Issue 45 - October 2014

ISSUE 45
October 2014
CHAIN
L INE
HORSHAM CYCLING
MAGAZINE
Robbie Calder on completion of the London-Edinburgh-London Audax Challenge
Special Features :
·
·
·
Becoming a CTC Guide
A Year in the Saddle
Isle of Wight Weekend
Checked out www.horshamcycling.co.uk recently?
CYCLING FOR EVERYONE
Visit the website and members’ forum at:
www.horshamcycling.co.uk
for the latest news, photo galleries and details of up-coming club events.
COMMITTEE MATTERS
REMEMBER,
HORSHAM CYCLING
STRONGLY
RECOMMENDS
WEARING A HELMET
ON ALL RIDES
The Annual General Meeting was held on 26th June
and attended by 28 members who received full and
comprehensive reports from the Chairman and
Treasurer. Members then raised a number of items
from the floor which were either answered there and
then or taken away for further consideration at
Committee. All Committee members were re-elected.
The Committee has since met during July and
September and has asked the Racing Sub-Committee
to report back on the suggestions relating to time trial
signing, longer events and high-viz clothing. The
suggestions relating to emergency contact numbers
are also being explored.
Following an approach from Horsham District Council
it was agreed that the Club would take part in some
way with the events that were being organised for when
the Tour of Britain passed through the town centre.
After discussions eleven volunteers acted as marshals
on the course, and the Club’s input was greatly
appreciated by the council.
EDITORIAL
October 2014
Welcome to Issue 45 of Chain Line.
Thank you to everyone who has
contributed.
The next publication of Chain Line will
be in late December and articles should
be submitted to me by 30 November.
Other matters noted and considered by the Committee
include the use of the Denbies Estate for the annual hill
climb, and the arrangements for the Christmas dinner
which will be held at Rookwood once again. Also the
way in which Facebook might help with the running of
the Club is being looked at.
Finally, the Reliability Trial season has started and you
will find that there is no longer an entry fee for
members, although contributions towards the
refreshments will be gladly received.
Robert Skeet
Club Secretary
ChainLine Editor
CHAIN LINE CONTACT DETAILS
Alan Dolan, 24 Greenfields Close, Horsham, RH12 4LG
Tel: 01403 211610 or 07715 968588
Email: alan.dolan@horshamcycling.co.uk
is affiliated to:
2 Chain Line
British Cycling, Cycling Time Trials, Cyclists’ Touring Club, East
Sussex Cycling Association, Southern Counties Cycling Union
and Sussex Cyclists’ Association
CHAIN LINE
Welcome Aboard
Twenty three new members have joined the Club since the last issue of Chain Line. They are:
Steve Atkinson, Mike Batchelor, Ananda Mellors-Costa, Rebecca Daschler, Paul Dinham, Clive Duebel, Russell
Dunkley, Gill English, Dave Fordham, Steve Holland, James Leggett, Mike Longeran, Simon Long, David Moran,
James Mursell, Steve Ogborn, Lesley Pennington, Alice Scott, Jonathon Scott, Kevin Smith, Ryan Wightwick, Peter
Weedon and Peter Young.
A warm welcome to you all and we wish you many happy hours cycling with us.
Robert Skeet Secretary
Membership Matters
By the end of September the Club membership had climbed back to 189 and it is good to see that a small number
of previous members have returned.
The use of the Forum has been reviewed and can now only be used by members of the Club.
Some changes to the Club rules have been introduced and you will all have received an email about these and the
website has been updated. Rule 9 has been amended to set up a procedure whereby members can be notified if
the Sunday rides are cancelled due to bad weather. The expiry date for subscriptions has been moved to the end
of the Club year to match membermojo.
Robert Skeet Secretary
Pub Club Night
Wednesday 29 October 2014
The Black Jug, 31 North Street, Horsham RH12 1RJ from 20.30.
Meet up with your Club mates and discuss all things cycling and
anything else.
It is also a good opportunity for the newer members to meet
others from the Club.
Christmas Dinner and Awards
Thursday 11 December 2014
The Warnham Barn, Rookwood Golf Course,
Robin Hood Lane, Horsham RH12 3RR from
19.00 for a 19.30 start.
Please see e.news 5 October and website
for full details.
Winter Reliability Trial Sunday 23rd November 2014
A choice of three rides:
Wiston Ride (approx. 32 miles), Shoreham Quest (approx. 42 miles) or Seaford Challenge (approx. 69 miles)
departing 09.00 onwards from the Forest School Youth Wing, Compton's Lane, Horsham RH13 5NT.
More details to follow nearer the time.
John’s Tips
More tips on the little things that might help keep you and your bike working well!
● Keep your chain lasting longer…give it a good clean with a tooth brush after wet and mucky rides
● Don’t forget to check the wheel rim indicators to make sure your rims are not worn out!
● Remember to regularly ‘M’ check your bike (see page 3 ChainLine Issue 44 June 2014)
Edited by John Chaplin
Send your favourite tip to john.chaplin@horshamcycling.co.uk
Club Hill Climb Competition
Sunday 26 October 2014 - 10.00
This will take place on a private road at Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking RH5 6AA.
More details to follow soon in e.news.
Chain Line
3
HORSHAM CYCLING
A Year in the Saddle,
The Journey Continues
By John Chaplin
Well I have failed…..none of my
rides seem to be hitting 100 miles.
But they do get to places I would not
normally get to!
These rides have been marked by
HC members joining me which has
been great. So far Gary, Rebecca,
Sabina, Carl, Mike, Rob, Phil L,
Dave and Phil C have come along at
different times. Super to have you
join me.
Ride 5 - May Henley-on-Thames
Something a bit different this time as
we headed North West and ‘tip toed’
around some built up areas. The
morning was fairly traffic busy as we
made our way via Cobham and
Virginia Water, but it was worth it as,
after stopping for a coffee break by
the Thames at Runnymede, we cut
across Windsor Great Park. Traffic
free and a green oasis with fine
views across to the castle.
A myriad of small lanes were then
navigated eventually ending up at
Wargrave and then on to Henley
where we had a lunch at a pub right
on the river.
We followed a similar way back, but
using different lanes and arriving at
Ripley for tea and then up and over
Ranmore for home.
119 miles
Ride 6 - June Battle
…and what a battle ! Out via
Ardingly reservoir it was up down up
down all the way there and back.
Maybe doing it on a Monday after
the Club run did not help the legs !
It was a super ride though, spinning
along small country lanes and over
Ashdown Forest with fine views
southwards from Crowborough and
near Duddleswell. Along the ridge
near Battle provided wide views
across to the South Downs.
We stopped for coffee and cake at
Uckfield and lunched outside Battle
Abbey gates in a very old building
that looked as if it had been there
since 1066! Afternoon tea was at
Duddleswell where more cake was
consumed!
110 miles
on the Pevensey Levels. We had a
minor diversion, but were soon
cycling by the walls of the castle
which
look
impressive
and
especially so as they have been
there since 1066.
After a photo session we rode the
extra mile to the beach where we
found a pub right on the beach and
had a very good lunch in the sun.
The pub even had some live music
going on!
Well, we had to turn for home so
headed out just north of the South
Downs and along some very quiet
roads before picking up a familiar
trail at Barcombe just after Ringmer.
We stopped for a break at Ditchling
(where we had the only puncture of
all the rides so far!) and then home
via Partridge Green.
122 miles
Ride 7 - July Pevensey Bay and
Castle
The hottest ride so far but worth it.
We made our way over to and
across Ashdown Forest to Uckfield
and then quiet lanes to Hailsham.
Not very hilly and quite flat once out
Ride 8 - August
Prudential
RideLondon-Surrey 100 (well 86)
I just crept in with a hundred at 103
miles by the time I had cycled back
across London to the O2 arena car
park. What can I say…. it was a
warm, wet, blast, but great fun on
the closed roads. Super to whizz
through Dorking and be cheered on
by my wife and daughter. And finally
the last few iconic miles along the
Thames and past the Houses of
Parliament served up with a sprint
(ha ha) up the Mall.
Background
All my rides have started at
Newdigate at about 8.00 apart from
RideLondon-Surrey100.
For navigation I took my Memory
Map with OS mapping which has
been brilliant instead of the usual
lots of paper in my back pocket.
Continues over……
4 Chain Line
CHAIN LINE
This is not the place for a turn by turn
route, but if you would like any more
details I would be pleased to advise.
Contact
me
at
john.chaplin@horshamcycling.co.uk
I should add that the inspiration for
this came from the book called A
Year in the Saddle……brilliant
photography and a great script
detailing 12 iconic rides in the UK
and on the continent – for even more
inspiration.
Check it out at
http://www.amazon.co.uk/12Months-Saddle-RidersTackled/dp/1780972946/ref=sr_1_1
?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=13986979
56&sr=11&keywords=a+year+in+the+saddle
Annual Post Ride Lunch
I missed the lunch last year, so I was
determined not to lose out this time.
The Social groups had their downhill
challenge in the morning, so it was a
quick ride from Dial Post to The
Warnham Barn at Rookwood Golf
Course to build up an appetite.
by Ray Watson
I've been riding with the Club for
about 18 months in Social 2 and
recently as a ride leader.
What’s Next
Most points of the compass have
now been covered, so will be
overlapping with some previous
rides as we head into Autumn and
Winter. I still have in mind a trip to
Beachy Head and another towards
Goudhurst in Kent.
I post my planned rides and dates on
the Forum. If you would like to join
me for all or in part you are welcome,
just let me know.
The event, held on 6th July, was
attended by 32 members across all
the riding groups and with excellent
weather, food and company, I
judged the BBQ to be a great
success.
