Ride of the Falling Leaves 2013

[adrian]

I've done this event every year since I think about 2006 - it used to be a roll out of bed for me when I lived in Brixton, and is still dead easy for me to get to. This year I got the train to Sydenham Hill (from Shortlands) and just trundled down from there.

I like the symbolic lap of Herne Hill Velodrome at the start, although being despatched as and when you decide to follow the 'départ' sign as opposed to in batches of 20 or so as in previous years, felt a bit like that Not The Nine O'Clock News 'Exit' sketch - going round the track on my Tod Sloan seemed a bit pointless. There's also free (good) coffee, orange juice, croissants etc beforehand and, crucially, free beer and pasta at the end. Oh, and the route is great, too, if very familiar by now to most London/Kent/Surrey-based cyclists. The weather this year was not only the best I've done this event in, but the best anyone has ever cycled in, ever, I would have thought.

The RoFL used to be quite the end-of-season ACC get-together - those days are long gone, if the last two years are anything to go by. I think it was just Jon H and me doing it this year (Jon, that was me saying hello at the gates of the velodrome. I did also see you fly past me on the last hill before Westerham but didn't want to interrupt your flow).

I'd expected to better last year's disappointing effort by quite a bit - as it was, at 4.15, I was actually a minute worse off. Admittedly, I had to stop quite a few times because my seat post kept disappearing down into my seat tube, but this was nothing compared to the disruption of last year's torrid affair, with multiple cramp stops resulting from too few miles in the legs.

No matter - this was still a very pleasant day out, with much to enjoy - not least a pint of Doombar and some salty carbohydrates in glorious sunshine on the outfield afterwards. Can thoroughly recommend.

[Jon H]

3:58 for me, just scraping into the gold standard of under 4 hours which was my goal.

Realised it was you at the velodrome gates Adrian, but realised too late to say hello back. Didn't notice you on the ride though (I must have been in the zone).

A grand day out. Out of all the various local sportives/reliabilities etc, I think this is my favorite.

[Elliot M]

[quote="adrian"]
The RoFL used to be quite the end-of-season ACC get-together - those days are long gone, if the last two years are anything to go by...