Got up to Selsdon Park Hotel just as the Caisse d' Epargne were about to go on their training ride just before 11 this morning.
Approached them and said hi I was a local rider and if they needed a ride I would take them out, they told me about 3 hours 90km so I said alright follow me
I thought I would take them on the club run route so we headed off through Sanderstead and down to Purley.
I was on the front with one of the team and we were all flying along 2 by 2 formation.
At the start there was a paparazzi motorcycle taking lot's of pictures of us and even a journalist who had hired a taxi to shoot us all together.
It was great and after a while Rob from Addiscombe hopped on the back of the group for a ride.
It was amazing I was towing the whole Caisse d' Epargne team around every time I looked behind me I was riding with Valverde, Pereiro and Karpets etc
They wanted a tour/route that was niot too much traffic so I warned them that it was busy until we hit the lanes after Merstham,
After we turned left just after Reigatethey were well chuffed with the route, I was taking them on the whole clubrun ride, I even thought about seeing if they fancied a cuppa at the cafe.
We were being followed by the team car and Mechanics van, it was a propper afair. Akll the cyclist we passed were waving shouting at us.
Valverde punctured at near Leigh so we had a brief stop where I was given an energy bar and drinks by the team manager.
Up near Charlwood we were coming to the sprint so I had to get it just ahead of Pereiro
Valverde came up front and did a couple of crazy digs off the front after Charlwood, believe me I've never seen anyone so effortlessly accelerate away before.
A few times when we pulled away from a stop off one or 2 of the riders
started riding up the wrong side of the road
Don't worry noone got run iover we just all ripped the piss out of them and I reminded them we were in England
Pereiro and Valverde came up front so I took it easy for a few miles and sat on their wheels,
I asked them what did they want busy traffic but diect route to hotel or quiet roads no traffic with a 2km hill?
So I had to take them left at Newdigate to return via Box Hill, I'm sure they could handle it
After another refreshment stop we turned right into Box Hill and I was right on the front at this point.
Then Valverde and another guy Sprinted off the front, Valverde looked over his shoulder and cheekily egged me to come too so I gave it large to try and get up to them,
They were absolutely flying up there and after the first hairpin I lost contact, I was in no mans land then just after the second hairpin Pereiro led the rest of the group straight past me Vladimir Karpets was on the back in the big ring just looking like it was nothing and all the others were out the saddles.
I sprinted to try get back on but no way, I've never seen a group go so quick up a hill before, they are aniother league altogether.
Then the team car came up to me and he signalled for me to hop on behind for a nice tow up to the top
A nice steady cruise back to the Hotel via Coulsdon and finally Valverde and I gave it large again up Purley Downs Road
Oh what a clubrun what a day I can't believe it, I'm still pinching myself
