London to Brighton
Well - I didn't have time to do any training for this (lurgy) and the day arrived with me having very mixed feelings. It was only the late intervention of a couple of asthma inhalers that persuaded me to actually take on this ride, and I'm glad that I did. I made a late decision to ditch the Garmin, but I wish I hadn't, as then I could give you some luvverly stats and a nice route map (done from someone else's Garmin - the purple bit at the end is him cycling home) :oD
I got to the start about 8am, slightly after I'd intended to, and was rather confused by the start gates saying 7:30 and 8:00. Had the 7:30 peeps not gone through yet? A quick phonecall to Pink, and we alll met up. I fiddled with some bike bits, and all too quuickly we were heading for the start line with me frantically guzzling Lucozade Sport.
We started out in bursts, being filtered in with traffic, asnd I soon found the pace distinctly slow. The road was so busy that I got rather frustrated - too many bikes about to get up speed, but not enough room to overtake, plus of course other people were weaving in and out trying to pass people the same as me, and it all became a bit of a free-for-all. "GNR for bikes" came to mind, and it was a thought that stuck with me throughout.
The first ten miles or so were on roads familiar to me - wending down towards Earlsfield, out towards Mitcham, and then through Hackbridge and Carshalton, before heading up to Oaks Park. We then went onto a small road that I'd seen but never been down, and there was some bunching. This didn't go too badly though, but then we went down (I think) Outwood Road, which was followed by a downhill (scary, with all the other riders weaving in and out) where I kept my hands on the brakes all the way. Then a quick wiggle, a turn up a narrow, windy lane, which also included a nasty hill. I was going to attack it in a low gear, but most people had got off by this point, and the rest seemed unaware of how to "spin" in a low gear, meaning that it was hard to keep up any speed. The road narrowed more, and it was impossible to get through, so I gave up and walked. Secretly I was rather glad, as it was a pig of a hill!
Not far after this, we came to a downhill with placards saying "Extreme Danger", and we speculated as to whether there was a lion loose, or perhaps a charging rhino? We kept stopping and starting, only to go about ten yards, as the marshalls had to keep stopping trafffic to let bursts of runners through. This must have added a a large chunk to my time - oh for an earlier start! I think an earlier accident ahead hadn't helped matters. Shortly after that, it was Fanny's Farmhouse - a delightful place serving up bacon butties, coffee, and all manner of delicious food. I stopped for a coffee, a wee, and to fill up my drinks bottle, and briefly chatted with Emma, who relayed the comment that Mava had had a crash, which was worrying, especially when I heard that her helmet had cracked. Anyway - an exchange of texts made me realise that they were some way behind, so I set off again.
Another ten miles or so, through Merstham and past Nutfield and the windsurfing lake, and we cam to the Burstow Scout pit stop - somewhere down near Reigate I think? I stopped here for about 20 minutes - for coffee, a banana, some fruit cake, and very nearly some flap jack that looked absolutely gawjus! I sniggered at a sign that said "You pee on our bushes and we'll pee on your bikes". Quite how they'd identify our bikes is another matter. I decided not to join the long snaking queue for the portaloo! I felt better for the sugar replenishment after this stop :o)
Back onto the bike, and I kept going. Not much after was Turner's Hill - another narrow one which was difficult to keep going up for similar reasons to before. The Village Green that housed the refreshments bit was chocka with people overspilling onto the road, and it was hard work getting through. Another log jam, and more time lost. A shame, as I was raring to go. We'd arranged to have lunch not far past here, but it was only about eleven so I decided to press on.
The next miles passed easily - the roads were good, and even cleared a bit, with some nice downhills and long flats. Not too much longer, and I could see the South Down in the distance. Ditchling Beacon loomed! There was a hill, and I thought "Well, this is pretty okay, what's the fuss about?", but then there was a downhill, and then I could see the proper hill! Sad to say it's tricky to get up speed, as you're frequently getting stopped at road junctions and allowed across in spurts, and inevitably people slow down/stop in front of you. I kept going as long as I could, but someone stopped dead just in front of me, and I came close to a nasty fall, so I chucked in my dreams of conquering Ditchling and got off to walk. It would be interesting to see what I could achieve with a clear road.
