13.03.10 clubrun

[EdO]

Good work out today in the training group. Approximate headcount told me there were at least 100 riders in the TG.
Was feeling okay apart from being on the front when I kept going right into the red and taking a good few minutes to recover afterwards.
Luckily for me this only happened a few times and it wont put me off getting out there again.

Managed to hang until the final climb before the dual carriageway when I let everyone go.

Through and off then down the dual carriageway followed by bumpy ride through to the cafe. There are some seriously big pot holes on lead up to the charlwood sign.
I wasn't too bothered about the sprint as the cars were coming up the other way.

Four of us (Me, Steve B, Locky and Peter) on the way back kept it steady and the main group had already left. Stayed together until the golf course and Peter
eased away in a huge gear from the three of us.
I looked back once we'd reach the top of the hill and we'd dropped Steve too. Legs had gone apparantley.

Up the Mersham drag and things were starting to slow which always suggests someone is gonna put the hammer down. Paul H came round and only Peter and a few others could get his wheel.

A second group was formed including me, Steve B, Lockey, Matt and Ant using a T&O to try and real em back in.
It really was hurting but we were making steady progress.
Change of lights and we caught them but it would have been nice to have tried without the intervention.
I've done 250+ miles (I know......it keeps going up)for the last three weeks and I'm starting to feel it. Will have a rest tomorrow, possible Monday but then back to the chaingang on Tuesday evening.

Will hopefully see some of you on Wednesday night for some beers.

[Andrew G]

Popped over to the Bletchingley circuit with Rob for a pothole recce ahead of tomorrow's SCCU 21 TT. Road doesn't seem too bad, no worse than normal for that course although lots of cones by the kerb to cover holes where some pikeys have nicked the drain grates. Passed Pete's group as we were heading home. Legs felt okay. I expect tomorrow to be another matter all together.

[Sylv]

[quote="EdO"]Approximate headcount told me there were at least 100 riders in the TG.

[quote="Sylv"][quote="EdO"]Approximate headcount told me there were at least 100 riders in the TG.

[Amy]

[quote="Antloony"]I have a really painful thumb and more than an hour on the bike at the time really hurts it.

[Andrew G]

Is it another goosing injury Ant ?

[Antloony]

[quote="Andrew G"]Is it another goosing injury Ant ?

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

sam and I rode out with the 17s for the first time this year. Considering how many riders were at coulson south a tiny group - just six: Bridget, Alan M, Noel, Colin plus us. Everyone else that was left - about fifty - it seems rode a leisurely 16. The Man in Black - whose name I know not - joined us on the way out and six became the magnificent seven. We kept a good pace everyone taking a turn at the front and plenty of communication helped us avoid most of the potholes.
Noel punctured. Most of us stopped and watched the tube change in the usual Agreeable way. But Bridget and Alan in a heartwarming show of ACC solidarity rode off to get to the cafe.
Numbers returned to seven as we were joined by Brian who was a puncture casualty from the 19s and another rider who claimed he had already punctured twice but he was riding conti 4 seasons which we all know are bullet proof. so something not quite right there.

anyway...Noel then went totally beserk - absolutely crazy - a man possessed - completely ripped it up - we rode the next 10 miles at 20/21 mph with Noel doing most of the towing and nearly everybody else hanging on for dear life!We lost the bloke with the conti 4 seasons.( did he exist or was he a figment of my fevered imagination?) Rusper, then a hotly contested sprint won by a tyre's width by Colin. Really good fun, nice group, hard ride. Thanks all.

[Elliot M]

I was the man with the 4 seasons - unfortunately seems they are no match for shards of Bacardi Breezer bottles in Croydon town centre. No way I was going to keep wih you lot!

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

Hi Elliott

bacardi breezer shards are the only glass known to man that can get through conti 4 seasons! It explains everything - why didn't you say.

Are you the Elliott of ACC webmaster fame? Apologies for dropping you - it was Noel's fault - a complete nutter !! Had I have realised we would have slowedto 19 mhp or something!!

cheers

Jon

[Elliot M]

That's me but don't worry, I'm coming back from illness so happy to plod along at a sedate pace

[Sylv]

Anyway .. it was a good ride once again. Don't know if it's because neither George, Keith or Paul showed up in the TG, but when I looked back at the first roundabout, there were about 20-25 riders behind. Thanks to traffic lights I don't think we lost any until after Reigate. As I said the turns at the front were shared by a handful, won't name any by fear of forgetting anyone. You could tell there was a decent tailwind as I could hear the whirr of Dave K's aero wheels from about 20m back as he was pulling along for a turn. You could also tell he was racing the following day, as he was not ripping everyone's legs like previous weeks.

Serge and I had a good dig sharing turns up the hills before Rusper, then Ant went past both of us to crest the top first, I managed to get back on his wheel and we kind of regrouped on the way down after Rusper. Couple riders turned left and Rogan had a puncture to fix. Through and off was ok in still a big-ish group of about 10-12, including sprinters Steve B and Ed O. Approaching Charlwood Steve found himself at the front earlier than he'd hoped and I knew I could stay on his wheel to the last moment due to the headwind. Alas, both of us were pipped to the line by Andy E, whose lack of training hasn't affected his top end speed it seems, there was about half a bike's length between the three of us.

Back via Box Hill a group of about 6 of us left, hoping to catch Rob W and Andy, who had left 10 min earlier. We kept a good pace and by that stage I was feeling better than previous weeks. Even managed to drop Serge on the final straight to Box Hill, my guess was he'd had a heavy training week, whilst I'd only ridden to work. With heavy legs after a stop we carried on and were motoring, when out of nowhere Rob and Andy came flying past at the top of that horrible last bump before the traffic lights. They'd stopped at Dauphin's to fix Rob's gears it turned out.

The wind was strong but we kept taking turns and I averaged 221w for the 2h30 C to C ride (240w excluding zeros), which was about 10 more than the previous week, and 10 more than the one before. Stopped half an hour for some food then rode the 25km round trip to Bromleybike, despite feeling ok upon stopping, my legs were now completely wooden and I could barely ride above 150w! Resigned myself to treating the ride as a warm-down and finished the ride in just under 4h, happy to be slowly improving in my form, not enough yet for racing though.

[Sylv]

There's no way of knowing before you set off as people tend to just follow from the big group once we're setting off, and I guess there's a snowball effect as the more people that join the more others are persuaded that they can do it too, and not get dropped within a big bunch.

Anyway I don't think it was too much of a problem in the end, and then as the ride goes "natural selection" takes place and the group was halved by the dual carriageway. I think anything more than 10-12 there and you would split it in two groups for safety. I think it's good if people make the extra effort to try ride in the TG, and my comment on the taking turns was not really a criticism just an amused observation so don't feel you're obliged to do so if you don't want to (but then don't go for the sprints ).

[Alan M]

[quote="Jon C C on a Bianchi"]
Noel punctured. Most of us stopped and watched the tube change in the usual Agreeable way. But Bridget and Alan in a heartwarming show of ACC solidarity rode off to get to the cafe.

[Alan M]

You too Sean, I can see you were on form. I was cooked by the end!