Sunday ride 25 Sept

[Amy]

Sorry, jnr, I had all the Sunday riders out on my ride. Well, there were 7 of us in total - myself, Alan Thruston, Ben Dangerous, Scott, Del and Andy and someone I know by sight but if I ever knew your name, I've forgotten it, sorry.

As I had short notice to be leading this one, I went back to one I've done before and threw in a different route back. I was a bit worried because I'd just spent all Saturday rolling around on the floor in church hall having my brain stuffed with First Aid instruction and I'd gone home feeling slighty sick with a belting headache and when I woke up the rest of my body ached and my knees felt bruised...

So we climbed up Star Lane before dropping down to Pebble Coombe and over towards Dorking where we climbed up the other climb to Ranmore (not the one from Westhumble). Thought about some of the side roads but decided against it as they could be quite mucky and rough and barely one car wide. Dropped down through Effingham and stopped just before Cobham to enjoy the delights of the Medicine Garden, sitting in the walled garden enjoying the food and hopefully decent coffee Took a photo but we didn't have to wait for Ant to go and spend a penny

Afterwards we continued into Cobham and on through Stoke D'Abernon to Leatherhead where a quick nip through the town centre brought us to the climb out towards Headley. Sorry, it's a bit hellish with the evil cobbled speed bumps but the alternatives are main roads to get to the climb past Headley Court (where service men are rehabilitated after losing limbs) then over Ebbisham Lane and Walton on the Hill, Kingswood and down the Chipstead Valley Road. This is where my legs finally gave up on the climbs having done stirling service to that point - definitely climbing better, certainly didn't have to wait long for me and I wasn't the last up the hills most of the time...

Hope you all got back ok - it wasn't as if you could get too lost following the CVR back into Coulsdon I turned off just before the railway bridge (2nd one) up to Woodmansterne and then down through Carshalton Beeches and Carshalton itself.

Was it me but did it seem quite busy out today

[Andrew G]

Sounds a very nice ride. Out where I was it wasn't busy although there were quite a lot of cyclists out enjoying the beautiful weather. The views from Pilgrims Way and around Ide Hill village were stunning, we may not have had a summer as such but the on-off sun and rain has made everything nice and green.

Early on as I made my way up Beddlestead bumped in to some Old Ports and had a chat with Bashers, so many of the cyclists out today were miserable bad mannered buggers who didn't even acknowledge you. So many do that now and it gets on my tits a bit, the old bikie manners deserting so many. I also find it odd that so many people ride around without a saddle pack and pockets stuffed with spares, really don't understand that.

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

Sounds like a great ride, Amy, sorry I missed it and well done for organising and leading something last minute.

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

and I thought Del and Andy were on holiday...

[Amy]

Oh dear, dropped Del in it No, he and Andy got back yesterday and they weren't sure if they would be out...

Hope you're feeling better, Jon. That First Aid course was physically as well as mentally tiring - perhaps celebrate getting through it with a drink (for me, I think that'll be a glass of water with not just aspirin dissolved in it but max strength Solpedeine )

Andrew, it's people not coming from a good old cycling club background into cycling - even when they have joined a club. They haven't picked up the etiquette of cycling.

[Andrew G]

True Amy but also just basic bad manners when someone says hello to just ignore them.

[Daniel Gee]

[quote]I also find it odd that so many people ride around without a saddle pack and pockets stuffed with spares, really don't understand that.

[Del]

[quote="Jon C C on a Bianchi"]and I thought Del and Andy were on holiday...

[quote="Daniel Gee"][quote]I also find it odd that so many people ride around without a saddle pack and pockets stuffed with spares, really don't understand that.

[quote="Andrew G"][quote="Daniel Gee"][quote]I also find it odd that so many people ride around without a saddle pack and pockets stuffed with spares, really don't understand that.