club ride....'BREAK FAILIOR' ...

[Stu Merckx Man]

8 people in the training group today, and a good fast one.

started off softly up the duel carriage way, and stayed that way up untill the big first hill bit...i was feeling rather good so i decided to attack the hill, george latched onto my wheel and the rest of the group followed, soon i was over taken and then had to fight to stay in the running !!

as we hit the lanes george and paul did the majority of the work as i think the rest of us were a bit reluctant (i was)...but when it came our way the rest of us did a turn.

as we reached newdigate all seemed good untill we had to stop suddenly because a of a van pulling out, i started skidding towards a parked car-(i think i got a new max heart rate)...the bike wouldnt slow down and i was getting ready for a spectacular role over the car like james bond....miraculasely i stopped JUST within about half a foot from the car-(that was failed break in one sense of the word).

nice steady fast ride from there untill we hit the wooded hill before rusper, i heard george and paul talking about making a spectacular break like last week..i was ready!....sure enough a big clunk of gears and george bommed past me, i shouted out not to let them get away and was pleasantly supprised when the blonde chap infront of me responded with a galant turn of speed to latch on to the wheel of paul, i closely followed (that was the falied break in the other sense).

lungs bursting, and legs burning it quietened down through rusper....that is untill we reached the hills leading up to the duel carriage way, i was leading up at the bottom when again there was the dreaded sound of gears clunking to the small rings, and this time paul bommed past me followed by george..i went after them and they inched away but thankfully the blond chap was hot on there wheels and so i managed to get onto his-(the other break failior).

nice through and off building up some good speed..as we hit the lanes before charlswood it all kicked off again...i thought i would byde my time and so held onto the back, then a chap i have not met before that was in the group made a huge push at the front and sacrifised himself to lead us into the sprint.. paul put an out of the saddle effort about 400m away, i stuck to his wheel, and with perhaps 150 yards to go i pulled out next to him and started to edge past him...it was mine i thought !!.....but then i heard some deep breaths coming up on my right...IT WAS GEORGE!!..he beat me to the line by about a bike length-i had to settle with 2nd..

on the way back i went it alone untill the church..heading off from the church i made a break, unfortunatly getting cought at some lights when a cyclist whizzed past me (im not sure if he was part of the club)..so i latched onto his wheel and he lead me to the mestham drag, form there i pulled out from his wheel to break away, unfortunatly siimon was behind me, i thought-'ah thats good we can make a break together'...

so he pulled out from behind me to do what i thought was just his turn at the front but he just kept going the same speed he pulled out at !!!-i was to drained to stick to his wheel and so just tried to keep a staedy pace going up..then dave kennet (i think) came past my like lightening to catch simon...dam i was never going to catch both of them together!

into chasing zone i went and slowly as we started to decend i made some good ground...YES I WAS NEARLY THERE!...one look back from simon and they were gone again...i cought them up at some lights and simon and i had a good sprint to the by pass..

the rest of the group cought up and the club went over togther, led by our cpt monty-->arms up high and letting his presence be known!! (very nice road over the bye pass).

avs when i got home 21.6

cheers,
stu

[Matt Robbins]

Yeah great ride today in the training group (I was in red and on the Focus Stu)...you did great avoiding that van and not locking up...thanks also to Paul, George and Rob (I think) who did most of the work.

I came back in the Box Hill group and aside from the first few miles there was no let up...George, Paul, Simon and Graham O were firing on all cylinders and I was just hanging on in there....I actually felt pretty good going up Box Hill and was even able to help George pull back Simon and Paul coming back into Coulsdon at some crazy speeds.

Have a good weekend everybody!

[Stu Merckx Man]

matt,

i realy was bricking it !!

and is rob the blonde haired chap??

[George]

Stu
Hal is the Blond haired chap

[Stu Merckx Man]

i thought hal was the one that got the puncture!!

so who was it that got the double puncture?

cheers
stu

[George]

puncture = Ray

Blond Hair = Hal

[Stu Merckx Man]

cheers for clearing that one up george !

[Paul H]

Good ride today. We will have to make our attacks less obvious next time.

At least I got away up Box Hill.

Paul

[George]

Paul and I tried deviously to plan some secret attacks/breaks but sure enough they were foiled by the bunch,
We had already fired the warning shot the week before and each moved was covered.

At the sprint I found myself on the front still with 1 Km to go, I put in a dummy and sure enough everyone pounced, Matt burnt himself out up front enabling me to just sit in at the tail. I bid my time till 100M then I came slingshotting past Paul and Stuart

Towards box hill were were all dragged behind the powerfull Simon.
Up the hill we were all fairly together up to the first haipin, then just before the second hairpin Paul jumped off the front in a full on acceleration display, that he'd surely been planning all day. I found myself wrong footed about 4 riders back, I responded but couldn't reel him in he was easily was the fastest climber today.

On the long drag to the Burgh Heath roundabout on the final uphill drag I was on the front and Paul and Simon came flying past, couldn't quite manage to hold their wheels. It took us all the way from Chipstead to Coulsdon to catch them back up after some frantic chasing by Graham O and Matt.

[Graham O]

Cheers for the ride today. It was good to get out with a group again.

Got cramp whilst riding into Croydon....Ouch !! I was really impressed by George and Matts efforts on the run in.

Hope to be out more in the new year.

Thanks,

Graham.

[Hal]

Yeah another stomping club run, just as long as we don't let george and paul sit on the back of the group planning an escape, then we can cling on to dear life to stay on their wheel. I think the muddy face betrays how much time i spent hanging on to a wheel.

same time next week

blond guy on the red litespeed... Hal