Thanks to Sabina Hickmet for her
time and organisational skills.
Another great HC event.
Established in 1984
QUALITY ROAD, TOURING, MTB BIKES AT COMPETITIVE PRICES
WHEEL BUILDING A SPECIALITY
31 QUEEN STREET, HORSHAM, WEST SUSSEX RH13 5AA
Tel: 01403 258391 www.adcycles.net
e-mail: adcycles@hotmail.co.uk
Discount to Horsham Cycling Members
(Please show membership card)
Chain Line
5
HORSHAM CYCLING
New Members’ Profiles
Matt Coleman
Age: 43.
Lives: Southwater.
Best cycling achievement so far:
One week after getting my first road bike completing the 110km Watership Down Audax,
in the sub-zero temperatures of January this year... seemed like a good idea at the time!
I've really enjoyed my first few months with the Club and have been made to feel very
welcome. I wish I could ride more than I do, but the regular Social 2 Sunday rides are a
great way of learning the ropes and, whilst I'm not about to win many Club trophies, I was
very pleased to win the Mike Carr Social Groups' Downhill Trophy in July (it seems my
BMI is good for something after all!).
Marc Daniels
Age:52
Lives: Broadbridge Heath – Wickhurst Green
Ex runner, ex triathlete, ex mountain biker, ex tricyclist (see photo) and now confirmed
road cyclist.
Best cycling memory: MTB trip in the Brecons up “The Gap” between Pen Y Fan and
Fan Y Big in 28 degrees of sunshine. Worst memory: MTB crash on North Downs resulting in wearing two slings as I left casualty. Moved to Horsham in April, and loving the area. Now riding in Intermediate 2 and really enjoying the expert route knowledge of the
ride leaders, although their appetite for hills is something I am still adjusting to. Hoping
for a mild, dry winter!
Lloyd Griffin
Age – 35
Best cycling achievement: my brother and I cycled 150 miles to
Weston-Super-Mare in a day with one stop, many, many years ago.
I was born in Horsham and have lived here ever since. I guess I got
into cycling in my teens most likely due to my 8 years older brother
who was very keen on cycling and had been a member of the old
Central Sussex and then Crawley Wheelers of which I also became
a member for a few years doing quite a few time trials, one
Goodwood circuit road race and lots of club rides. For some reason I
eventually got out of cycling and stayed off the bike for some years, don’t exactly remember why. About three years
ago I started getting the bug back and found myself doing a fair bit of off-roading and then decided I wanted to try
the road again. So I bought a new Trek road bike on the ride to work scheme and started riding on my own and then
finally, in March this year, along with a friend Robin Stephens and his dad Richard, joined the Horsham Club and
have never looked back. I'm now loving the Sunday rides with so many friendly people and have now also been to
the Isle of Wight with them which was such an amazing weekend – I can’t wait to go again next year.
Steve Holland
Age: 58
Home: Cuckfield
I started with the C.C. Bexley club in SE London aged 13 and for a number of
years raced at Crystal Palace, Herne Hill and various road races, but much
preferred the 10 & 25 TTs.
More recently I occasionally got mixed up with various groups from Horsham
Cycling, so decided to try and get back into ‘old ways’ by joining up and now find
Sporting 1 a good mix of speed, distance and camaraderie. However, a recent
attempt at a 10 TT revealed that some ‘old ways’ have long gone, but the ‘fun’
remains. Lows: some nasty accidents, the highs: the Alps.
6 Chain Line
CHAIN LINE
Matthew Pateman
Age 38.
I moved to Horsham from SW London four years ago. I used to ride quite a
bit before kids and work took hold of all my time! I only managed half a dozen
rides and 3 or 4 TTs this summer, but would love to get back into cycling
which is why I joined the Club. Best cycling achievement is probably a 58min
25TT....a few years ago!
Malcolm Rawlins
I’m 61 and live in Horsham.
I have always owned at least one bike, but only took up riding more regularly
in my 50s when I discovered that I had the degenerative neurological
disease CMT. This makes it hard to walk far, but doesn’t affect my cycling
too much.
I was mostly riding off-road with friends until I joined HC with the intention of
building up road mileage in training for a LEJOG trip, which a friend and I
have just ridden unsupported in aid of CMT-UK. We covered a total of 1,019
miles in 13 days.
I have enjoyed riding with Social 2 and will definitely continue to do so,
though I might upgrade my chunky hybrid to a lighter road bike at some point.
Ambitions: South Downs Way in one day, Coast to Coast in two days.
Greg Turner
I’m 42 and I’m a born again roadie!
I started riding aged 12 with my parents and brother. We rode with a local club (oop north)
and did Time Trails and crits but I was never very good, so I switched to mountain biking
when I was 16. I raced DH and then more recently Enduro and got reasonably good, but
the injury list just got too long.
Now with two kids and a fair amount of metal work inside me, it’s time for a new
challenge. Having dropped about 28kg so far, my cycling aim is to go under the hour for
a 25 TT and do either the Tour Etape or Paris Roubaix Sportive with my brother, who was
always a very good roadie.
I ride with Sporting 3, but my family commitments mean I will struggle not to be a stranger.
When I do make it out I will do my best to be friendly.
Thanks for your welcome.
Sur la Plaque! Bon Courage!
Sporting 1
Cafe in the Spotlight
- Michael Belmonte
Hector's on the Wey,
Farncombe
Boat
House,
Catteshall
Road,
Godalming,
GU7 1NH
Situated just outside Godalming on
the canal right next to a bridge.
Plenty of seating in and outside and
has a good selection on the menu.
The cheery owner, Peter, was on
form and managed a smile; it seems
every time we come here he
is getting better.
Location scores 8/10, Boat
House scores 8/10 and Tea
and tea cakes at £3.35 pp
scores 7/10.
Our route took us there via
Slinfold, The Haven, Bucks Green,
Loxwood, Alfold, Dunsfold and
Godalming. Refreshed, we retuned
via Bramley, Shamley Green,
Cranleigh, Ellen's Green and home
to Horsham, giving a round trip of 50
miles.
If you want to do a bit of 'messing
about on the water' before you
return, you can swap your Colnago,
Specialized or Trek and hire a
rowing boat, with names such as Mr
Frog, Mr Toad and Stickleback, for
an hour or longer.
Accompanying me on the trip were
Alan Dolan, Peter Golding and
Steve Holland.
Chain Line 7
HORSHAM CYCLING
DHB Cycle Travel Bag
- Sabina Hickmet
Never having travelled by aeroplane
with a bike I was anxious as to how
to do this in the safest way.
I first phoned the CTC (Cyclists'
Touring Club) for advice. I was told
by far the safest way for the bike to
travel in the hold of an aircraft was to
buy a large see-through thick
polyester
plastic
bag
via
CTC/Wiggle for £10. The main
reason, repeated more than twice,
being that the baggage handlers can
see what they are handing and
therefore treat the bike with more
respect. Bikes travelling thus arrive
safely. I duly put the order through
and
received
the bag very
quickly. I got
what it said on
the label, a large
see-through
polythene bag.
In the meantime Ali Bruce offered his
DHB cycle bag which he has
donated to the Club for any
members to use. It is stored at Alan
Dolan’s Horsham residence. The
first thing that struck me the evening
I went to have a look, was the
hugeness of the bag Alan was toting
on his ample shoulder. It measures
a massive 50 inches wide by 35 in
height (the bag – not Alan’s
shoulder!). There is a handle on one
end with which you can tip the case
up and onto its rear wheels to drag it
along.
The interior, revealed by unzipping a
very long nylon zip, displayed a
huge quantity of random packaging
materials (supplied by Alan) for
added protection despite the
thickness of the durable padded
black polyester covering. Two large
interior pockets for the wheels are
located on either side. The floor of
the bag is solid, measuring 8.25
inches in width.
8 Chain Line
Alan has used this
bag many times and
assured me it was
perfectly adequate.
I
grabbed
the
handle, the wheels
turned. Result! I
wouldn’t have to
use the padded
carry-straps
and
risk showing my
diminutive height!
Phil Lefbvre, aka Canada Phil,
helped me pack my bike, a BMC
SL01. The handlebars have to be
removed, so too, the pedals, saddle,
wheels and skewers. The frame,
sitting on its forks, looked very small
in the huge bag, surrounded by the
light grey polyester lining. Ideal if
you don’t want to get your car oily or
wet after some rainy biking.
Once removed, the wheels each
have their own padded bag and can
be placed in the large interior
sleeves. Phil chose not to do this but
placed them behind an improvised
cardboard protective wall between
the frame and the thick "no crush"
closed cell padding of the bag wall.
He used most of the bubble wrap on
the derailleur. There were spacers
for the forks which lay on another
layer of cardboard and what looked
like the two severed sides of an old
yoga mat.
Once packed up and well-padded
with the large amount of random bits
and pieces, the total weight came to
just over 19 kilos. With a weight
allowance of 30 kilos, in this case
flying with Easy Jet (£60 sports
equipment charge), I was able to
pack in my shoes, helmet, clothes
and toiletries. On the check-in
scales, the bag weighed in at 24
kilos (and a bit!). The bag drop for
oversize baggage was just opposite
the check-in counter, so really easy.
Or maybe not. I still had to heave it
onto the belt and leave it to travel
through the bowels of Gatwick
Airport to be regurgitated at Milan
Malpensa. At 5am I wasn’t really
warmed up so I was thankful that the
agent reluctantly got up from his
chair to help.
The CTC man did advise me to
check on arrival air-side that the bike
had travelled safely. If it is damaged
in transit, the airline is responsible.
