East Surrey Hardriders 29.9

[Andrew G]

First outing for me this year in the excellently organised East Surrey Hardriders TT. I've rebuilt the TT bike over winter with new gearing and new bars so today would be the first proper test of set up.

A tough course this with lots of drags and rolls and the nasty Hurst Hill to climb back up in to Rusper.

I struggled to get in to a rhythm today with all the gradient changes, not helped by discovering I need to do a bit of tweaking to the new set up as one of aero bar extensions needs a slight rotation to sit completely even with the other. This resulted in almost continual hand shuffling to try and get comfy. Saddle height may need to move a fraction too.

Overall not a bad race though and nice to be racing again. Thanks to PVT for the shout near the top of the nasty hill.

Dominic 1.19.34
Me 1.20.32
Matt Day 1.24.48
Lucy 1.27.16
Mo DNS

Lucy must have won the most snot on the road prize as she had a stinking cold, maybe I wasn't such a wimp for not racing in the cold rain last week now .

Steve Berry broke the course record and put half a minute in to Pete Tadros to win in a stunning 1.05.57. Detta Guerinni won the women's event in a course record 1.17.58, a fast lady and one to watch.

[Ian A4size]

"This resulted in almost continual hand shuffling to try and get comfy."

well..... no change there then Finbar......

what have you done to your gearing ? Have you gone away from friction / down tube over to indexed- or some drilled out old bar end shifters that you nicked from snr

[Andrew G]

Now now Mr M .

Switched the front for a 55/44 set up - I'm more of a roller than a spinner but it will also keep the chain straighter for more of the time. Felt good first time out, although Hurst Hill in 44x23 was a bit of a honk, but time will tell how I settle with it once the proper DC stuff and my normal fair kicks off.

[Dominic]

Like Andrew I was doing a bit of shuffling towards the end of my ride aswell . Not helped that I haven't ridden the TT bike competitively for about 9 months.

Really enjoyed it but was very careful not to go too hard. I had really only decided to enter this at the last moment ie hand delivering the entry at 5pm on the last day of entries. It was also because I had only recently made the decision to concentrate on cycling only so my cycling fitness is not at it's best.

I found myself hacking along the A24 so the top guys must have been really tanking along. By the time I got to Hurst Hill my legs had gone and I was thinking about sittng up until I heard Mr PVT shout 'come on Dominic'. Had to dig in then and suffered to the finish.

I had set myself a time of 1.20 so was please to be inside that but some way of my best ever time of 1.13 on that course.

See you all next Sunday at the SCCU 21.

[Roy Green]

[quote="Ian A4size"]
what have you done to your gearing ? Have you gone away from friction / down tube over to indexed- or some drilled out old bar end shifters that you nicked from snr