This weekends Hilly 50

[Andrew G]

Very hard ride today. About 6 of us rode over from CSS to Ryka's to sign on and await the off.

As expected a hot pace from the start. Tried to keep up with Graham and some others but Ranmore is a nasty hill and I can't ride up it at that pace, certainly not straight off the bat without getting the legs spinning first. Continued to just ride steady to the top and waited for Mark, Ian and the others. Mark and I started to pull away from the others and set off for a slightly quicker ride. We continued at a reasonable pace which would have made for a very pleasant ride, however about half way round we saw a group with Marek, Graham, and a couple of Paragon riders pinging along. Seeing the opportunity I jumped in with this group.

I just sat in at first getting used to the pace, Mark seemed to have disappeared and said later he'd got a puncture. Hit the next hill and got a bit dropped (as expected) but stayed close enough to catch back up with Marek thanks to a bit of fast descending. Caught up with Graham and now only one Paragonian after a little charge, don't think Marek (6ft5) got much help from draughting when I (5ft6) did a turn on the front though.

Marek seemed to drop back on the next section, suffering with a bad cold, but I managed to stay with the other two. We all did some work but Graham easily did more than enyone else.

Whitedown - dropped again, another fast descent and I managed to catch up just after the turn on to Ranmore Common. Some bit n' bit along here before going down Ranmore and back to Box Hill. I did a long fast pull between Ranmore and Box as I could feel I was starting to die so thought I'd give one last dig to try and slow the others to my pace up Box. Didn't work, at the bottom my legs fell off and they disappeared in to the distance .

Coffee and an enormous brick of flapjack before the trip back. Fairly quick pace with my legs screaming, but Graham was flying today and didn't seem to be feeling the pain.

Bloody hard ride today so I'm off for a few pints of "recovery drink".

I seem to have done a lot of hilly rides lately and I'm getting a bit pissed off with cycling up all the time. Roll on Brighton next week and a good flatter ride (apart from the Beacon). Just what do people have against cycling on flat roads?

[Paul H]

I was having all sorts of problem with the hills - going down them that is. I wasnt having a problem keeping up with the front group going up but I could not go as fast going down wet & muddy one lane tracks. George didnt seem to be having any problems though.

I kept having to play catch up on the flats which eventually cooked me and I left about a 30 yard gap up some hill with about 7 miles to go and didnt see them again. A few minutes later I caught up with George who got dropped on the descent and overshot a turning . Just before Ranmore I noticed George had disappeared (puncture), so I was on my own untill the end. I also went into Ryka's Car Park first.

Good ride though - I think.

[Graham O]

Top Ride today, and for some reason it felt like a longer ride than 50K. It seemed as though I was in a grudge match with the Paragon rider for most of the way around. I seemed to take the lead up the climbs and he would handle the flats. Thats usually quite an equal balance, but unfortunately there were very few flats.

Anyhow, it was all going well until I got to the undulating bit at the top of ranmore. I had to take a breather, and lost the chaps wheel. Luckly Mr Green came through and dragged me back. After a super fast bit to the bottom of Box Hill, I had a crack at the hill and got ahead..

All good fun, and I didn't die. Think that this was the good ride I had been waiting for after the reliability rides in Kent..

[Marek]

Graham, I did notice that you were going very well today and did lots of work on the front. And you are right about the distance, Simon actually asked me in Rykas whether it was 50 miles or 50 kms. Paul and George, well done in keeping up with those guys up and down the hills, there was some serious riders in that group. Decent Elite and 1st cat riders so you did really well.

See you soon, hopefully with a bit more form in my legs next time we meet.

Cheers

Marek....

[Paul on the Pearson]

Andrew, it might be a flat ride "to" Brighton, other than Ditchling, but if Paul comes back the same way as yesterday, flat it certaintly isn't!
I got to CSS at 8.30 planning to do the hilly 50, Tim was already there waiting for Paul for the Brighton ride. Six of us set off for the seaside; there was Paul, Tim, sorry forgot your names - bloke on the bianci and red ambrosia(is that how you spell it or is that a brand of rice pudding?) Richard Viney and myself. In that sort of company the hilly 50 may have turned out to be the easier option but having done it a couple times recently thought, possibly in a moment of madness, that it was time for a change, so Brighton it was.
The pace down was OK, although I didnt do any work on the front but felt good. had forgotton what a brute Ditchling is, but had a fantastic, fast run, seemed to average about 30 across the top before the decent into Brighton. I reckon the baked potato and beans at Brighton slowed me down! and I started to suffer on the way back; managed to stay on to Gatwick, which was a lot better than I expected.
Thanks Paul for a great ride and a good workout, by my standards that was a pretty fast ride and got home with 118 miles on the clock and a top speed of 83 mph!, when the computer gets to about 45 it seems to goes a bit pear shape! actual speed should have been about 46, would have been more if that car hadnt decided to put the brakes on.
Paul

[Andrew G]

Sounds good Paul, I'm keeping my fingers crossed the weather's okay next week as the Brighton run is good fun.

With Paul T and Richard "sub 20" Viney in attendance I can imagine you were dragged along at a fair old lick!
[quote]would have been more if that car hadn't decided to put the brakes on.

[quote="Andrew Green"]Sounds good Paul, I'm keeping my fingers crossed the weather's okay next week as the Brighton run is good fun.

With Paul T and Richard "sub 20" Viney in attendance I can imagine you were dragged along at a fair old lick!
[quote]would have been more if that car hadn't decided to put the brakes on.

[Ian A4size]

Well heres my two bobs worth...
The day dawned bright and clear , thats the first excuse gone then,
quick nostril check... nah no sign of anything, a quick ablute ,
nope- can't play the bad guts card either, guess i gotta ride then
Out to CSS- where is everybody? Time keeping is getting very shoddy
on the CR these days but thats another story.
A sensible paced ride out to Rykas( unlike the training group- 2 riders i know had prob done an hour before the meet up)
I had expected a right old display of mudguards/clunkers/girders, you know- the sort of horrible "things" that are displayed (with pride!) on winter club runs. (you know who you are )
Instead there were many fine steeds on show with just a small "dusting" of sandals/beards/horrors.... then there was the mighty Norwood Paragon.
The off for us came at 10.30, along with 60 or more riders...whoosh and a mighty green and gold flash and we were off the back sheeeeeat! those paragon boys were fast, I did see them again tho showered and changed looking most relaxed when we graced the finish about an hour after.
It was a great day out tho, really sunny and some of the views were superb- it was just those blinking hills, i was somewhat weighed down by the huge "bryant and may" box that the good doctor had given me on a previous ride- but it did get lighter( no pun) as i had too use quite a few of them matches owing to the dark.
Thanks to Nigel, Connor and Mark for dragging me round and Amy for some directions.
A great day out.. 2 hours on the sofa... out to dinner in the evening, lovely.