Tour de Farce Route Wrecky

[Andrew G]

Well it sounds like you had fun today Sean. It is quite something riding with Paul these days, you just have to sit in and grit your teeth.

[Brian Nolan]

Hi Sean, good write up !

well what happened there then ... after that painful tumble the worst thing is i can't figure exactly how it happened.. I think i had the wheel turned when I hit that strip that maybe i saw at the last moment ? Luckily no lasting damage just some scrapes & bruising.. Got home at about 3ish and slept for hours..
Wanted to say a big thanks to you guys for sorting the bike out and following me to that unit.. Sorry I set you all back by a good few hours.. Shame - it was a great day and I felt i had been going well until i decided to pull that stunt..
Sean is dead right about mrpvt - he's storming - he was going very well, always on the front with his head down ! you came steaming past on a few of hills as well
wonder what time they got back ?

[Brian Nolan]

thanks Sean !
good to know my tumble served some purpose .. Don't know what to do know though.. Might have to get the strimmer out and attack the garden - arrgh ! I've got tomorrow off so will go into Pearsons first thing and get them to look at the front wheel which is slightly out of true and out of alignment with stem. Small scratch on headtube as well and 1 scuffed pedal so bike came out of it quite well seeing as it could have been wrecked ( esp if i succeeded in saying hello to that jcb ! ).
hopefully see you next sat for the club run - I will be the one scaring small children - ..
I felt a right prat on the trains home, sort of like ' all the gear - no idea ' - couldn' t have got more stares if i was trying !
cheers,

[Andrew G]

Glad to here you're okay Brian. When I read....
[quote]he came so close to the back of the parked JCB those behind him held our breath as he cartwheeled through the air.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Thanks Sean.
You didn't mention the 10% hill just out of Woolwich that started your demise.

Brian, glad to hear you got back OK and you're not too badly injured. I got some stare s as well riding along wheeling your bike alongside me to the hospital - it was suggested that is rge fastest your bike has gone for a long time

We carried on in inimitable fashion, with me driving hard at the front with Richard smiling sitting on my wheel and Paul (the other one on another CAMPAG Pearson) drifting off slightly on the climbs and rejoining on the descents as the speed went up for the last 60 miles We did a couple of miles at 40+mph out of Pembury. By the way if you thought the first half was hard, you ain't seen nuffing yet. There were 2 more KOM points and the road continually kept on rearing upwards, but with a fast run in to Canterbury.
I had a nasty "moment" when turning right, both wheels slipped on gravel, but managed to stay upright - damn German tyres - must get some proper Italian ones

[quote]a Shimano mechanical

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Rode the SCCU 25 this morning with a time of 1:00:17, so yesterday's ride was obviously a good warm up

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

LOL

Forgot to mention, the last 56 miles were covered in a shade under 3 hours, increasing my average for the ride by 1.1mph, and judging from your demeanour at Tunbridge Wells (great food and drink), it was the right thing to do.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Just missed the 7:31 back to London

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Looks about right Sean, and that's a flat stage

The next half is a bit more up and down.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Here's the route:

Guide for Tour De France Stage 1 Recce

Addiscombe
Thornton Heath
Brixton
Elephant & Castle
Westmnster Bridge
Whitehall – St James Park
Northumberland Avenue
Victoria Embankment
Westminster Bridge
L @ RBT
L Chicheley Road
R Belvedere Road Pass London Eye, Festival Hall, TV Studios
L over Blackfriars Bridge
R Ludgate Hill pass St Pauls
Keep L Mansion House
King William Street
Keep L at Monument to Eastcheap
L to Byward Street & Tower Hill
R over Tower Bridge
L into Tooley Street, Jamiaca Road
A200 pass Cutty Sark
A206, Woolwich, Erith to Crayford
A2026 to Dartford
A226 to Swanscombe, Greenhithe
A226 to Rochester
Over A289
L into Strood
OVER BRIDGE (as cannot use Medway Tunnel) out of Rochester on A229
2nd R on unclassified roadto Wouldham
Through Wouldham
L to Burham
L onto A229
Straight run into Maidstone
R at main RBT to Tonbridge A26
Through East Barming, Wateringbury, Mereworth
L onto A228
To Tonbridge on A26 at RBT, through Hadlow
STRAIGHT on to Town Centre
Up through town to Bidborough Ridge (KOM 1)
Stay on A226 to Tunbridge Wells

Straight on to The Pantiles for Lunch

Out of Tunbridge Wells on A264 to Pembury
On to A228
TURN R approx 2 miles after crossing A21 into minor road at Colts Hill
Through matfield, Brenchley, Horsmonden
R on B2162 for approx ½ mile
L at Hazel Street minor road to A262
L on A262 to Goudhurst (KOM 2), Sissinghurst.
TURN R at Sissinghurst minor road to Colford
After ½ mile TURN L at Colford, through Fistenden, Clappers Hill to Tenterden
L on A28 to bethersden, Ashford
R at New Street Farm (2 miles from Bethersden) through Chilmington Green and Stubbs Cross Turn L then R (actual route is right through Ashford Town centre)
Over A2070
R to Buby
L at Chequertree to Broad Oak, Mersham
R on A20 to Sellindge
L in Sellindge, just before Motorway bridge to Hyham Hill
L on B2068, Farthing Common (KOM 3)
Follow B2068
Cross over A2 and L after approx 1 mile
STRAIGHT ON into Canterbury
L at RBT
SO next RBT
L next RBT
FINISH next to Sports Field before RBT (Harbledon)

[Andrew G]

[quote="seanieh(CondorMan)"]:shock:
Enjoy, and use the show elevation function

[Brian Nolan]

thats a clever site Sean ...

well done to you guy's for doing it - that's quite a ride..maybe I'll slip in on the day with a homemade no. ... What was your total mileage Paul ?
big up to Richard and Paul on the Pearson Richard - if you pm me your address or something i can get a cheque over to you for that sub u lent me..
cheers,

[-Adam-]

Conti's the best, pah!

Can't beat a good bit of french Michelin...

c'est la vie!

[jon avery]

Well What i day!! Glad Brian is ok and got home in one piece. I was behind him when he fell, god knows how it happened but he looked like one of those cowboys on the bucking bronco's flying through the air! Then Richard and Paul both needing new tyres made it quite eventfull. Myself and Sean were strugling to hold on to the others with Paul T hardly breaking into a sweat! when we got to Tonbridge Wells i was very pleased when Sean said he was going back and was only to happy to join him on the train. Still i did enjoy the day and thanks to Paul for organising it all.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

My total mileage for the day was 136

I'll try and post my phone pics