a message that this would be one of the rare occasions when neither Dan S nor nathan could make it, but perhaps Simon would be there?

Dan And Pete Ready To Do Their Bit For The Fri Ride!

There was no sign of Simon but Dan H was there (only his third time ever) , Dan had responded to 'the call to arms' to support the Friday night ride so it was fortuitous that myself and Peter had switched from Bewl to the road.

Battery hill was still a bit wet from all the showers but was perfectly safe in the bright sunshine. Passing through the harbour we received some dirty looks from a middle aged couple walking their dog, clearly they didn't like sharing the path with cyclists.

Suddenly there was a flapping sound from my bike swiftly followed by the expected rapid deflation of my rear tyre. We all assumed that one of the bits of  mussel shell on the path was responsible but it didn't take long to identify a sharp slither of glass as being the culprit.

By the time we were moving again the dog walkers were in front of us. this time as we went past them they started giving us an undeserved ear bashing even though we were barely moving at jogging pace. Some people are so unreasonable!

The Three Amigos!

Dan lead the way up the Broadoak drag and kindly kept holding back for me to hang on, but this is one hill that I prefer to ride at my own pace. Once dan realised this, he and Pete were set free and soon rode out of sight.

Much to my amazement, yet again like an apparition that appears out of the mist, there was Steve D, waiting for us at the junction out on his lovely RT 58. Steve had already ridden earlier during the day but had come out to lend support to the Friday night ride (nice one). By coincidence a rider unknown to us (but known to nick)  named Chris , happened to be at the road junction and rode with us for a while. I gave him our club card so hopefully he will contact us and could become another Friday regular?

Pete took a short cut home leaving just myself and dan to climb Stonestile.

Dan enjoyed the friday night ride and said it was only the darkness in the winter that puts him off . He will however try to come out once a fortnight during the summer.Hopefully a few
 other club members will also put in an occasional summer appearance to keep this great ride alive!

Club TT- Hastings Rye Hastings 10/6

Good Performance From the Two Pete's

It was not easy evening despite a bit of wind assist on the return from Rye on a bright but rather breezy and chilly evening.  Malcolm Daly (47.04) won the club event with Tom Norris (51.15) slicing more than two minutes off his PB to take second ahead of Ian Hendry (53.25), riding the course for the first time since 2010, Neil Smith (54.12), a first timer on the course, and Simon Grogan (55.48) fresh from his Cambridge adventure at the weekend, it is well worth reading his excellent BLOG report (Nigel Tamplin and Andy Lancaster were also there).

 In Gear’s Peter Tadros (40.07) was quicker that his best time in 2014 and not far of breaking 40 minutes as he did in 2012 and 2011. Rye junior Michael Maxwell also took two minutes of this PB for third fastest time.

So only two PBs in a field of 15 riders confirms it was a hard evening, 8 have gone quicker in the past and there were 5 first timers on the course. Please see the attached table of times.

Many thanks to Andy Lancaster who passed his time keeper training!  We must have marshals at the Rye mini roundabout, so many thanks to Tim Miles, Mark Ingram and John Vidler.

We must have a marshal(s) in Rye so volunteers always required, please.  Steve Curtis will time keep on 17 June and so far we have Tim Miles marshalling at Rye, riding out ahead of the field to stretch his legs.

Many thanks to those who popped by to chat during sign on and setting off, it is a good way of catching up with people as is the post event drink in the White Hart at the top of Guestling Hill, eight of us socialised there this week.

Tour Of Cambridge

Paul Horta=Hopkins and I arrived at Peterborough show ground well before the 10am sign on dead line.this gave us a chance to mooch around the numerous bike stands and watching a bit of exhibition cycling and a great bike cleaning machine. Check out Clean By Air on you tube.

The TOC was a UCI/UCR recognised ride/race.If you wanted to race and be in the first pen, which Paul and I did, you needed a race licence, and we usedour LVRC ones.The gates for all opened at 10.30 for a noon start and riders were queuing before then.Being in the front pen we just had to amble over at 11.30 granted we weren't at the very front but close enough,all very civilised.

Some Ingear lads and a Lewes Wanderer were next to us.I really enjoy this sort of riding, the fluidity of it, the smaller groups morphing into the bigger ones and breaking up againall at a good pace, but you do have to concentrate. One lapse cost me when I realized was the back marker
in a small group, as we turned a sharp bend onto a narrow bridge the rider in front braked hard and I had to virtually stop , my foot came out of the cleat, group gone(bar the braker) and I couldn't catch them.

