Sunday 14th December

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote="Mike I"]If it's going to be as bad as they say on Saturday I might be up for this.

[Paul on the Pearson]

Howdy all
I wasn't abducted by aliens or decided to hang up my lycra and take up the some what less strenuos and noble sport of crown green bowls or got agraphobia, but have been working saturdays so sundays ride sounds just the ticket
See you there

[Sylv]

I'll most probably be there

[Stu Merckx Man]

im a yes!

[Andrew G]

Thanks for the company today folks. The original route plan was abandoned as the mist was so thick, with Ashdown Forest being so high up and the fast descent off of it I thought it might be a bit dicey so better safe than sorry. I'll be doing that route one Sunday after Christmas in better weather.

Switched to one of my regular routes (Titsey-Four Elms-Toys-Polhill-and then Cudham, Berry Hill and back via Biggin Hill to Coney Hall) which is about 50 lumpy miles and had a very nice ride. Took a bit more boring main B road way to Titsey to avoid the very misty and possibly flooded lanes I'd normally use.

PVT cut in to Westerham for a coffee before heading back to Horsham but other than that we didn't lose anyone. Not chilly with the right clobber on and once past the very thick mist in the Selsdon and Titsey areas it lifted and just became patchy.

Apologies if it was a bit lively on the run along Biggin Hill Road but I always get a bit carried away there, it's lovely and flat and smooth and the tester in me can't help it.

[Alan M]

Good ride Andrew - thanks, Toys was a wake up call and although I always felt a bit vulnerable/uncomfortable due to mist, wet surfaces, steep descents punctures etc. I was glad to have stuck it out. Maybe a nap is in order!

[Stu Merckx Man]

really enjoyed today. bit of a pain when i got a puncture and then the valve snapped on the new tube. somehow though, paul and huw ended up doing the 2nd one for me and thanks Chloe for the spare tube, and huw for the spare spare one in case i punctured again.

i didnt really recognise where i was for most of the ride because of all the fog, but i recognised toys hill and went on to the attack with huw on my wheel reminding me i had a bad knee, but i was only riding at lbp

i managed to shake him off, after a while and checked back now and then to see how far back he was. i got to the top and ate a couple of energy bars waiting for huw, only for mike to turn up. not sure what happened to huw, i think he went back for paul t.

not sure where we went next but we ended up on pole hill, where the elmers end chaingang goes. andrew sat on the front and wound up the pace slightly, then huw, then paul d, then myself. then with about 1/4 of the way to go huw attacked and i went after him. i then did the old switcheroo and counter attacked sprinting to the top, and onwards, only to realise i went too far.

the rest of the ride was fairly subdued, and picked up for a bit round biggin hill area.

somewhere in addington i think, we went our separate ways, with me ben and alan carrying on. alan left us somewhere and then i left ben at some big round about following the signs to croydon. i got to purely and was going through the traffic round the lights and i thought someone called my name, i looked around to see who it was and thought it sounded like huw, was it? it put me off anyways and i nearly crashed

stu

[huw williams]

A splendid ride despite horrendous road conditions. Inevitably with so much crud on the road there were going to be punctures so the decision to shorten the ride was most welcome. With each stop it was getting colder and wetter so 45 miles was a good ride in the end. Even Chloe admitted that yes, she WAS actually feeling the cold a bit today, and should've put trousers on, so it must've been cold.

In attendence: Dewis, Andrew, PVT, Mike Ingram, Ben Dangerous, Chloe, Stu Mercx, Alan M and Myself. A good mixed group and we were fairly well behaved apart from the usual fireworks up Toys and Poll Hill then a 38mph T&O along the top of Biggin Hill which split things up

The Route: A nice amiable pace up the hills through Farleigh then much disappointment when Andrew wouldn't let us ride up Slines Oak, spoilsport. Down Titsey was the alternative which even at reduced speeds due to the sodden road and damp mist was still a blast. Over the draggy climb to go down Crockham and sharp left to Toys Hill. "Straight on?" enquired the hapless Tunnell hopefully, eyeing the prospect of a flat alternative to Toys. No chance, we kicked his sorry ass up there in payment for all those times he's kicked ours on the flat dual carriageways around Gatwick airport.

Stu got away after Four Elms and I manfully tried to stay with him in the hope that his knee-pain/chest infection/tonsillitis/aids/cholera/TB or some other as yet undiagnosed ailment would limit his performance and allow me an unlikely victory over the club road race champion over the top of Toys. But showing a frustratingly clean bill of health he remained painfully just out of reach. While everyone waited around at the top growing white, xmas beards I headed back toward Four Elms in search of PVT

Super descending down Brastead Chart but every descent was now starting to make us cold and the lively climb up Poll Hill was welcome as a warmer. I attacked at the top figuring that Stu didn't know the way and sure enough as the two of us got away, he went straight on and I went to Halstead - "Never lead the break if you don't know where its going" was my coaching lesson of the day for him when he found his way back to the group.

We then did a couple of nasty little climbs around Cudham which will feature in the HOTA in Feb - can't wait to get to grips with that course again

My turn to puncture in the lanes on the way down to West Wickham but we were too close to home to stop everyone and I waved them through - no point in making everyone else cold while I changed it. Luckily got a tow from a group of racers from North London who came through just as I finished fixing it so a good end to the ride.

Cheers to everyone for a very enjoyable ride and some decent performances in difficult conditions. A fine alternative to the even wetter saturday club run

[quote="Stu"]not sure where we went next but we ended up on pole hill

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Thanks guys (and Chloe of course) for a great ride - so refreshing to ride in a group where people know what they're doing, know how to ride in a group, and have some "banter" going on - looking forward to the 28th Shame about the hills though

Stopped off in Westerham for a bite to eat, then headed off towards Godstone, then through the lanes to Smallfields - only took a wrong turning and followed a lovely (FLAT) lane for miles, only to pop back out near Newchapel, into Crawley and along the 264 (damn, should have gone up to Pease Pottage - much nicer way home) to add another 28 miles

Thanks again.
Guru P