From Ditchling, it's a lovely long downhill, and at one point I achieved a new top speed of 42.3mph, without even pedalling! I wonder what I could have got up to? A few more miles, and we came into Brighton, and here the roads were really snarled. I'd hoped to do the five miles or so fromt Ditchling to the finish in about fifteen minutes, but in the end it took an hour or more longer! Not good.
Finally - into the finish straight - and some clear road. I had hoped to speed over the line, but there was a back up of people waiting to get their cards stamped (bit 1980s - what about chips, or at least move the stamping tent down a bit), so we had to slow down. I did actually ride over the line, squeezing into a tiny gap at the side at a very slow speed. It was good to finish, and to have the nosh provided by Pink's colleagues from ParExel.
All in all, it was a great scenic ride, but my initial thought of GNR for bikes held to the end, and if anything got worse. I've missed out several of the hold ups - where we waited a significant amount of time to be let out onto another road. I also found the general melee of bikes a bit overwhelmin,g and it was hard to relax, quite apart from hard to see how well you could do. Perhaps the forced "slowing down" did me a favour this time, as I was under-prepared, but with training it would be good to try and achieve a decent time, which would have been quite impossible from the start we were on. I overtook people, only to catch up with the wave in front, and never really got into my stride (do you call it stride on a bike?).
Anyway - I'd like to do more bike rides, and will investigate others. The coffee stops are great, and I like riding in a group, but this was just too busy. I'd only do it again from a much earlier start - people who've done it before tell me that it was a lot busier than previous years when they hae started earlier. I'll be investigating other possibilities though.
Anyway - it's made me think I might not find cycling so dire, which is good if I'm going to do training for triathlon! I actually felt that I could have done a run at the end, although relaxing on the beach supping beer and eating a mars bar was frankly more enjoyable ;o)
I got to the start about 8am, slightly after I'd intended to, and was rather confused by the start gates saying 7:30 and 8:00. Had the 7:30 peeps not gone through yet? A quick phonecall to Pink, and we alll met up. I fiddled with some bike bits, and all too quuickly we were heading for the start line with me frantically guzzling Lucozade Sport.
We started out in bursts, being filtered in with traffic, asnd I soon found the pace distinctly slow. The road was so busy that I got rather frustrated - too many bikes about to get up speed, but not enough room to overtake, plus of course other people were weaving in and out trying to pass people the same as me, and it all became a bit of a free-for-all. "GNR for bikes" came to mind, and it was a thought that stuck with me throughout.
The first ten miles or so were on roads familiar to me - wending down towards Earlsfield, out towards Mitcham, and then through Hackbridge and Carshalton, before heading up to Oaks Park. We then went onto a small road that I'd seen but never been down, and there was some bunching. This didn't go too badly though, but then we went down (I think) Outwood Road, which was followed by a downhill (scary, with all the other riders weaving in and out) where I kept my hands on the brakes all the way. Then a quick wiggle, a turn up a narrow, windy lane, which also included a nasty hill. I was going to attack it in a low gear, but most people had got off by this point, and the rest seemed unaware of how to "spin" in a low gear, meaning that it was hard to keep up any speed. The road narrowed more, and it was impossible to get through, so I gave up and walked. Secretly I was rather glad, as it was a pig of a hill!
Not far after this, we came to a downhill with placards saying "Extreme Danger", and we speculated as to whether there was a lion loose, or perhaps a charging rhino? We kept stopping and starting, only to go about ten yards, as the marshalls had to keep stopping trafffic to let bursts of runners through. This must have added a a large chunk to my time - oh for an earlier start! I think an earlier accident ahead hadn't helped matters. Shortly after that, it was Fanny's Farmhouse - a delightful place serving up bacon butties, coffee, and all manner of delicious food. I stopped for a coffee, a wee, and to fill up my drinks bottle, and briefly chatted with Emma, who relayed the comment that Mava had had a crash, which was worrying, especially when I heard that her helmet had cracked. Anyway - an exchange of texts made me realise that they were some way behind, so I set off again.
