Club Run 29/11

[Andrew G]

Recovering from a cold I've had all week so had a nice spin with the 17s. Has to be said a lot more well behaved group with a higher standard of riding than a lot of the 18s groups. Tin hat on here but maybe some 18s riders, who are nearer their limit more often in that group, could think of a drop back to the 17s for a week or two (have their faster ride back) to reacquaint themselves with some basics. No shame in riding in any speed group or dropping back one now and again.

Someone had a puncture at Newdigate but Grahame said he'd stop with them and for the rest of us to carry on. Cheers fella . I asked if people wanted a sprint and it was quiet, people keeping their plans to themselves , until I said if they did I'd lead out for them to keep it nice and safe. I wound it up gradually to a reasonable speed but not one that would have people gasping, and was just about to knock it up a notch at the end when people started coming past me. Oh well kept it nice and safe but I think you all went a bit early, that was a fair way to try and keep your absolute maximum speed up.

Only stopped long enough for a visit to the little boy's room and set straight off with a handful of others who didn't want to hang about and get cold at the restart.

Nice spin back although at the start of the Merstham drag a car cut right across to turn left and chopping Rob's nose off, was lucky to miss him. Home nice and early and back in the warm.

Not pushing my luck with the cold though, which seems to be on its way out, so no Sunday ride this week.

[Sylv]

Today Marek suggested a different ride so our training group turned left before Rusper, and onto some of the Surrey Hills which were a bit of a shock to the system!

Strongman of the day was Keith this week, doing endless turns at the front. I wasn't feeling 100%, have felt tired all week and heart was beating 10bpm more than usual this morning so I avoided attacking on each and every rise. Stu was back and it seems despite his poor health he hasn't lost much, if any fitness. Marek was also strong on anything under 10% and when he got to the front on the last of the Reigate steps I had to bury myself to try and get back in his wheel - result 864watts . We also had Rob W and Hal.

We stopped at a small café near Peaslake just in time to see a big group of cyclists turn up after us and run out of chairs. Tea, coffee, scones and soup, and we were off again in the freezing cold. Few more hills all the way to Box, I really wasn't up for it but neither Marek or Keith in front of me seemed to get going so I got to the front to see what would happen. What happened was I had what sounded like a sea lion breathing heavily in my neck, it was Stu who joined me in the race to the top. I couldn't shake him off so (as he's so often done to me) after the second hairpin I put it in the big ring and went out of the saddle to try and crack him . It worked and I felt a bit bad, he had done well and the others were miles back.

We split with Keith and Marek and had a good ride back. Comedy moment was when, after trackstanding at an endless red light in Purley, I went to get going but instead fell flat on my side. I am getting toe overlap with the new frame Look sent me, which was the cause. I told the shop they'd sent me a frame one size smaller than the one I sent back, but they didn't believe me. Looked at the geometry table and as the toptube was only 1cm shorter I figured it would be ok, if anything I could always swap my 90mm stem for a 100mm - nothing else I could do really short of asking for another frame and wait another 3 months. The bike feels fine otherwise, only thing was when going up one of the steeper slopes, when you are literally hanging over the front wheel, the reach felt a bit short. But the stem would solve that, but for the overlap the only solution is to avoid trackstands at all costs! I wonder if it will safely go round the Palace hairpin either The shop are onto it will see what they say ...

Stats
95km
avs 31.7km/h
avp 237w
power 5 secs 818w
30 secs 473w
1 min 394w
5 min 316w
10 min 274w
av cadence 87rpm
enegry 2270kj

[Marek]

After my normal early start and the 30km ride up to Coulsdon I fancied taking the guys on a slightly different route. Sylv and Keith were flying today and it was bliming hard work just keeping up with them on the flats, let alone on the drags. As we hit Rusper we turned right, not left Sylv, and headed out to Ockley and then through the Surrey Lanes into Abinger Hammer. We had initially intended to save our tea break for Box Hill, but everyone was looking pretty jaded by the time we reached Abinger Hammer so we decided to head into the small tea rooms.

After a bit of confusion with the order, every one kept changing their minds when they heard what Stu was going to have we eventually came to an agreement. It was tea cakes and scones all round, except for Hal who had vegetable soup and bread. I had an enormous pot of coffee which was just for me, but ended up sharing it out as there was too much. Found a new use for a cafetiere, makes a great hot water bottle when they are empty. Stu used his hat to keep his tea pot warm, actually he was warming his hat for the cold as it was quite chilly around the Surrey lanes. We got into the cafe just in time as a hoard of cyclist turned up just after we had got our order in, phew.

We all smeared a bit of butter on our nipples and then we were on our way. Whitedown is such a great hill, it was pretty impressive to see Stu go up it pretty damn quick considering he has not been in form. Hal and I brought up the rear.

Onto Box Hill and I was now starting to feel pretty jaded, tried to just keep a steady tempo, there was no way I was going to be challenging Sylv and Stu today. Just managed to pick off Keith before the summit, but he looked like he was saving his legs for the rest of the trip back home.

Group split just after Box with Keith and I heading back down into the lanes round the back of Reigate when it started to rain, and then over to Salford and back home via Outwood Windmill, Horne and into East Grinstead. 125km on the clock, legs absolutely knackered.

Great ride, guys, good to do something a bit different, we need to do more hilly rides like that.

Cheers

Marek....

Felt pretty strong today, and was happy ploughing along on the front.

[quote="Sylv"]
... heart was beating 10bpm more than usual this morning ...

[quote="Keith"]
[quote="Sylv"]
... heart was beating 10bpm more than usual this morning ...

[Michelle]

From the quickest group to the slowest .

We were shivering at the back of the queue again, waiting for the lectures from various VC's to end and their groups to go, though to be fair most VC's who were doing this were not as verbose as they have been. Poor old HR up about 8 bpm today, simply throught lack of sleep and too much red wine last night. So it was a bit of a no-hoper to start with.

Still kept the heart pretty much in line, and John the old un kept me company up the Reigate steps, very kind of you, sir. Getting into the nitty gritty of relationships, interesting all this stuff you talk about on the bike. When the gang re-grouped I kept our spirits up by my singing 'Champion the Wonderhorse' at top volume. Or I hoped I did, anyway

Went for the sprintette again, this time looking round to see if anyone else had all clocked it, and there was a mini-battle for the line, which I got. Maybe next week we can have a few more stretching their legs for the sign.

Nice gooey cake at the cafe and a cup of tea, then back with the same gang to Redhill today, where I left the car, not Oxted as usual. Realised that had not done the required hours at HR so back on the rollers for an hour before Keith turned up from his mammoth hilly ride.

Very enjoyable ride, chaps, and nice to chat and be sociable today.

[Alan M]

The 18s consolidated into one group and we headed off at a reasonable pace. At the steps I found myself at the front and since in last week's 18 group I had been overtaken by most of the group I selected a low gear and tried to keep it gong. A few did come past at the top but most had opted for a more comfortable pace this week - he ho!

The remainder of the ride was sensible but as Dave Kennet maintained his metronome fast cadence up through the rise beyond Newdigate - it felt quite an effort here but all settled down through Lambs green where, coming into the lanes, the fast boys were fast falling off the front in readiness for final efforts. Again I was on the front so made a virtue of it and increased the pace somewhat leading out past the aircraft flightpath. I thought I was going quite quickly at this point but Adam sped past like a rocket with one or two following and I sat this one out. From what I could see Adam slowed and much of the group came back together until his final effort where I could see he total control of the sprint.

I returned with Bridget and we enjoyed a steady pace home both of us having done our best work on the way out.

Cheers