Cursing my lack of awareness and thinking there goes my good time I got as low as I could and pushed on.

Pucker Medals For Paul And Simon!

The fens aren't very forgiving. After about 10 min another group came by and I rode the last 10 miles with them.Picked up my goodie bag didn't really take much notice of the results board (very crowded and very small print)and went to find Paul.

After sorting the bikes out Paul wanted to check the results to see if he got into the first 25% of his age groupThis qualified one for an invite to the UCI/UCL Masters road race in Denmark  but more importantly a pucker medal.Someone near me said if you were under 3.50 you qualified so I went back to the board for a squint and there nextto my name was a lovely Q

These UCI recognised events are surely going to get more popular (this was the first in the UK) with riders after qualifying points for events. This will mean the front pen will be rammed with cat 1 2 & 3 riders and I will be very lucky to get in one again. Polegate at 5am meeting Paul started the journey and I got home after 9pm a long day but well worth it. I'm writing this blog on Thursday and still buzzing from the ride

See you soon
Simon G

Final PBP qualifier ride

Final PBP qualifier ride (Yes I said I am going to ride to Somerset and back this weekend, you did not mishear)

This was the final PBP qualifier and a big one. 619km in 40 hrs from Waltham Cross (North London) to Taunton Dene services (Somerset) and back!

Waking early for the 6am start, I rode from the Travelodge nearby with Steve B, Nigel T, and JV. There was no way we were going to be able to drive from Hastings on the morning of the start. We picked up our brevet cards and grabbed some tea and toast before the off, all very civilised. There were some usual faces and some new ones. It was very low key and no fuss at all. True to form we were last off again. Just can't get the hang of leaving on time. Riders quietly slipped out of the hall and were gone. Making our own foursome we were quickly out into the country lanes and enjoying the ride out towards St. Albans. It was good to get going but in the back of my mind was 'we are riding to Taunton and back so pace yourself. The build up to this ride had been looming for several weeks and apart from Steve who had completed LEL (London Edinburgh London), none of us really knew how it would feel to do this kind of distance but were certain it would be a challenge.

Our first control was the Tesco at Princes Risborough at 74 km and a drink to get a receipt. Off again and next control was Hungerford at 154km. Nigel and JV pushed ahead and I rode with Steve. I had spent many years competing in the Devizes to Westminster 125mile I Canoe race along the Kennet and Avon canal so knew the area around Hungerford well. It was interesting to see the surrounding lanes as my view had previously been limited to either side of the canal. This is a beautiful area and the riding was good. We caught up with the others at the control and grabbed lunch. With hindsight we took too long here and this ate into our sleeping time later on. This is a valuable lesson learnt for future rides.
Back on the road we had 67km to the next control at Warminster and a total of 221km. This section took us over endless rolling hills through MOD training land. The sun beat down and I found this stretch a drag. The cafe stop was a welcome relief and called for an espresso to perk me up. The others had got there ahead of me and were stuffing their faces with cake the universal reward for cyclists. JV was feeling the effects of his new saddle and his gamble of not testing it before the ride was to take its toll over the distance. I welcomed the cushion to sit on if only for a few minutes.

Onwards towards Taunton Dene services at 309km for the turn around point. This was riding into the night. JV and Nigel pulled ahead and I rode with Steve at a more comfortable pace. We refuelled at a village shop and sat outside a church as the light started to fade. By now I was feeling tired and the promise of a few hours sleep kept me motivated. It was hard to ride past the signs for Yeovil knowing we were riding away from the night stop but the checkpoint had to be reached and the roads here were flat giving a welcome relief. Rolling into Taunton services around midnight we found JV and Nigel along with several others in various states of recovery. All were stuffing their faces with McDonald's as this was the only option. With the all important receipt we dragged ourselves from the warmth into the night.

Now some joker thought it would be funny to put the route up a massive hill straight away when legs were heavy and riders were still mentally sitting in the services. That hill was a killer and I was glad to reach the top. Another 46km to Yeovil and the sight of the Scout hut was a welcome relief. Inside we we greeted with hot food and a judo mat to crash on. 'Tea or coffee? Too much information I don't know just give me something anything. Rows of riders were sleeping and despite the noise nobody moved. Most grabbed a few hours rest whilst others who were faster by being more efficient at the controls had more time. This is where experience counts. One rider had even booked into a Travelodge and had managed 5 hours rest. I reckon that must have taken a lot of willpower to leave that bed.