Another ten miles or so, through Merstham and past Nutfield and the windsurfing lake, and we cam to the Burstow Scout pit stop - somewhere down near Reigate I think? I stopped here for about 20 minutes - for coffee, a banana, some fruit cake, and very nearly some flap jack that looked absolutely gawjus! I sniggered at a sign that said "You pee on our bushes and we'll pee on your bikes". Quite how they'd identify our bikes is another matter. I decided not to join the long snaking queue for the portaloo! I felt better for the sugar replenishment after this stop :o)
Back onto the bike, and I kept going. Not much after was Turner's Hill - another narrow one which was difficult to keep going up for similar reasons to before. The Village Green that housed the refreshments bit was chocka with people overspilling onto the road, and it was hard work getting through. Another log jam, and more time lost. A shame, as I was raring to go. We'd arranged to have lunch not far past here, but it was only about eleven so I decided to press on.
The next miles passed easily - the roads were good, and even cleared a bit, with some nice downhills and long flats. Not too much longer, and I could see the South Down in the distance. Ditchling Beacon loomed! There was a hill, and I thought "Well, this is pretty okay, what's the fuss about?", but then there was a downhill, and then I could see the proper hill! Sad to say it's tricky to get up speed, as you're frequently getting stopped at road junctions and allowed across in spurts, and inevitably people slow down/stop in front of you. I kept going as long as I could, but someone stopped dead just in front of me, and I came close to a nasty fall, so I chucked in my dreams of conquering Ditchling and got off to walk. It would be interesting to see what I could achieve with a clear road.
From Ditchling, it's a lovely long downhill, and at one point I achieved a new top speed of 42.3mph, without even pedalling! I wonder what I could have got up to? A few more miles, and we came into Brighton, and here the roads were really snarled. I'd hoped to do the five miles or so fromt Ditchling to the finish in about fifteen minutes, but in the end it took an hour or more longer! Not good.
Finally - into the finish straight - and some clear road. I had hoped to speed over the line, but there was a back up of people waiting to get their cards stamped (bit 1980s - what about chips, or at least move the stamping tent down a bit), so we had to slow down. I did actually ride over the line, squeezing into a tiny gap at the side at a very slow speed. It was good to finish, and to have the nosh provided by Pink's colleagues from ParExel.
All in all, it was a great scenic ride, but my initial thought of GNR for bikes held to the end, and if anything got worse. I've missed out several of the hold ups - where we waited a significant amount of time to be let out onto another road. I also found the general melee of bikes a bit overwhelmin,g and it was hard to relax, quite apart from hard to see how well you could do. Perhaps the forced "slowing down" did me a favour this time, as I was under-prepared, but with training it would be good to try and achieve a decent time, which would have been quite impossible from the start we were on. I overtook people, only to catch up with the wave in front, and never really got into my stride (do you call it stride on a bike?).
Anyway - I'd like to do more bike rides, and will investigate others. The coffee stops are great, and I like riding in a group, but this was just too busy. I'd only do it again from a much earlier start - people who've done it before tell me that it was a lot busier than previous years when they hae started earlier. I'll be investigating other possibilities though.
Anyway - it's made me think I might not find cycling so dire, which is good if I'm going to do training for triathlon! I actually felt that I could have done a run at the end, although relaxing on the beach supping beer and eating a mars bar was frankly more enjoyable ;o)
posted by XFR Bear @ 11:18 am
2 Comments:
Well Done!
I am impressed!!
Sounds tough!
Just a thought, if you'd weighed more would you have gone faster down the hill?
[ducks]
I have wondered about trying this one day but not so sure now. Especially as know how I felt about GNR (hint: wouldn't do it again).
Well done, anyway. Shame about the ar5e ;o)
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