The claim has to be made air-side.
I am pleased to report that my BMC
suffered no damage whatsoever. By
tying a strap around the bag, I
managed to shrink some of its
awesome height.
All in all, air travel with a bike is not
as daunting as it may first appear
and I would far rather have my own
bike than hire one. I am already
looking forward to the next trip!
The advantages of this bag:
Large enough to transport any type
of bike safely
Well-padded
Extra room means you can pack
other things and just take hand
luggage on board
Wheel bags (if buying check these
are included, if not, get them)
Waterproof lining
Fits into a small hatch back
Fits under a hotel bed
Great price
Disadvantages:
Its bulky size makes it very tricky to
manoeuvre on a trolley through
airport doors which are sometimes
just the right size and sometimes
not…
Difficult to manoeuvre onto/off
scales, baggage belt alone. Help
required!
Would I recommend this bag?
Well at £66.49 (£18 extra for each
wheel bag) it would make sense to
buy if you enjoy foreign jaunts that
involve air travel. Yes, I would buy it
and recommend it. Bonus – I could
then select my own packaging
material! Just a shame it’s not a bit
smaller.
As a comparison, if you want to hire
a hard top travel bag, such as
BikeBoxAlan, the going rate is £50
for up to a week. You also have to
travel quite far to pick up and drop
off. A good quality hard top to buy is
around the £500 mark. The
polythene bag is £10 (I still have it
unopened). Rating 4* out of 5*
CHAIN LINE
Mud, Sweat and Gears a LEJOG with local ales
- Barry Harwood
A couple of Christmases ago my
wife bought me a book called Mud
Sweat and Gears which told the
story of a couple who had to leave
their local cycling club because they
couldn't keep up with any of the
groups, but then did a self-supported
end to end of the UK sampling as
many local ales as possible. It
sowed the seed of wanting to do
something similar. I lent the book to
my brother-in-law Andy Gilbert, a
dormant member of Horsham
Cycling, who liked the idea too and
when Jim Evans learnt of it he
decided that, even though he had
done a previous LEJOG, he would
like to give it a go.
getting many a friendly toot and
wave of encouragement.
Applecross, which I really didn't want
to do but was a fantastic ride.
Leaving on day one, getting half way
down our first 17% hill and Jim
realising that he had left his helmet
in the hotel.
Jan, a lovely lady in Loch Carron
who, although she said she didn't do
B&B any more, would do it because
we were stuck and when we arrived
had baked a cake especially for us.
Climbing one of the incessant ups
and downs in Cornwall and Devon
and a local pulling alongside in his
car and telling us that this was called
London Hill "because it's the only hill
between Devon and London where
the passengers had to get out of the
stagecoach to allow the horses to
get up it".
A waitress in the lunchtime cafe in
Crediton telling us that the route we
had planned for the afternoon was
"gruesome "
So in June we set off on a selfsupported end to end taking a scenic
route, including some island hopping
off the West Coast of Scotland and
after three weeks and 1,120 miles
we arrived in John O' Groats.
A group of young and not so young
ladies on the Isle of Arran who were
doing a tour of the island and invited
us to share their cakes at the top of a
long climb.
These are a few memories that
stick out in my mind:
On the day we left I had hastily made
a sign from a piece of scrap
polystyrene reading "John O' Groats
or Bust" and attached it to the back
of my bike. It lasted until half way
through Scotland and led to us
.........and too many more to mention.
For our return we used a company
called John O' Groats Bike
Transport who collected us from
JOG in a people carrier, took us to
Inverness for our flight home and
packed and couriered our bikes
home which arrived less than
24hours after us. A very good
service which I would recommend.
Oh yes, I nearly forgot until
reminded by the Editor, the local
ales:
Most unusually named ale, but not
the nicest, was Sheepshaggers
Gold by the Cairngorm Brewery at
the Lochcarron Hotel.
My favourite was probably Birds
Skullduggery at The Crown Inn,
Nantwich.
Jim insisting that we had to go 50
miles or so out of our way to do
Bealach Na Ba, a climb to
Checked out www.horshamcycling.co.uk recently?
Chain Line
9
HORSHAM CYCLING
Sunday Ride Statistics
-
Roger Nash
Ride statistics for all Sunday ride groups from January to the end of August 2014.
These numbers exclude Reliability Trials.
January to August 2014
Social 1 Social 2 Intermediate 1 Intermediate 2
Number of rides
30
31
30
29
Total number of riders
198
344
204
268
Average number of riders per ride
6.8
11.1
6.8
9.2
Average mph
11.1
13.3
14.9
15.8
30
34
41
41
5,873
11,585
8,261
11,095
Average mileage per ride
Total mileage
January to August 2014
Sporting 1
Number of rides
26
Total number of riders
190
Average number of riders per ride
7.3
Average mph
16.9
Average mileage per ride
50
Total mileage
9,445
Sporting 2 Sporting 3 Off Road
29
25
7
240
124
34
8.3
5
4.9
17.1
17.3
n/a
43
57
18
10,398
7,123
612
January to August 2014
Total all groups
Number of rides
207
Total number of riders
1,602
Average number of riders per ride
7.7
Average mph
N/A
Average mileage per ride
40
Total mileage
64,391
Here They Come
Hammerpond Road.
13 September 2014
Tour of Britain
10 Chain Line
CHAIN LINE
Gatwick and the Surrey Hills
to Salisbury Tour (but no one
came
from
California,
Cowdenbeath or Crawley)
- Colin Ward
Brian Curtis. It was for the week of
the summer half term holiday,
beginning at a cycle rally based at a
campsite near Dumfries and ending
in Edinburgh. I packed my bike in my
bike bag and caught a National
Express Coach.
If you visit the
website of the
Cyclists’ Touring
Club
(CTC),
hover over ‘Ride’
and then click on
‘Holidays,’ you’ll
land on the home
page of CTC
Cycling Holidays,
the club’s own
travel firm. This is
the story of how I
became that company’s newest tour
leader.
​The first three nights of the holiday
were spent at the rally, eating dinner
in the nearby village hall and going
on day rides around the local
countryside. The hills and farmland
provided some beautiful scenery
and I learnt to recognise a Belted
Galloway cow from two fields away.
​In February of 2013 I’d been a CTC
member for more than ten years and
taken part in a couple of tours to
India where I’d noticed local guides
being employed. I had an idea that I
could be a local guide for the part of
the world where I came from. I might
plan and lead a tour in the south of
England. An email to Head Office
got a reply back from Gerry
Goldsmith
who
dealt
with
applications from new leaders and,
by a happy coincidence, had been
the leader of my first tour to India.
She sent me a form to fill in which
asked for a referee, a role which
veteran tour leader Roger Nash
kindly took on.
​Roger gave me two pieces of
advice. The first was that a new
leader must expect small numbers
of participants because it takes time
to build up a following. The second
was that leading a tour was like
being the host at a party. You could
have everything prepared for a good
time, the route planned, the
accommodation booked, but it would
be the guests who would make the
party and the host who would make
it a success by somehow bonding
them together.
​My next step was to join a tour on
which I could assist the leader and
he or she could assess my
suitability. Gerry gave me three
options and I chose to go cyclecamping in the Scottish Borders with
We set out fully loaded on the
Tuesday, camping overnight at
Beattock near the railway (it made
me think of The Night Mail, crossing
the border). On the Wednesday and
Thursday nights we camped at
Selkirk giving ourselves a welcome
unloaded day ride. The final Friday
night was spent under canvas in
Peebles. When I caught the train
home from Edinburgh on Saturday
afternoon, Brian had given me the
green light to get on and plan my
own tour.
​I felt confident about leading a group
on the road but I didn’t have any
experience of making group
bookings for accommodation, so it
was decided that this first tour would
be for just four nights. I wanted to
start out at Gatwick Airport because
it was easy to get to by rail, road
and, obviously, air. From there, it
was a twenty mile afternoon ride to
Holmbury St Mary Youth Hostel, so
that would be our first stop. I planned
to end the tour in Salisbury, but
where would we stay for the second
and third nights?
​Taking my regular route west,
sticking to country roads, it was a
little under ninety miles from
Holmbury to Salisbury. On the
Independent Hostels website I found
the Privett Centre in Hampshire, an
old Victorian primary school with
more than twenty beds, used mainly
by schools as an outdoor activity
centre. It was 46 miles from
Holmbury and 42 from Salisbury. ​I
drove down with my wife Lesley to
meet the centre manager and found
it was in a tiny hamlet next to an old
church on a hill with a beautiful view
over the surrounding countryside.
There was no catering service but it
was fitted out with a commercial
kitchen, so professional caterer
Lesley volunteered to cook us two
evening meals and two breakfasts. ​
For the final night in Salisbury I had
originally planned to stay at the
stately old youth hostel on Milford
Hill, but the YHA had decided to sell
it to developers, so I booked Alabare
bed and breakfast guest house
instead, just around the corner.
​With all the bookings made a year in
advance, the next task that Gerry set
me was to get myself qualified in
First Aid. Most CTC leaders seemed
to have used St John’s Ambulance
but that organisation didn’t run any
courses near my home so I turned to
the internet again and found Surrey
First Aid Training who ran a
weekend Remote Outdoor First Aid
course at the scout hut on Goose
Green in Gomshall, seven miles
from home - easy cycling distance. I
signed up for mid-September to
learn about Dr ABC, CPR and the
recovery position, stuff everyone
should know really. Among the scout
leaders and mountaineers training
with me were two other cyclists –
employees of the cycle-path charity
Sustrans. The fake accidents, or
scenarios, as the trainers called
them, were all presented outside in
the woods close to the hut making
them seem as realistic as possible.