Although the rest was brief and the body was aching, it was surprising how once moving around and after breakfast you were ready to go again. The organisers were attentive and helpful to any needs and this made it a lot easier to get going. Arriving there in the dark, we left at 6am in bright sunshine following the A30 over big rolling hills to Salisbury. Along this section I went at my own pace and picked up a rider on the way. He had been at breakfast and I had noted he was eating the curry rather than the porridge. That's hardcore I thought or just mental. It turns out that he had only just arrived at the night stop around 5am having got lost in the night. So the curry was his evening meal and breakfast in one! How he managed to keep going on no sleep I don't know.
Salisbury at around 400km was busy and a bit of a shock after the peace and quiet of the country. I caught up with the others who were refuelling at a petrol station and we pushed on knowing there was the promise of hot food at the next checkpoint. Again they pulled away and the road was a series of short hills which sapped the legs. Hands were getting pins and needles now and frequent changes of position were called for. On the horizon I saw the control at the Army flying school. This was 447km in and I was ready for the stop. Expecting to find the other already there I saw no trace and thought perhaps they were in and out to save time. This was not the case as the control staff said three riders in Hastings kit had gone straight past with heads down so missed the control. Now to have completed over two thirds and fail because of a missed checkpoint was no laughing matter. I rang Steve and he answered in surprise as the GPS put the control further down the road. They returned with an extra 10-15km and got their cards stamped.

Catching us after an hour or so they saw I was flagging and sailed past. I kept moving and had a few waves of fatigue which required a gel to shake off. I noticed that the cut of time for the next checkpoint was looming and the thought of missing it released some energy to pick up the pace. I was surprised to see the other limbering up against a gate looking relaxed and taking their time. Pointing out that we had 30 mins to do about 10km this resulted in us jumping to an impromptu TT mode and a chain gang to make the cut off. The decision to get an ATM receipt rather than queue at the official control was a good one and we sat around eating to make the push for the penultimate checkpoint.

This took us over the Thames at Maidenhead and then a short run to Beaconsfield services. Although this was at 547km we knew the last stretch was going to be tough at 72km. Again we rode into the evening and a few hours of dark. The finish was calling and nothing was going to stop us now. Just a final few miles and the aches and pains that had been with us for a while were lifted as the adrenaline carried us along. I gather that JV rode standing up for a lot of the final section as his saddle was telling him it was more suited for club runs than 600+ Audax rides! He gets credit for even thinking it was a good idea to ride new kit off the shelf untested.
At the end the atmosphere was a mixture of quiet satisfaction and relief it was over. That was the PBP qualifiers in the bag. Now thoughts turned to sleep and how we would fair with another 600km to go of this was PBP.

It was a great adventure with many memories and more lessons learned for the next ride. All of us seem to have some lasting effects with numb toes and pins and needles in fingers from the pressure on the hands. The body will recover so don't let this put you off. It really is worth the effort and any endurance event will take time to recover from.

To ride and be in the moment and put all of life's troubles on hold.
To push your limits and find your breaking point but still come through with a hunger for more.
To find yourself on the bike and to feel alive.
That is my Audax experience




Essential kit list for this ride:

Power bank to recharge the GPS as it will not last this length of ride
Head torch
Decent lights for the night
Chamois and Sudocreme - life savers to be reapplied regularly
Emergency gel
Padded gloves
Sun cream
Toothbrush - there is nothing like clean teeth
Decent sized saddlebag/handlebar bag system for all your kit.

What else you carry is a personal choice but I would not leave home without these items.


Jon S

7/6- Butt's Brow Double Loop Off Road

With the SDW over two days only two weeks away it was important to do a long south downs ride with a lot of climbing. Normally we start the official season with a ride from Butt's Brow but to make the ride longer I had put a loop at both ends giving a ride of 42 miles (about the same energy as a 70 mile road ride)

Rather than the steep very bumpy track down to Jevington we took what we call the 'grassy track'. This is a more gentle and longer decent which is much less bone shaking for those of us still on hard tails. Our progress was temporarily halted when we came across an anxious heifer  waiting for her calf which had got stuck behind some bushes.Some gentle persuasion from malc managed to get the heifer moving a little, then the frightened calf thinking it was going to be left behind launched itself out from between the thorny bushes right in front of us to join its parent .

Malc Dares to Come Between A Mother And Her Calf!

After a little bit of climbing there was the usual chalky descent down to Alfriston. I had forgotten just how bumpy it is on a hardtail off road and was being bashed around a great deal. It was only later I realised I had put far too much pressure in the rear tyre running 38 psi instead of 32 ,this makes a big difference. 

