Old Ports Reliablity Ride - Hills, wind and rain!

[Andrew G]

Set off with Huw, Graham O, and another Addiscombe whose name I can't remember, and about ten other fast guys. My plan was to try and stay with them as long as possible and then pick up the next group when dropped. I was hoping to make Penshurst at about 20 miles with this group before the hills kicked in.

In reality what I thought would be a downhill run to Penshurst was a succession of drags and kick-ups. Graham pulled over after about 5 miles with a puncture which was a pity as he'd being looking good. The pace was largely dictated by a few fast chaps who were towing things along very briskly. I looked at my computer after 10 miles and saw this had been covered in 30 mins which confirmed what my legs were telling me. Not overly quick on the flat but on these draggy lanes and with the rain it felt plenty fast enough.

I finally lost touch after 12 miles and settled in for a bit of toughing it out on my own in the wind and rain until being collected by the next group. About another 3 miles on however there was direction sign missing and I went straight on instead of turning right.

I ending up ploughing on in to Tonbridge - never been there before, nice town and castle ruins . Being a modern man I decided to stop and ask for directions to Penshurt so I could pick the route up again. This took two attempts as the first people I asked were Dutch, on holiday, and had no idea where I wanted to go.

Directions received and on through Tonbridge, right toward Leigh, before having to go up a steepish hill to get back to Penshurst Place and pick up the official route. Not too bad as the diversion I'd taken was pleasant roads and either ended up a similar distance or only added two or three extra miles.

Torrential rain between Penshurst and Fordcoombe which made my feet start to squelch in my shoes. Collected 3 other riders who seemed happy to sit on my wheel on the flat and let me plough on in to the wind before coming past on the hills.

Three long climbs which weren't that steep but went on for ages. Good practice of settling in for a climb which should help with the sportive in May. Check point at the top of Ashdown where I grabbed a very quick cuppa to warm up and also found two Addiscombes - Andy and another (sorry name?).

Set off along the top which was really good fun rolling a big gear on good roads. Another couple of hills and I then left Andy and friend so I could plough on. I knew I was going quite well so wanted to keep pushing.

At Edenbridge I was finally collected by a fast moving group of about ten led by a couple of Paragon riders. I jumped on the wheels and finally enjoyed a bit of shelter after about 30 miles of mainly solo riding in the wind and rain.

Enjoyed this "free" ride to the bottom of Toys Hill, where they slowly rode away from me. I've never been up Toys and I'm in no rush to do it again. Very steep and seems to go on for ever, although I was pleased to see the fast guys also suffered and didn't go up it that quick either.

Over the top and a simple drop down to Westerham (where the sky fell in again) before back up Polhill to the HQ.

A hard ride but a very good one. I'm glad I took it more seriously this time and had a good training ride.

Distance: 58 miles
Time: 3hrs 35mins.
Very happy with that bearing in mind both the terrain and my slight time wasting in Tonbridge.

Cheers,

Andrew.

[Ian A4size]

[quote] Collected 3 other riders who seemed happy to sit on my wheel on the flat and let me plough on in to the wind before coming past on the hills.

[Dominic]

Mr M, you're such a female dog

Are you going out next Sunday?

Andrew, I have been out and about in Penshurst and it ain't easy, good ride. Nice paragraphs

[Marek]

Well done, I just did a couple of hours this morning over toward Ashdown forest. Wemt up the wall which took forever and maybe was not too hard as I could not see the top as my glasses were so wet I could not see anything. Two hours in the rain was enough for me and I went home cold and shivvering.

Cheers

Marek...

[Ian A4size]

Dom,

I guess i'm always on heat . Yes i should be out next Sun.

Penshurst and surrounding area is great for biking, i know my way round

all the hills.......


Roger the hill dodger.

[Dominic]

10 at the Feather's then if I have survived half term. Hills optional!!!

[quote]Andrew, are you gunning for the role of lead man as part of Team Agreeables assault on the Italian slopes this May?

[Graham O]

Andrew,

Nice to hear to had a good ride amd a good time as well. I had a good ride too, but had a bit of an adventure. I think that I experienced a proper reliability ride with both myself and bike being sorely tested.

I managed to collect a couple of punctures and think that I went wrong in the same place as you. In all I lost about an hour or so.

Anyhow, did the whole ride on my lonesome after losing the group. It really was a good ride and the weather wasn't too bad for me. I felt it a bit during the stretch from the bottom of ashdown to the top of toys hill.

Think that my highlight was sitting on my backside in the rain, mending my spare inner tube for the second time. The option of decamping to a boozer and ringing the missus was crossing my mind big time.

Anyhow, had fun and have sore legs.

Ta Ta,

Graham.

[Alan M]

felt a very slight cold coming on so wimped out today - but impressed by your time Andrew - well done - no sign of the pending showers either which was my other concern?