By Sunday evening, I was the proud
holder of my own first aid certificate,
valid for three years.
​The tour appeared on the CTC
website in October and was first
advertised in Cycle Magazine in
November. This was all organised
by Heather, the tour coordinator at
Head Office and expert on all
matters related to paperwork.
Chain Line 11
HORSHAM CYCLING
I had about five enquiries and three
bookings before Christmas. In the
New Year, the number of bookings
with paid deposits rose to five. It
wasn’t exactly selling like hot cakes.
​In March, I attended my first CTC
tour leaders’ weekend at a training
centre in Yarnfield, north of Stafford.
I drove up with my bike in the back
of the car so that I could take part in
the Sunday morning ride. Most of
the time was taken up with training
on the new on-line booking system
which the company expected to
begin using in the coming year. I
was very interested in this as it
seemed to me that people buying
anything on-line these days would
expect to pay instantly by credit card
and not have to send cheques and
paper forms by post.
​The Sunday ride was a chilly one,
with even a brief flurry of snow,
around the local farmland and I had
my first experience of the human
signpost system where the leader
asks one of the riders at the front to
wait at a junction to point the way to
slower riders coming along behind.
This has the great advantage of
reducing the necessary number of
re-grouping stops. On this particular
ride we only re-grouped at the cafe
and for a photo-call on the way back
to Yarnfield. It was great to meet and
ride with some of the long-serving
leaders, all of whom were generous
with their time and advice.
​In May, as the time approached for
participants to pay the balance of the
tour price, just when I was hoping for
some late new bookings, two people
who had paid deposits cancelled,
leaving me with only three
committed cyclists. I was feeling
pretty gloomy about the tour’s
prospects at this point. Roger had
warned to expect small numbers,
but this was ridiculous!
​I got some cards printed up to
advertise the tour, dished them out
to anyone who would take them and,
to cheer myself up, decided to go
cycle-camping in Scotland again
with Brian. This year his tour was
due to start at a rally in Edinburgh
and end a week later in Carlisle,
camping at Selkirk and Lockerbie on
the way. Part of the ride was the
12 Chain Line
reverse of the previous year’s route.
When I emailed him to see if he had
room for me, he replied that,
because his wife was very ill, he was
unable to lead the tour himself and
had appointed Fleur Woolley, one of
the experienced leaders I’d met at
Yarnfield, to take his place. He was
pleased that I wanted to go along,
because I knew some of the route,
so he asked me to be Fleur’s
assistant. We had some great day
rides out from Auld Reekie, one in
particular across the River Forth to
the Kingdom of Fife where I had
stovies for my tea in Culross. When
the tour headed south after the rally,
Fleur preferred to take the position
of back marker and asked me to
lead up-front. This was excellent
experience for me with my tour only
a few weeks away.
​In the last few weeks, two new
participants signed up, so by mid
July, I had five cyclists prepared to
ride with me. You could just about
have a decent party with six people.
​Although I’d reconnoitred the airport
the previous summer and identified
the cycle parking area as our
meeting place, I decided, about a
week before departure, that more
detailed instructions on how to get
there from the railway station would
be helpful, so I travelled with my bike
on the train from Horsham to
Gatwick, took the lift up from the
platform to Arrivals and wheeled it
through the terminal. This enabled
me to write directions like ‘when you
come through the ticket barrier turn
right and wheel your bike along the
passageway...’ The participants
received the instructions by email.
​On the afternoon before departure,
Fraser, who would be travelling
down from Edinburgh, called to say
that he hadn’t been able to book a
cycle space on the train in time to
make our 2.00pm rendezvous. In
fact, because of the restrictions on
carrying bikes at peak hours, he
wouldn’t be at Gatwick until 8.00pm.
Lesley came to the rescue. Fraser
switched
his
destination
to
Guildford,
from
where
she
volunteered to collect him and his
bike in the car and drive him directly
to the hostel at Holmbury St Mary.
​The bookings were made, the route
was planned and my panniers were
packed, so I set off for Gatwick at
about 10.30 on Monday morning in
the pouring rain. By the time I got to
Forest Green the sun had come out
and just around the corner I met a
workman who was removing the
road closed signs which had been in
place for weeks. This meant that I
wouldn’t have to take the detour I
was expecting. Things were looking
up.
​Enid was the first to arrive at about
1.30 followed closely by Annette and
Steve. At five to two I rang Dave who
was on a train but expecting to arrive
a couple of hours late. He said he
would make his own way to the
hostel. So there were just the four of
us as we set out across Riverside
Garden Park and through Horley on
our way to the Surrey Hills. By about
four o’clock we had climbed up to
Holmbury St Mary and just made it
to the youth hostel before it started
to rain.
​After dinner, Annette and Steve
joined me for a walk to the top of
Holmbury Hill while Enid settled
down with a book in the lounge
under the beautiful 1937 frieze of
hosteling pursuits. As we set out for
our walk we met Dave just arriving,
so we welcomed him aboard and left
him to settle in. From the top of the
hill I took a photo of a rainbow over
the airport to the east. We looked out
south over the weald and west
towards Black Down which our route
for the following day would skirt
around. By the time we returned to
the hostel it was dark and Lesley
had delivered Fraser from Guildford
Station. At last the whole group was
together.
​After breakfast the following
morning, we set out for Privett in
brilliant sunshine, stopping at
Plaistow village store for coffee, to
eat our packed lunches at Fernhurst
and at Liss to get cash from the
hole-in-the-wall and ice creams from
the shop. We had some very steep
climbing to do around Hawkley
which made us so thirsty that we had
to call in at the Pub-With-No-Name
for beer. When we arrived at Privett,
just after 5.00, Lesley had the kettle
on.
CHAIN LINE
Wednesday’s ride was a thirty mile
one without luggage, inspired by
Brian’s popular Selkirk stop-over.
We took a cycle path to Chawton for
morning coffee in the cafe opposite
Jane Austen’s house and then rode,
via country lanes, to Gilbert White’s
house at Selborne for lunch. In the
afternoon we cycled through the
village of Steep and saw World War
I soldier-poet Edward Thomas’s
name on the war memorial there.
Steep also had a good cycle shop
where Dave, who’d been having a
few mechanical problems, was able
to buy a new front shifter and a chain.
​It had been another brilliantly sunny
day and, for our al fresco evening
meal, I cooked the meat on a
Dunwich Dynamo
12 to 13 July 2014
The Drivers' Story - Ali Bruce
This was my first involvement in the
Dunwich Dynamo. So I thought I
would ease myself in gently by
driving the bike van instead of
pedalling!
My day started around 11.00 when
Stewart Forbes arrived to drive me
to the Henfield Hire Depot. Here we
met Jim Evans, an experienced
driver on this trip, who would be
driving the Minibus. After completing
the paperwork, the vans were
fuelled up ready for the journey.
barbecue beside the picnic tables
while we sipped cold white wine.
Lesley, of course, produced all the
complicated stuff in the kitchen.
Enid, who used to work in the city,
followed by dinner at a pizza
restaurant and a drink at a pub
recommended by Steve.
​For our ride to Salisbury on
Thursday we had yet another sunny
day. We called in at Alresford station
to look at the Watercress Line steam
trains, at Easton on the River Itchen
for coffee and at Crawley village
pond to look at the ducks. Lunch
was eaten outside the village store
at Kings Somborne, where there
were more ducks, and after quite a
long section of National Cycle Route
24 we arrived at our B&B in the late
afternoon.
​The following morning after
breakfast I wished them all safe
cycling and we went our separate
ways. We’d had good weather, good
food and good company for our few
days together and it had cost the
participants £240 each. What else
could you hope for from a cycle tour?
​I was sufficiently encouraged by the
comments of my fellow cyclists to
start making plans for next year. In
the pipeline is an April long-weekend
single-centre cycling holiday based
at Privett and a late July week-long
cycle-camping tour in Devon and
Cornwall.
​Whatever the future holds for my
new career as a tour leader, I have
a lot of people to thank for a
successful beginning: Gerry, Roger,
Brian, Heather, Fleur, Fraser, Dave,
Annette, Steve, Enid and, of course,
Lesley.
​On our final evening, we were led on
a walk around the cathedral close by
The riders and bikes were picked up
later on in the afternoon. Once the
bikes were carefully packed in the
van and the riders were carefully
packed in the minibus, we were off
to Hackney, the start of the ride.
Returning to Horsham via the M25,
all riders and bikes were unloaded
and the van’s returned. So this
ended my great Dunwich Van
driving adventure. Next year I might
even try the cycling option!
With Stewart as my passenger we
followed Jim on a very interesting
route to the start. My knowledge of
London suburbs has been greatly
increased! Once there, the bikes
and riders were unloaded. We said
our goodbyes, we knew we were in
for a more comfortable time than the
riders! Jim and I headed off for our
night stop at the Holiday Inn, Ipswich.
What’s it all about Alfie? By Alan
'Alfie' Ramsay.
On my first anniversary of cycling
with the Club, eighteen of us, driven
by Jim and Ali took off towards
Hackney on the Saturday in July
with most moon coverage. It was a
very warm evening with all the
minibus windows open to try and
cool us down. Our first cycle event of
the day was a cyclist who had been
stopped on the M23 by a dog patrol
police officer who was obviously
awaiting backup from his colleagues
in their panda car which caused a lot
of laughter from the minibus.
After all the hard pedalling (clutch,
brake, accelerator) some liquid
refreshment and food was most
welcome. Then, early bed as we
needed to be out first thing to pick up
the riders.