It was actually a relief to start climbing up Kings drive and all the way up to firle beacon. Myself and Peter were behind the others but were never in any difficulty. 

From firle beacon the terrain became undulating and the ground far less rocky, ideal hardtail territory with the fantastic descent of Itford Hill down to Rodmell . 

We followed the SDW for another 3 miles before turning off down some steep tracks  south for Rottingdean. I found these tracks really hard to get down as they were either very overgrown or badly rotted. I wasn't surprised that it was here that josef ended up with a laceration to the side wall that demanded some generous use of puncture patches inside the tyre wall. 

Rottingdean was exactly half way so it was time to try out a new cafe. Being the sophisticated  arty types that we are, we headed for a nice looking one on the seafront. This is not one that we would use again as the prices were high, the tea was weak and my cake took so long to arrive that the tea was cold by then. Ivan, always looking for a bargain spotted a cheaper cafe round the side and cheekily joined us with some of their ice cream. At least the conversion was entertaining, mostly revolving around Specialized Epic vs Whyte full suspension. The general consensus was that the Whyte was a copy of the epic with a slightly shorter top tube and no brain! (for those not used to mtb technobabble the 'brain' in question is a little device on the rear shock that automatically stiffens up on climbs and then softens for descents), but the whyte was better value for money (better kit for the same price). In the end we decided it was a draw. 

Pete About To Get His 'Brain' Checked!

We had to endure a one mile stretch on the incredibly busy A259 before turning off for Telscombe and back to the SDW. We had a slight air of laziness about us that day as when given the choice of the usual off road track back to Southease or the road parallel, everyone (apart from me) voted for the road!

Maybe they were saving themselves for what lay ahead? Itford hill may be great fun coming down but you sure do pay a high price for your 10 minutes of fun as its a b****d to get up. 

I have climbed this hill at least once a year for the last twenty plus years and every year the body is a year older (and more knackered) , when I can no longer get up it without walking, that will be the time to consider giving up mtb riding and become a true roadie! I'm glad to say that despite being last man up, I managed the climb OK so mtb retirement plans have been put on hold. 

Despite beating me up Itford hill, Pete was now getting seriously knackered, unlike myself who had rested on saturday (knowing what would be in store) Pete had been out with the faster BBR crew and was now paying the price. So rather than doing the next loop, we would cut the mileage down by heading straight back along the SDW. This was perhaps not the wisest choice as although shorter it would involve some really nasty climbs. 

Josef, malc and Ivan parted company with myself and Pete near Alfriston to try out a new descent. 

We thought we would come across them somewhere in the village but they descended so quickly they were well gone by the time we got there. 

The first part of the climb up to the 'long man' is my least favourite bit of the whole SDW. The track is steep and full of tree roots, rubble, ruts and craters . Being a heavy rider I have never managed to ride up it, not because I am too weak but simply because I cannot keep the front wheel down for long. At least for the first time in two years I was back on spds having discovered that not wearing a sock and leaving the straps very loose, gave my foot bones just enough room to spread and release the pressure on my neuroma , this enabled me to walk relatively easily up the worst parts. The second part of the climb is made of brilliant white chalk. It is much more rideable but with the sunshine reflecting off the chalk Pete and I felt like we were being cooked from both sides on this endless ascent. 

Our suffering wasn't quite over as we still had the 2km mile climb from jevington to Butts. Despite its difficulty I rather like this climb as it has a constant gradient which is just shallow enough to keep the front wheel down. My thigh muscles however were not enjoying it and kept telling me to 'get off and walk'. 

A text from Ivan informed me the others were waiting for us at the conveniantly located Red Lion pub on Butt's brow lane. I didnt even know about this pub. What a discovery !  The mixture of endorphins, alcohol and fantastic home made chips was ecstasy. Only the inconvenient truth that some of us were driving and that all pete really wanted to do was to lie down and sleep , prevented us from staying longer and getting truly intoxicated. 

As per usual , the first proper mtb ride is a painful wake up call. Months of riding on smooth tarmac really don't prepare you for the muscle strength required to haul a far heavier bike over bumpy climbs where you have lost all momentum braking on the previous downhill. All my romantic ideas of bike packing over the wilds of wales evaporated. if this was tough , imagine what a similar ride carrying all your camping gear would be like! Why put yourself through this when you can ride the lovely empty roads of La Bonne France, learn a bit of new culture and most importantly get merry in some nice restaurant every night? Its a no brainer, si longtemps camping sauvage et bonjour la france 2016!

This Is Why It Hurt!