by huw williams » Mon Feb 06, 2006 11:23 am
Another reliability trial and another ill-advised tear-up yesterday.
As God is my witness I only wanted a steady ride yesterday after the previous week's fireworks and the large crowd gathered at the start didn't seem to contain any scary race teams.
Then things went terribly wrong. Visiting the gents for a final loo-stop I returned to the car park to find the main group gone. Left standing in the second group were, you've guessed it, a scary race team. Guy Pearson and his mates from Pearson cycles. If that wasn't bad enough 1st cats Matt (part time ACCer) and Dave Kenett turned up with Steve Cave, Tim Harris, Brian Tidy and Aidon in tow.
By the time they'd all signed on we'd given the lead group almost fifteen minutes start. "We'll catch em before the top of Coldharbour" insisted Richard Hallett, CWs technical Editor who, in the best shape of his very experienced cycling carreer set about achieving just that.
Hallet and Pearson set a relentless 20mph+ up over the Banstead, Epsom, Langley Vale and Headley climbs. By the time we attacked Coldharbour there were droped remnants of the lead group strewn out all up the long hill. I saw a couple of yellow ACC kits on the climb but I was seeing stars already due to the high tempo and couldn't identify them as we passed.
Through Ockley then Abinger Hamer our group stuck together sweeping up riders dropped by the first group. The sun came out, the temperature rose and Matt and Guy drove things along at a ridiculous 24mph.
At the top of the Coombe Bottom climb was a tea stop where we finally caught up with the lead group which included Jackie M-Smith, Terry and Graham O
After that it was flat or slightly rolling all the way back along fantastic roads through Cobham and Ottershaw.
After a not too serious crash involving one of the Pearson Cycles juniors halted the group for a short interval, Hallett and Dave Kenett again wound it up, splitting the group before the run in. It's always been one of life's great pleasures to sit on Dave Kennett's wheel as he is relentlessly smooth and bloody quick.
On the final stretch along the A17 into Morden I achieved a lifetime first by 'spinning out' on the flat. I had no gear left to push against (on a 12-27 block) and the speedo was registering an alarming 38mph. Somehow I managed to hang on and we completed the 58 miles in three hours on the nose which includes the tea and crash stops. Hallett confirmed that his 'riding time' average was a smidge over 20mph.
Excellent maps, tea and cakes from the organisers and a superb route. I'd certainly go and do that one again.