The next morning we headed for our
pick up point, a lay-by chosen by
Jim, a few miles inland from
Dunwich. Sure enough, the tired,
happy riders soon arrived to be
loaded up for the return journey.
Jim got us to our drop off point
where, after a small ride, we met up
with Dave Homewood and Malcolm
Rowe who had taken the train up
and intended to ride back to London
Victoria afterwards as part of a
charity ride.
Chain Line 13
HORSHAM CYCLING
We set off at 19.40, twenty minutes
early at Stewart Forbes's instruction
to miss most of the congestion,
which worked in our favour for the
whole night as we were first at all the
stops on route. After squeezing out
of London and all its traffic
congestion we made Epping in just
under the hour, this is where we split
up into groups with no previous
planning. The first ten who rode off
together took the front which is the
group I was in, this was mainly
Sporting 1 cyclists with a visitor,
Stuart from Crawley Wheelers. The
riders in next group were Stewart
Forbes, Rebecca O'Hara, George
Dykes, Gary Noble-Smith and Rob
Haigh followed by the third group of
Jason Baverstock and his Dad, Les,
who had planned to stay together.
As we headed off to our first stop we
could see lightening ahead in the
direction we were heading. After
Epping the roads were very wet and
the puddles large but still with no
rain, with darkness arriving at 21.30
we peddled on to the Sible
Hedingham Village hall to find that
they had the storm half hour before
we got there, and the storm was in
front of us which we followed for the
rest of the nights ride, with lightning
lighting up the sky ahead the whole
night long.
We all left the hall at different times
with Jason's Dad insisting that Jason
should go off in front on his own for
the rest of the ride, which he did
making lots of new cycling friends
the whole night long, none from
Horsham. Les encountered a
puncture later that evening.
The front ten split up just after Mark
Briffa got cramp in both legs which
was almost the same time as when
Dave Homewood got a puncture and
five of us waited for him, upsetting a
resident whose house we stopped
14 Chain Line
outside at one in the morning, but he
soon changed his tune and wished
us all the best for the ride. Jason
McMahon was struggling at this
point and he was talking of pulling
out of the ride altogether after he
explained that he had had a delicate
operation only two weeks earlier and
this was his first time back in the
saddle. So Mark Briffa, Alex
Prosser-Snelling and Stuart went off
on their own out in front into the still
and darkness of the night.
Our group of six was a better size
group now and we had a great ride
to the next tea stop at Gosbeck
getting wet from the spray and
puddles, but still no rain. I then
spotted a bit of the moon which
lasted about two minutes then it was
gone, that was the moon for the
night. This group was Peter David,
Ian Hiscock, Dave Homewood,
Malcolm Rowe, Jason McMahon
and me. At the second stop
everyone met up apart from Les,
and we agreed to ride along together
again at a sensible speed. Well this
lasted about two seconds with
everyone going hell for leather and
getting mixed up with other riders
from other clubs. Somewhere in the
dark, and can I tell anyone who
hasn't done this ride it is very dark as
there is no light from any towns in
the sky because there are no towns,
I dropped my pump and had to turn
round and retrieve it. By the time I
got back on my bike the group was
gone, just darkness. Can I advise
anyone who does this ride to borrow
or use their own Garmin. Without a
Garmin I cycled for about six miles
twisting round bends and corners
not having a clue where I was
heading or even if I was on the right
road. Eventually I saw a flashing
light up ahead and finally caught up
with some one, it was a Horsham
man, Jason McMahon, great, and he
had a Garmin, so we cycled together
with myself shouting out the
potholes so Jason could stand out of
the saddle to avoid the impact on his
tender parts. We cycled the last
fifteen miles together arriving at the
cafe on the beach at four o'clock,
five minutes behind the lead bunch.
The cafe had plenty of spare tables
inside so we took up camp for a few
hours avoiding the odd shower or
two that was occurring outside, with
the odd Horsham Cyclist falling
asleep at the
table.
At about 4.55
with daylight
approaching,
Dave
Homewood
and Malcolm
Rowe set off
to London, I
thought
we
Stewart Forbes
were mad but
those two were doing this to raise
funds for the QE 2 School in
Horsham. We have ordered straight
jackets to replace their club tops.
Stuart from CW turned up eventually
after getting a split tyre down some
dark country lane. With the minibus
due at 7.30 I went down to the sea
and dived in to join about six or
seven other swimmers. For the
North Sea in July it was a rather
pleasant dip.
On the ride out of the bay to the
minibus Jason McMahon got a
puncture, five for the group in total
for the night.
Great night out, just like all the other
Horsham Cycling organised events I
have been on. Next year I will
borrow a Garmin, I will return again,
being slightly mad also helps to do
this ride.
Thanks to Ali Bruce and Jim Evans
for driving the bike van and the mini
bus and to Stewart Forbes for the
superb organisation.
Stats:- Riders:
Les Baverstock, Jason Baverstock,
Mark Briffa, Kevin Crump, Peter
David, George Dykes, Stewart
Forbes, Rob Haigh, Stuart Harrison,
Ian Hiscock, Dave Homewood,
Jason McMahon, Gary Noble-Smith,
Rebecca
O'Hara,
Alexander
Prosser-Snelling, Paul Radcliff, Alfie
Ramsay and Malcolm Rowe.
CHAIN LINE
Mileage: 112.
Average mph: My group 18.
Rebecca's group 15.7. Jason
Baverstock 16.
Les Baverstock secret.
some bemused looking cyclists
going in the opposite direction
offering up some supportive cheer
when they realised we were going
back to London.
Punctures: Les Baverstock, Kevin
Crump, Dave Homewood, Jason
McMahon and Rebecca O'Hara.
We met a hardy soul near to
Sudbury who was finishing his ride
there after cycling to London
Dunwich & back to Sudbury.
Chapeau to you sir !
Split tyre and patch up job: Stuart
Harrison.
The Return Trip to London by
Dave Homewood.
Following a hearty "full breakfast" at
Dunwich, Malcolm and I departed
the cafe on the beach at 04.55.
A very welcome cake break was
agreed at Sible Hedlingham and
then a swift stop to repair a puncture
at Roding.
The ride to Victoria Railway Station
was quite uneventful aside from
Then it was the "Cote d Azur" (sorry
Malcolm and I are hard trackies) like
cycle lanes that confirmed we were
in the eastern suburbs of London
Velodrome
experience
at
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
quite well in the session prior to ours
- until one stopped and forgot to
unclip…......
- Emin Akbay
On 27th April, as one of my 18th
Birthday gifts, I travelled to the
London 2012 Olympic velodrome.
I was booked on a taster session,
stage one of their track cycling
accreditation programme, which
comprised one hour of instructor led
riding. There were around twentyfive novices in the group, a few of
whom had ridden on the track once
or twice before. For the majority of
us, however, this would be our first
experience.
On entering the centre of the
velodrome my first thought, aside
from the rush of excitement, was the
sheer gradient of the track. I’d
obviously
seen
photos
and
television clips, but it isn't until you
are actually standing in the centre
that you appreciate the steepness of
the banks. It was reassuring to see
a group of younger riders managing
The bikes provided by Lee Valley
were Condor Lavoro frame with
Look Keo pedals. Being a Shimano
user I had to hire a set of shoes.
There was also the option to use
toe-straps.
We were given a quick safety brief
before heading onto the track where
we formed a single-file queue along
the inner-barrier. One by one we set
off under the instructor's command,
completing an initial lap within the
blue line. Gradually we built up the
pace and height, moving up the
different lines. Frustratingly, but
understandably, we were not
allowed to overtake at this point, as
I happened to be stuck behind a
rather nervous rider. The steepest
section of a velodrome occurs at the
banking at either end and this is
where your velocity is key to keeping
you on the track. So when the
person in front SLOWS at these
sections it can be a little unnerving!
With the added complication that we
had no brakes!
Getting used to riding a fixed-gear
bike didn’t take long, and if you do
forget, you’re quickly reminded. If it
is your first time, I wouldn’t advise
attempting to ride out of the saddle
like one person did, which resulted
in their legs being flung violently
from their pedals.
and only about 6 miles away from
completing our mission at London
Victoria.
A big thank-you for
all the sponsors,
encouragement and
great write up in The
District Post.
To
date, we have raised
a magnificent £1,700
for
Horsham’s
Queen Elizabeth II
Silver Jubilee School
in Comptons Lane.
Would we do it again? Of course we
would!
In order to pass stage one we had to
show confidence in riding above the
upper blue line, also known as the
stayer’s line. Once the instructor
was happy we had proven we were
able to ride safely and confidently
we were free for the final ten minutes
to roam the track. This also meant
we could overtake! To alert the rider
in front we had to shout “STAY”
before zipping past them. Those
feeling tired were told to drop down
to the safety line - one of the first
was a bloke who’d turned up
wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt!
Others soon followed, while the rest
of us raced around making the most
of it.
It was an amazing experience,
certainly one I’d repeat and
recommend to you.
You can find all of the details on the
Lee Valley website.
http://www.visitleevalley.org.uk/en/c
ontent/cms/london2012/velopark/#track
Chain Line 15
HORSHAM CYCLING
Soon we were off the
London streets and
into Richmond Park. Unfortunately,
an accident in the park caused a
delay as the paramedics dealt with
the incident.
I was probably
stationary here for around 30 minutes
and it was around half way through
this wait that the heavens opened. I
was soaked. By the time we had
started moving again I was shivering
quite badly: my front wheel was
refusing to go in a straight line
because of this.
Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 2014
- Paul Windust
After the initial disappointment of not
being successful in the individual
ballot, I was pleased to find that there
was a team entry option.