[Andy S]

Was a good ride - in places!! I also lost the group and missed a turn somewhere - ended up somewhere near Tonbridge but managed to get back on course at Groombridge. Went through some horendous rain around Penshurst, absolutely soaked which made the down hills very cold. Met up with Andrew at the check point and set out with him on the second leg but couldn't stay with him for long, not got my climbing legs yet and dropped back on evrey incline. By Toy's I was just about finished but still managed to get to the top on the pedals. Stuffed some energy bars for the last push and got back to Halstead with a time of 3:59 - which I was very pleased with as I've only really been back on the bike for the past month or so.
Now looking forward to the hilly next Sat - anyone else doing this?

[huw williams]

As usual plans went out the window after about a mile.

The first group out contained some of Essex's finest in the shape of 4 riders from Glade CC and three from Glendene CC. Local rivalry between the two meant that they were trying to knock seven bells out of each other all the way round and me and Simon got caught in the middle. "We always do this as a warm up for the Wally Gimber" said one of the Glade CC lads :-0

It started just after Otford (about 2 miles in) and it didn't finish until the sprint at the top of Poll Hill (50 yards from the finish).

I Didn't see Graham and Andrew after the end of Pilgrims way (on which at one point we'd been doing 30mph on the flat) as the attacks started on the nasty drags and split the group to half size. We whiplashed around the lanes for about 45 minutes before a perilous descent of Baileys Hill led to the treacherous muddy lanes into Chiddingstone. It was grey and drizzling but nothing serious enough to demand waterproofs.

The first serious attack came on the drag before Penshurst where you turn right after the station. It split the group and a few of us were dropped but only slightly and we chased back and got on before the first big one after Penshurst. That was Fordcombe where Simon launched an attack which left a load of us grovelling but the Glade boys hunted him down and again pulled it back as we descended Groombridge in rain which was starting to become a problem.

We started the biggest climb up to the top car park at Ashdown Forest and the rain was coming in sideways driven on a freezing wind but the climb was tough enough to keep me warm. Simon was starting to pay for a ride with the ACC training group the day before and his earlier attacks but we managed to rejoin the leaders at the checkpoint at the top. The rain stopped, the sun came out and conditions were perfect for a fast ride back.

The descent to Hartfield was a 37mph blast then the serious pain started as the strongest riders launched their attacks on every one of those endless, sapping main-road drags into Edenbridge, no doubt some of them were dreaming of a winning break in the Wally Gimber. We'd dropped everyone bar seven riders and on the drag outside Markbeech it was my turn to feel the elastic stratching that little bit too much.

I had that tantalising few miles where the lead group was just 100 yards ahead for about 5 miles and couldn't quite get back on, we were going at the same speed but obviuosly, riding solo, I was worrking a lot harder. Simon was with a couple of riders a few hundred yards back and couldn't help. It was windy as hell but I was determined not to let go and caught them just before the right turn which leads to Four Elms and Toys Hill.

I had about two minutes to recover before we hit the bottom of Toys and thankfully the strongest Glade rider punctured and the second strongest stopped to help him. Unlucky, but they'd been pasting us all day and my tired legs weren't sorry to see the back of them.

The remaining five of us hit the bottom, the shout of "no prisoners" went up and the hell began. Amazingly I was first over the top and leader on the road, with a small gap forged on the hill - a lot of guys were paying for their earlier attacks and struggled badly on Toys. I felt not too bad spinnig my compact, certainly good enough to think I could nail it back to Halstead anyway, but half way along the main road to Chevenning the chasing group had organised themselves into a devilish posse and rode me down.

That left the final sort-out on Poll Hill and we duly hammered up it. Still feeling capable of 'first back' I got off the saddle about 100 metres before the top to launch an attack and both legs instantly cramped from hip to knee.

Ah well, I managed to hang on through the lanes to Halstead and despite some last minute sprints we finished in a group of six.

I had 3hrs 21 ride time and 3hrs 24 trip time, Simon came in a few minutes down looking half dead. Doing a faster time than the Catford two weeks ago is clearly ridiculous as the course is much, much harder but there you go. I felt like I'd been through hell and promised the organiser never to go back!

Dave Kennett's group (including Marcus Bruton, Simon Warrenn, Richard Hallett and a few others) came in with similar, 3.20ish times and you could see from their faces that they'd been through the same kind of torture, duking it out all the way round.

That's it for me. Peaked already and completely exhausted, so I can have the rest of the year off I reckon.

[Marek]

Oh damn, that sounded fantastic shame I missed it, will have to get out for the CTC next weekend then.

Cheers

Marek...

[Ian A4size]

Awesome write up again Mr Huw B'stard, how you keep those ole legs a

turnin' is a mystery to me. We had a 3 hr ride on sun at a respectable pace

and a good working group it was too.

Hey big Dom- shall we do the CTC hilly 50? I am bound to get lost (again)

but i know a few diversions and if i do it i will stay sober (yea right)

at the dinna party on sat night. I reckon we could both shelter behind

Andrew

[Andrew G]

Shall I bring a fairing this time?

[Ian A4size]

Yep - 6ft wide for moi- 7ft tall for Dom- should even things up a bit, now

where's that sack o' spuds for Huw.....