Wednesday 12th evening ride feedback

[huw williams]

Oh there were some long faces outside Geoffrey Butler's at 5.45 last night.

I've rarely seen such trepidation on the faces of cyclists as a crack team of super grimpeurs comprising Siwicki, Kennett, Garde and Smythe (notice the name of Khandelwal is missing from this list as appologies were received in advance) turned up. Their very pressence on the pavement seemed to scare all the life out of those who were just out for a mid-week roll around the lanes.

An amazing 16 riders in total, and as Monty never gets tired of telling us, that's about twice as many as the main saturday club run used to get as recently as five years ago.

Despite cold weather, nagging headwinds and a distinct abscence of comradeley conversation as the pain barrier ratcheted up, it was an awesome ride. Regrouping at the major junctions and hilltops allows the riders less able to climb like mountain goats the chance to stay in there, though at times a couple of riders looked like they were trying their best not to.

I particularly like Nigel and Geraldine's tactic of missing out the Slines Oak climb and re-joining us on the middle of Chalkpits. This is exactly the kind of thing this ride is all about - a regular set loop which (when everyone gets used to the circuit) means that riders can join in or drop out and re-join wherever they feel like it. Also there should eventually be enough riders who know the route to have groups of varying pace going around.

Last night we had enough daylight (just) to include Bug Hill at the end where everyone went their respective ways back home. (Any chance of an up-dated profile and map Phil?)

After a brief rest while Peter changed a tube at the top, five of us raced back to S.Croydon in the near-dark at alarming speeds I've never attained before on a push-bike.

Great training then, and even the hardest of climbers were starting to feel rubber-legged by the end. If you want to get used to feeling comfortable riding hills, you just gotta go out and feel un-comfortable on hills I guess.

Cheers to everyone for coming - let's keep the momentum going for next week, when hopefully we'll get some warm evening sunshine (and there's one more killer climb to add on yet).

H

[peter munden]

Cheers huw,

That was a superb ride- pleanty of training hills and pleanty of hairy decents, shame about my puncture though.

Being as tired as I was I would have probably prefered to 'sit and look at my wheel' rather than put a tube in it!

I've never riden a bike with such 'a spring in it's step' so I hope to be flying up the hills this weekend,

Cheers

Pete

[Gavin]

Good ride last night.

Got to watch out for those steep bumpy little lanes though.

I nearly had a heart attack meeting a van half way down!

[Jon H]

I think I timed it just right meeting you at the top of Chalkpits, a few minutes earlier and I would have had to go down it and then immediately back up.

Enjoyed the rest of the ride, although swapping from my commuting bike to my light race bike would have been a good idea as I stopped off briefly at home on the way out.

Managed to sneek in another cheeky little 17% hill on the way home. I think it's called Spout Hill, it goes from Addington village over towards Shirley.

[sylv]

Cheers Huw and everyone for the ride - great to ride alongside (well, behind really) Dave Kennett. Not often I see my heart rate go up to 186 on a weekday ride, I'm glad I'd fitted a 12-27 cassette the day before. Good training for Beastway - hope to be there as much as possible in the next five weeks before the series start. It should really pay to know how long the hills go for to better time my out of the saddle time, thought I'd never see the end of that 20 percenter! Enjoyed the fast downhills too.

[Kevin Rynne]

Great ride, although I completly cracked towards the end. It was one of those rides were all I could think about was food, any food and more food. Next time I will try to eat before leaving work! Some of those hills were really steep, next time will use a different cassette think I need to buy one with a 25.

[siwickm]

After riding up from EG and managing to just about get up Chalk pit I was glad when Huw said that the best bet for me was to go home after the next climb.

After working my way through the back lanes through Limpsfield (I was almost limping by this time), Crowhurst, Lingfield and back into East Grinstead I was pretty tired.

Not sure if I can make it next week, but at least I now know the type of pain I need to be putting myself through to be able to keep up with you guys when we start cyclo sportifing. Man I need to do some more training on steep ascents as I was struggling on that Chalk pit bugger.

Cheers

Marek....

[huw williams]

It's a classic scenario on this ride - if you charge up Slines Oak you generally get tired on Chalkpits then get rubber legs on White Hill and its anybody's bet what kind of legs you get after that.

I had a bit left after going steady on Slines and Chalkpit so me and Simon Smythe attacked Dave Kennett up Hessiers - Just about caught him at the top but paid for it in spades, on Bug Hill I had nothing when Dave and Sylvain went past.

Only a two hour ride but boy do you feel it in the legs - even when stopping to regroup. I actually find this route is a bit easier if you keep moving.

I can't begin to tell you what its like doing two laps... looking up chalkpits for the second time is soul-destroying, but its as much about mental fitness as physical I guess