The
forecast for the day was bad: exhurricane Bertha was due to hit the
UK on the Sunday. I therefore went
and purchased a pair of overshoes for
the event – I already had a lightweight
waterproof jacket in the form of the
commiseration ‘prize’ from the
individual ballot.
I had arranged to travel up on the
morning with Ben Rose, another
member of the HC team. We set off
from Horsham at around 5:10 so we
could be at the start holding area
before 7:30 for our 8:05 start time.
Directions between the official car
park and the start area were excellent
and the organisation of all the riders
into their correct holding areas went
very smoothly.
The start went off without a hitch,
albeit with light rain. The ride through
London was like nothing I had
experienced before: the closed roads
made for a very fast ride. The A12
had been closed off and that saw the
various holding areas being merged
together
from
their
different
approaches. Even at this early stage
there were a number of cyclists at the
side of the road repairing punctures.
There was even a paramedic
attending someone with a nasty gash
on their head; their ride was over
barely before it started.
The route took us through a long
tunnel: the Limehouse Link. This was
a very quick piece of road and it was
rather strange cycling through with no
cars (or pollution). However, it was
here I noticed my bike was handling a
little strange. A look down confirmed
the rear tyre was flat. A shout to Ben
that I had punctured went unheard, so
I pulled over to the side to fix it as I
watched him continue unaware. Ten
minutes later I was back on the bike
trying to keep an eye out in case Ben
had stopped further down the road,
but there was no sign. I continued
through the London streets, running
red lights and going on the wrong side
of traffic islands: this is the closest I
will ever get to knowing what a ‘pro’
race is like.
16 Chain Line
Out of the park and into Kingston the
roads were flooded.
Water was
coming up through manhole covers
and was flowing like rivers down the
road. The safest place to cycle was
as close to the centre of the road as
possible. However, the going was too
slow to build up my body
temperature, so the shivering
continued. I was looking forward to
finding some open road so that I
could try to raise my temperature
though hard effort.
Outside of
Kingston the roads did clear up a bit
and I was able to warm up. I decided
to skip the first Hub at Hampton Court
and pressed on. I did however stop
after the climb up Newlands Corner
and it was here I happened to spot
Ben again. From here on we did
manage to stick together.
The rest of the ride was really quite
uneventful. I was initially disappointed
the organisers had cut out the two
major climbs of the route and
shortened it to 86 miles, but having
seen a few accidents and the
conditions on the roads, I think they
made the right choice.
The sun did make an appearance;
when we were around Leatherhead
we were able to stow away our
jackets. Due to the weather there
probably weren’t as many spectators
around. Some people did make an
effort though and
there were particular
congregations
at
Kingston,
Dorking
and the finish line. It
made
a
real
difference to hear the
crowds cheering you
on.
Crossing the
finish line was an
amazing sight as you
Ben and Paul
towards
celebrate at the rode
Buckingham Palace.
finish.
Despite the weather, it was a fantastic
day. I would certainly recommend it
to anyone and I have already put my
name in the hat for next year.
And some of the other Horsham
Cycling members who completed
the ride:
Rob Haigh
My time for the ride
was 4:50:52. I didn’t
see anybody else
from
HC
and,
looking afterwards, it
seems my start time
of 7:30 was perfectly
placed so I didn’t
catch anybody up or
was
caught
by
anyone. It was like
the organisers had
spread HC throughout the field so
that we wouldn’t cause trouble!
An amazing monsoon hit us going
through Surrey. Flash floods with
water over the hubs on a number of
occasions. Never cycled in anything
like that. At one point it was painful;
like being pebble-dashed with water.
Emin Akbay:
I raised over £300
for St. Catherine's
Hospice.
Mark Biffra:
Very wet!! I did it in
4hrs 25mins, raised
£1500 for Headway.
Emin Akbay
Others:
Dave Arthur, John Bromley-Barratt,
Penny Bullimore, John Chaplin, Carl
Flinn, Andrew Gilbert, Jamie Gray,
Barry Harwood, Jason McMahon,
Gary Noble-Smith, Rebecca O'Hara,
Lesley
Pennington,
Alexander
Prosser-Snelling and Dave Scott.
And sadly, one who didn't make it:
Matt Simon:
Having crashed my Brompton on the
way back from registering, I was
unable to take part owing to a bashed
in rib.
CHAIN LINE
Isle of Wight Weekend 2014
The annual weekend
trip, number nine,
took place Friday
19th to Sunday 21st
September.
In recent years this
has been organised
by Peter Delve, but
for 2014 Ali Bruce took over the role
of organiser. Thank you to Ali for all
his work in making this event a great
success.
Friday:
The New Forest route by Peter
Delve
Having relinquished my duties as
organiser, I had some freedom to do
things a little differently. So, with
Brian Flint, we decided to go and
look up one of the original Club
members, Terry Betts, in Milford on
Sea on the way.
A two hour car journey saw us arrive
at Terry’s lovely new house which
has views of the Solent and we were
greeted by Esther, Terry’s wife, with
bacon sandwiches and tea to get us
ready for a 25 mile ride with Terry
around the lanes to the east of
Lymington. This included Bucklers
Hard and Beaulieu. We were joined
on much of the route by a selection
of ponies, donkeys and cattle all
roaming freely across the road. Spot
the donkey in the attached picture. It
was saying to Terry “have you heard
the one about the donkey, the beast
and the cyclist?” Of course he had!
Leaving my car at Terry’s house for
the weekend, we took the ferry from
Lymington to Yarmouth and then
another 22 mile ride across the
Island to Shanklin and a welldeserved beer on the Premier Suite
balcony (only available for the Club
oldies) of The Clifton Hotel. Later to
be joined in the bar by our new
organiser Ali Bruce. Miles 47.
Social ride by Lloyd Griffin
Despite thunderstorms predicted for
Friday, we still had all six planned
social riders - Rebecca Hayes, Dave
Manders, Robin Stephens, Jon
Whitty, Phillip van der Veen and
myself - in the Carfax at 09.00.
We had our first incident at only 6
miles just outside Barns Green.
Robin and I were at the front when
all of a sudden we heard the horrible
sound of bikes clashing, quickly
glancing round to see Jon and Dave
on the floor with bikes on top of them
and a large truck right next to them.
For a second I thought the truck had
clipped someone’s wheel and sent
them flying. Upon investigation Jon
had gone down a nasty rut on the
edge of the road and come off only
to also send poor Dave over the top.
Miraculously, Dave escaped without
personal injury and just a bent brake
lever, however, Jon suffered a nasty
scrape to the elbow which you can
see in our lunch stop photo.
We were soon back up and heading
to Wisborough Green where we met
our seventh member, Colin Ward.
Our journey then took us along the
A272 to Midhurst with a brief stop to
regroup in the high street. Onwards
and literally upwards on our way to
the lunch stop, we passed Bepton,
Didling, Treyford, Elsted and to the
top of Harting Hill.
After that nasty climb it was no
wonder everyone was muted and
intensely concentrating on tucking in
to their packed lunches. Main topics
of conversation were the smell of
something nasty around the grassy
area and the fact there were no
picnic benches at this supposed
picnic area, (Colin will forward our
concerns to the council) and hence
why you see us in the photo on the
rather hard car park surface.
All refuelled, we enjoyed the
descent, turning right at North
Marden and taking in the lovely
villages of East Marden, Stoughton,
Walderton and Lordington towards
Westbourne, where we were to have
our first and only puncture. With
Dave to the rescue with his skills and
co2 can on Rebecca's front wheel, it
wasn't long before we made it to
Emsworth where Rebecca and
myself couldn't wait any longer, we
were gasping for tea/coffee and
cake, so all agreed to have 20
minutes here. Off again we followed
the A259 to Havant and then joined
the cycle path along the A27 and
across to Portsea Island and down
the east side, taking in the lovely
views of the coast and noticing our
destination across the pond, we
were soon passing Clarence Pier
and heading for the ferry port.
Stopping here we were hoping to
regroup as John fell behind a little,
but after a good time it was apparent
he wasn't coming, so out came the
phone to locate him. He had taken a
slightly different route but was on his
way. The six of us carried on to the
Wight Link ferry port and bought our
tickets while waiting for John who
had actually gone to the passenger
ferry terminal, so waving goodbye to
the 16.30 ferry with some other Club
members on waving back at us, we
just made it onto the 17.00 ferry.
After another tea top up on board,
we zipped out of Fishbourne along
to Wootton Bridge turning left at the
top. Regrouping at the Robin Hill
roundabout we saw Jon turn right
instead of straight on and so the
chase was on for poor Phil (or
Mountain Goat as now named by
Rebecca) who caught up with him
unfortunately at the bottom of a hill.
Once the MG had climbed back up
the hill, we made the decision for me
to lead Robin, Dave and Rebecca to
the hotel as it was getting late and
Rebecca was longing for a shower.
Phil, Colin and Jon arrived shortly
after with just enough time before
dinner. A very long ride for us
socials,
but
very
enjoyable
especially with the weather being so
good, great company and more of
the same to come the next day. 70
miles at 13 mph.
Chain Line 17
HORSHAM CYCLING
Intermediate ride by Kevin Crump
Seven met at the Skoda garage in
Broadbridge Heath - Phil Callow,
John Chaplin, Carl Flinn, Sabina
Hickmet, Michael Horner, Mike Ward
and myself. We set off via Kirdford to
pick up John Bromley-Barratt. Then
an interesting route was followed to
the tea stop at Midhurst going
through Balls Cross, Lickfold and
Lodsworth.
