Old Ports RR Report

[Ben]

Same again next week

Club ride: Saturday
Sydenham Wheelers Reliability Ride - Sunday

[Richard (Apples)]

Left the house yesterday at 7:30 to meet up with MattD at Crystal Palace for the ride over to Halstead.
It was freezing and me poor old fingers were numb by the time we reached KNOCKHOLT village hall ....oops .
After a quick look at the map and then following some other riders we got to HQ and saw the huge ACC group ready for the off.
By the time we'd registered, got our route cards and got back outside the Yellow train had left
We set of in hot persuit only to go straight on instead of right at the first corner .We quickly realised and got back on course.

We were making pretty good time and soon enough we started to catch some of the earlier starters .
A large group of ACC had stopped halfway down one long decent and we slowed to see if they were ok but it was only a puncture so we set off again .
At the bottom there was a nasty patch of ice which had caught out some earlier riders and we were kindly warned to slow down .
At the checkpoint there were more Addiscombe but me and Matt only made a flying stop for a choccie buscuit and some water and we were off again.
Eventually we got to Toys and got swept up by George Paul and the fast boys and watched them dissapear into the distance
We finally rolled into the Hall and clocked up 3:35...dunno what my ride time was as I didnt reset my computer . All in all very pleased as its the first long ride of the year and I felt much better than I did this time last year, althought the glorious sunshine may have contributed to that .
We had a few cuppas and good old chin wag then set off for home . I got to my front door with 98.5 miles on the clock and roast lamb on the table, QUALITY

[Jon H]

[quote="marco"]... I spun up it in 36x25 and just made it to the hall in 4hours 58 minutes - 2 minutes within the cutoff time

[Andrew G]

Looks like PVT's still in hiding .

[Got to make the most of this before he's back up to fitness and kicks my ar$e all over the place, God help me on the first Brighton run ]

[Richard (Apples)]

[quote]Looks like PVT's still in hiding

[jon avery]

I think he got dropped (apparently), Not my words guru Paul

[Jon H]

PVT was in the lead 9am group until we turned off towards Penshurst after Chiddingstone and started up the drag there. As he drifted gently backwards through the group he had a look around and enquired "where's the rest of our lot?". I told him AG had punctured, to which he replied "I'll be peeling off shortly". I took this to mean he was going to peel off and wait for the rest of the ACC mob. However, he has been conspicuous by his absence from the forum today, so maybe he has been abducted by aliens. Maybe that's why Huw warns us "don't get isolated" on these rides.

[huw williams]

[quote="Jon Hemming"]PVT was in the lead 9am group until we turned off towards Penshurst after Chiddingstone and started up the drag there. As he drifted gently backwards through the group he had a look around and enquired "where's the rest of our lot?". I told him AG had punctured, to which he replied "I'll be peeling off shortly". I took this to mean he was going to peel off and wait for the rest of the ACC mob. However, he has been conspicuous by his absence from the forum today, so maybe he has been abducted by aliens. Maybe that's why Huw warns us "don't get isolated" on these rides.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote]The last climb of Pollhill seemed a lot harder than it did doing it with PVT at the end of a reliability ride 15 years ago

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

The day didn't start too well as I thought it would be a nice morning for shorts, but the ice on the cars suggested otherwise, and I couldn't find my legwarmers Eventually sorted, up the road and only one Agreeable waited for me - the smiling assassin - "we can catch them up" said George..arrrrgh a fast start.

Suggested a nice (short cut) ride through the lanes, but Mr Green was adamant to go along the main road then soon found myself at the front - how did that happen? Till the climb, then I was at the back, mainly through my inability to move my frozen solid fingers to change gear Stopped at the top to warm them up a bit, then rolled into the Village Hall.

I did say that I had to get back home by 1:00pm, so wouldn't do the full route.

Left at 9:00am, although no Old Port sofficial in evidence to send us off with a group made up of a substantial amount of yellow black and white jerseys. Descent down to Otford was cold, but warmed up soon after that. The pace seemed to increase as we went out through Sevenoaks, and on the descent of Gracious Lane (40mph)found myself at the front of the group - how does this keep happening and whizzed over some ice and corner with a pothole, although I think some came down????

Riding into Penshurst, when I was just hanging on the back of the group with only 3 agreeables left, so deciuded to call it a day and headed back via Tonbridge .... Huw, you don't think I am really daft enough to climb Toys

Earnt some Brownie points too as it was only 12:30 when I got in

[Robert]

Great day, 2 miles short of a ton for the day, still made short work of climbing upto Caterham on the Hill. Roll on this weekend