An even more
interesting route via Minster and a
back route up the hill at South
Harting, then south through North
East Marden and Aldsworth before
arriving in Havant. Onto Hayling
Island to find the ferry had just
broken down, so lunch was taken
while the ferry was repaired and we
continued into Portsmouth to catch
the car ferry over to Fishbourne.
Then it was a central ride over the
island to the hotel in Shanklin. We
would all like to thank John for
planning the route
Riders 7 became 8, 83 miles,
mechanicals none and 2 punctures.
Train to Portsmouth, ticket to
Ryde on the catamaran, white van
to Shanklin and 65 cycling miles
by Alan Dolan
A disturbed 'yes/no independence'
sleep waiting to hear if my Scottish
investments were going to turn into
junk bonds meant it was never going
to be an early start for me. By 13.30
however, I was cycling round the
island with Alfie Ramsay who had
spent the morning working at
Osborne House. A clockwise route
ensured by 25 miles we had
completed the big hills and with
calculations made on our finish time
to ensure we were back for the
group dinner at the hotel. We
enjoyed a lengthy tea and cake stop
at the restored Yarmouth Station in
a very pleasant cafe/restaurant, one
that would be much appreciated by
Sporting 1. The adjoining bike hire
shop gave Alfie the opportunity to try
out the first of four other bikes he
18 Chain Line
would sit on during our trip. They
were a 'flower' bike, a tricycle, a
butcher's bike with accompanying
butcher but, sadly, no fit dog (check
out the 'gallery' on our website), and
at this stop, the one in this photo was
most suited to Alfie - no chain, no
gears and a stoker. Riders 2,
mileage 65, mechanicals none and
15 mph average.
Saturday:
Social ride by Robin Stephens
Carl, Colin, Dave, Lloyd, Rebecca
and me hadn't even left the hotel car
park when Rebecca's tyre blew off
the rim. So after a quick fix by Dave,
we went on our way. First
destination was to get back to
Fishbourne to meet Fiona, Morag
and Marc Daniels who had come
over in the morning. Just as we
came over the top of Robin Hill the
intermediate group had caught up
with us, so we used them to tow us
the rest of the way to Fishbourne.
We then went along the IOW coastal
cycle route to East Cowes where we
caught the chain ferry across to
Cowes then to Yarmouth where we
enjoyed a well-earned tea break at a
nice cafe right on the water front
called The Gossips Cafe. We cycled
through the country side and on to
Freshwater where we had to go up
the long climb to the top of the
military road, where we caught site
of some riders from the other group.
We then set off down the other side
and on to Brighstone where both
ride groups met for lunch at the
Seven Bistro. We ended up
watching a wedding that was going
on across the road joining a bride
from the IoW and a groom from
Epsom. This must have caused the
impromptu lovely down on one knee
marriage proposal between two of
our group!
Now refuelled the group set off again
with a couple of intermediate riders,
Peter Delve and Sabina Hickmet,
but one less social rider as Lloyd
joined the intermediate group. We
headed towards Godshill via
delightful country roads and stopped
for an ice cream break. Setting off
for the last time we cycled the short
distance back to Shanklin.
51 miles, average speed 13.2, no
mechanicals, one puncture.
I want to say thanks for a brilliant
weekend for my first HC trip, really
enjoyed it and hope to do it again.
Intermediate ride by Phil Callow
When we left Shanklin the weather
was misty but warm as we headed
towards Wootton Bridge via Apse
Heath to Cowes via the chain ferry.
Then along the coast passing
Gurnard, Newtown, Shalfleet and
Yarmouth to the Boathouse Tea
Gardens at Fort Victoria Country
Park where we stopped for coffee
and cake.
Led by Brian Flint most of us then
took a detour to Alum Bay and a
tough dead-end climb to fantastic
views of the Needles and then back
to Freshwater and the climb up and
down the Military Road which was
worth it for another great view. Then
onto Mottistone and Brighstone
where we met up for lunch. Then the
climbs started again for those
remaining in our group to Chale,
Blackgang and Ventnor for ice
cream. If I'd known of the big zig
zags climb out of Ventnor I would
have passed on the ice cream as
good as it was. Finally back to
Shanklin having ridden enough hills
for twelve months.
Mileage 65, no mechanicals or
punctures.
At Ali's suggestion eight of us Fiona, Morag, Rebecca, Ali, Alfie,
Lloyd, Michael and myself - decided
to cool down with a swim in the sea.
Continued over….
CHAIN LINE
Saturday evening:
Following presentation of wine to Ali
by Phil on behalf of the group, we
headed to The Crab Pub before a
short walk to Pavarotti's where we
were very well looked after by Chris
and Marina.
great company and I would
recommend this ride to anyone who
has not considered it before. Riders
5 became 4, no mechanicals and 73
miles.
the toughest climb of the whole
weekend,
with
me
staying
reasonably close to Peter's wheel. I
treated the pensioners to a coffee as
we waited for the ferry.
Lloyd Griffin reports Carl, Colin, Fiona, Michael, Morag,
Phil, Rebecca, Robin and I went to
Bembridge lifeboat station where we
stopped for tea/cake and a look at
the lifeboat.
Arriving in Lymington, we parted as
Brian and Peter headed west to
Milton on Sea to collect Peter's car
and a luxury journey home whilst I
head north easterly to Hythe for my
next ferry trip, on lanes busy with a
women's charity cycle ride. Soon at
Southampton port, I went over the
Itchen Bridge and to Hamble for the
third ferry of the day, the pink boat to
Warsash. The Gosport ferry to
Portsmouth was next followed by the
ferry at Southsea taking me to
Hayling Island. The delightful lanes
of Bosham were soon reached and
on to the smallest ferry of the day,
the Itchenor Ferry, then some
Afterwards some returned to The
Crab for the music entertainment
and then later Delve, Dolan, Flint
and Ramsay finished the evening at
the splendid Village Inn.
Sunday:
Alfie headed off first in his white van
for a ten o'clock ferry with Jon W. as
his passenger.
Ali headed off last in his car with the
luggage for an afternoon ferry after
a problem with a flat battery.
Kevin Crump reports Of the eight that travelled down, only
five decided to do the full cycle
return. Sabina, John B-B, John C,
Phil C, and I caught the 10:00 ferry
at Fishbourne. From Portsmouth a
route back to Horsham through
Havant and along the south coast to
Mid Lavant and north to West Dean
for lunch. Phil, not feeling too well,
decided to make his own way at a
slower pace. On to Coldwaltham
and West Chiltington where John
B-B departed for home. So four
arrived back in Horsham of whom
two continued to Crawley and
Newdigate. It was a long day but
Then to Ryde where we split up.
Fiona and Morag had a look round
Ryde, Carl and Michael went to the
catamaran to get back via the train
from Portsmouth.
Colin, Phil,
Rebecca, Robin and I cycled on to
Fishbourne for the ferry. Ali also
happened to be on board, so when
we got to the other side we all
grabbed our bags. Phil and Rebecca
were picked up by Phil's wife at the
ferry port. Robin and I cycled to the
Pyramids Centre along the seafront
and were picked up by Robin's wife.
Alan Dolan reports Mr Chairman plays hard Saturday
night and then cycles soft Sunday
morning or indeed as 'bag man'
normally gets in his car and does no
cycling. This year though he cycled
hard and led Brian and me all the
way on the 22 mile trip to Yarmouth
at 15 mph average. Indeed,
remarkably, he even dropped 'The
Beast' on the 'Col du Carisbrooke',
pleasant miles to Bognor Regis.
The train was next but due to
engineering
works
between
Billingshurst and Three Bridges I still
had 11 miles of cycling to do, by this
time in the dark before arriving home
at 20.00.
Riders 3, then 1, no mechanicals or
punctures, six ferries, one train and
73 cycling miles.
Chain Line 19
HORSHAM CYCLING
London-Edinburgh-London
1400km (875 miles) with a
time limit of 116 hours!
- Robbie Calder.
I rode the London-EdinburghLondon audax from 28 July-2
August 2013. LEL is the flagship
event of Audax UK, held every four
years and professionally organised
with an army of volunteers.
For those not familiar with an audax
ride, the idea is to cover a set
distance within a time limit. It is
emphatically not a race and no
finishing times or orders are
published. If you finish inside the
time limit, you have completed the
ride however quickly or slowly you
do it. The emphasis is on selfsufficiency, so you have to navigate
yourself and carry what you need
with you. You can take any route you
like (although a recommended route
is provided), but you must check in
at the designated controls. The clock
doesn’t stop when you sleep or eat,
so you need to ride fast enough to
gain enough time to allow rest.
Was it worth all that effort? You bet
it was, the euphoria I felt after I had
finished, you can’t put a price on
that. I hurt yes, my hands and feet
were numb and skin was lost from
unmentionable areas of my body, it
took almost three months for the
feeling in my left foot to come back,
but I didn’t care, I had done it. Now
the re-telling but where do I start?
For me it was Friday 26 July at
Debden House campsite.
I arrived on the Friday, contrary to
most Brits who chose to arrive on
20 Chain Line
the Saturday for registration. I had
the advantage of making a few
French and German friends and
having a few beers on the Friday
evening before a leisurely cycle to
registration the next morning. I also
got a good spot in the campsite
which I figured would be a good idea
to help me find my way back when I
was a gibbering wreck at the end.
Registration was a formality and I
bumped into a few people I knew
who had volunteered to help and got
my hands on the shirts I had
ordered, packed my bag drop bags
(one for Thirsk up and down and one
for Edinburgh the turn), had a good
nose around the Loughton area and
went back to the campsite to
prepare for the morning.
I awoke just before my alarm,
always a good sign, a natural wakeup as opposed to that terrible beep
beep that can annoy you so. No
need for breakfast as I know there is
a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich
with my name on at the start. Final
check as anything I forget now won’t
come with me, but at least will be
here when I get back in five days,
but would be totally useless if
needed. It's funny but you always
seem to take things you might need
as you are mostly on your own and
you hate to hold up other people if
things go wrong, but when you finish
and didn’t need it, you always think
it was a waste of energy taking it in
the first place. My start time was
06.45 and with my fellow J’s we
were off.
The first stage to St.Ives was easy.
Once we were away from London
the roads levelled out and we had a
marvelous tail wind and made it in
good time. The second stage to
Kirton was of a similar vein and
before I knew it I was 180K up the
road. On the third stage I picked up
a ride partner called Paul and the
roads became increasingly more
rolling, but we made Market Rasen
in good time and set off on stage
four to Pocklington where the roads
got even more rolling and we got
there at 01.00hrs. We decided to kip
down on the floor (beds all taken)
and set off at first light. This proved
to be a very good decision as stage
five to Thirsk was bad. When I say
bad, what I really mean is the gates
of hell opened and mountainous hills
broke loose, I kid you not it was like
the blade of a saw you were either
sweating horribly up or bum
clenching haring down the hills, it
was on this stage I lost touch with
Paul and lost a spoke as well. At first
I thought I had some mud between
my mudguard and tyre causing all
this rubbing and I remember thinking
why did it have to happen on an
upswing causing more drag than I
could handle and making me
dismount. I pushed the bike to the
top of the next hill bumping the back
end trying to dislodge the mud but at
the top and on closer inspection I
discovered the issue. To resolve the
problem I had to open the brakes
and remove half of my mudguard
and by the top of the next hill I had
stopped and removed the other half,
this resolved all my rubbing
problems but not the slight wobble
which funnily enough was not
noticeable until I reached smoother
roads. At last I made it to Thirsk and
my first bag drop. It was great to
have a shower and a surprise to get
a call from my boss to ask how I was
doing. I didn’t have the heart to tell
him I was trying not to take or make
calls as the phone had to last me all
the way round and I only had it
turned on at controls to text Karon as
there was no way to charge it if it
went flat. To be honest I was happy
to get the call and it was comforting
to know people were thinking of me,
some were even glued to my
endeavours on line.
Feeling better after a shower and
change of kit, I was about to head off
to Barnard Castle when I was asked
by an elderly Canadian lady if I
wouldn’t mind her riding with me and
I remember thinking I hope she
won’t hold me up, but blimey I had a
hard job keeping up with her and it
was then I noticed her ride number
and she had started 45 minutes after
I had.
CHAIN LINE
To say the least she was interesting
company, she had dry eye
syndrome and needed drops and
was lacking the sight of a mole, I
noticed that when there was no line
at the edge of the road she tended to
follow the centre line and was
always out in the middle of the road
and even when I asked her to latch
on to my wheel and follow me, she
still ended up out in the middle of the
road. More on this later. At Barnard
Castle I was informed that Shimano
bladed spokes may as well not exist,
but as my wheel had not got any
worse, I could continue on it as long
as I didn’t go honking up the hills. I
informed the mechanic he was
talking to the converted. Anyway we
made it to Brampton, had a three
course meal (well I did two mains
and a pudding, the sins you can hide
when cycling) and decided to go for
Moffat and get some kip there. We
duly got there just before 01.00hrs
and retired for four glorious hours’
sleep in a bed. This proved to be the
last I would get before the finish.
Bright and early we set off heading
for the turn at Edinburgh, up the
Devil’s beef tub - this is about
14.5km of steady up. Never truly
steep, but unrelenting and being
fresh we made a good job of it and
before you knew it, I had passed
close by my mum's house (13.5
miles from Denholm, a small village
just outside Hawick) and made it to
the turn and shower time. I offered
my Canadian friend the option to go
on, but she decided I was her best
bet to finish on time and went to eat
lots and lots of calories. After my
shower and another kit change we
were off. We made a nasty climb
and when I got down the other side I
was kicking myself as I knew we
could have gone round the hill on the
main road with no distance penalty.
No matter, we soon hit Traquair and
porridge was on offer, also whisky, a
nice Islay malt. I had two and,
suitably lubricated, I went to the
mechanic and got my chain and
cassette lubricated as well. Then we
were off, heading for Eskdalemuir
and passing the Buddhist temple,
but no time to stop for meditation.
Anyway we did stopped in Langholm
to don waterproofs as it was coming
down heavy and the air had cooled
quite a lot, and we were soon on the
way again back to Brampton on the
return leg. It was here where
concerns were raised about my ride
companion (I honestly wish I could
remember her name) as she was
spotted riding down the middle of the
road and had gathered quite a few
car horns by now. Anyway we
decided we would push on past
Barnard Castle to Thirsk and get
some rest there. Well we made it to
Barnard Castle and it was here the
poor lady was pulled. She went with
the “too tired” explanation as it
sounded better than dangerous
riding. So it was with a mixture of
relief and a heavy heart I set off to
Thirsk alone with the prospect of a
rest. Just short of Thirsk I joined a
couple of Irish gents, Pat and Cien,
and was explaining my plans to
which I was told to check my brevet
card for times as I would have to be
in Pocklington by Wednesday
evening and not Thursday morning
as I thought and tragically this was
the case. Without realising it I was
now chasing the slow clock with no
more chance to rest. Having
showered and changed for the last
time, I removed and packed
everything I didn’t wish to carry to
the finish: my bike tool, spare
batteries, camera and various other
pieces to make my bag as light as
possible. I figured as I hadn’t needed
them by now and with only 400K to
go, I would take the risk. The wobble
on my wheel had grown no worse so
all I kept was the pump and 1 tube.
The drop bag got the rest and was
probably by now overweight, but I
bet I wasn’t the only one to do this.
I stuck with my new ride buddies
and, although not the fastest of the
bunch, I was by far the best
navigator so I don’t know who was
sticking with whom. Pocklington
passed on time and next was Market
Rasen again. This was to cause a
flurry of texts at Kirton as they forgot
to post my passing on line and it and
all those watching on line thought I
had dropped out, only to suddenly
appear again at Kirton.
Now it gets hard, blazing sunshine
30 degrees C and that friendly
tailwind on the way out is still there
but is now against us. Honestly it’s
like heading into a furnace. I had set
off before my Irish companions as
navigation was easy on this part. It
was along here I saw two riders in a
car with bikes on the back heading
to London - a timely reminder I was
near the limit. At St.Ives I was eating
when joined by the Irish contingent
and they ate fast and we all left
together for the penultimate control
at Great Easton. They got there with
5 minutes to spare and I with 20,
giving me 4hrs 25min to do the last
46K. I was feeling good at this point
having learned that the last stage
was signed to the finish. This was
not quite as good as it sounded as it
was dark and the signs were red and
almost impossible to see. Anyway,
we all left with a big group with
navigation devices so the plan was
to just hang on to their coattails and
get home. We stopped for a rest with
19K to go. I had 2hrs at this point
and was quite confident. It was
inevitable we all got separated in the
dark and I was suddenly alone. It
was like a car crash in slow motion,
you can see people stretching away
but before you know it, no lights and
when you round the bend still no
lights, but never mind I spotted my
last sign pointing home and off I
went.
At the next T junction there was no
more signs so I had a drink, a nature
break and a chocolate brownie
jumped on the bike and shot off
down the road which was a mistake
as everything was hurting badly by
now. Fortunately I knew I was close
and went hell for leather, at least it
felt like it, and soon enough I passed
the back of the school. Three turns
from home, I arrived to applause but
all I was interested in was the time
and was told 4.15, I had made it. I
got to the control, leant the bike
against a fence and ran in only to be
told: “What’s the hurry? You have
7minutes to spare”. It is now 04.18
on Friday 2 August, with my end time
of 04.25 rather too close for comfort.
Time allowed 4 days 20 hours and
40 minutes, time taken 4 days 20
hours and 33 minutes. I duly
received my medal which was a
surprise, then spent the next two
hours trying to send a text to say that
I had finished.
Continued over…….
Chain Line 21
HORSHAM CYCLING
I couldn’t stay awake and I finally
sent it when my phone woke me with
an incoming text and when I read it,
it was Karon saying “well done”. The
Irish lads were there sporting their
medals. Another tea and a bacon roll
later, I collected my bags and
headed to the campsite.
gear and head to the showers.
Walking by now is tough but the
need to get clean and back to sleep
drives me on. I went into the shower
with my bibs on and when they were
completely wet I slowly tore them off
my body. They were stuck but it’s
not as bad as it sounds. Yes some
flesh was missing but now I was
feeling better. I hung everything up
on the car to dry and crawled into the
tent and sank into blissful oblivion.
Would I do it again? I honestly don’t
know, but would I volunteer to help
and watch others go through what I
went through? You bet I would.
From 988 starters, 804 riders
finished inside the time limit. I have
heard from finish control Richard
Phips he couldn't think of anyone
who cut it closer to time to finish than
me. I believe in getting value for
money!
This was where the fun started. I got
back to the tent, still Friday morning
not much movement, and I know my
shorts are stuck to me so I grab my
clean clothes and towel and wash
That was all a while ago now and
time makes you forget lots of painful
things, but what it doesn't take away
is the feeling of having done it.
For the near future I will keep to
shorter rides and none longer than
600K, my hands and feet will thank
me for that at least.
Horsham Cycling - cycling for everyone!
22 Chain Line