My Stage 1a, a week last Tuesday, was on a dour windy day, and the first part of the ride was not so cheerful either. From Selsdon across to join the route at Dartford was a 20-miler I would not ordinarily choose for pleasure. As for the Tour’s Dartford-Rochester stretch, well, if mid-Kent is the Garden of England, this is its urinal, all grotty industrial sites, mournful Thames vistas and lorry-clogged roads surfaced worst than Surrey’s lanes.
Rochester and the Tour route onward brought a vast improvement, especially the Pilgrim’s Way down to the main A229 to Maidstone and on to Tonbridge. Most places still had the barriers around, some villages even still had them in place, three days after the event, so a bit of atmosphere lingered. From Tonbridge, after a 66-miler, I trained back to Orpington. Sturdier types looking for a ton-up mileage might want to ride back through the lanes Chiddingstone-Linpsfield way.
Stage 1b, Tonbridge to Canterbury, with trains either end, was planned for this past Thursday. Or at least that was the initial plan …
A sunny, near-windless day was a rare (lately) gift. I was surprised that both Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells seemed almost as traffic-clogged as Croydon. The real pleasure riding came after a right turn off the main road near Pembury, along narrow winding Kentish lanes, past quiet Matfield village where I’d seen the Tour pass, and Brenchley, the Halfway House pub there having been a main viewing point for a large ACC and local CTC bikies group. Renowned Goudhurst, with the drag to the main road, then up the stiff high street climb to the church formed the second Tour prime. A local shopkeeper who had an eye-catchingTour memorabilia window, told me they’d been told to expect a crowd of up to 50,000, but it was estimated to be nearer 70,000, probably making this and Tenterden, some 12 miles further on, the top Tour supporting villages. Incidentally, I thought the first prime around Southborough out of Tonbridge no big deal, but the wickedly steep rear-up just before Matfield would have made them work for their KOM points.
After negotiating the Ashford traffic jungle, I thought I was making good time for a mid-afternoon train back from Canterbury. A missed left turn outside the town put that out of court. I found myself ploughing a frustrating furrow down the A2070 for many miles. I do not wish to see this boring newish main road ever again. Dead straight, very busy, rough surfaced, there seemed to be no turn-offs for many miles. Out of drinks and in the glaring sun, I swear I spotted a train of Arab-led camels (or maybe it was just the Romney Marsh sheep). Finally came a main roads roundabout. Straight on, Rye-Hastings, left, Romney and Dymchurch, right, back to Tenterden …er, so where was Canterbury?
Stressed-out phone calls to son Andrew in his Aldgate office, with some internet map checking there, confirmed my worst suspicion. I’d ploughed mindlessly way too far due south instead of east then north. Despite his good instructions I again missed turns to take me back in Canterbury direction. So I gave in, and pounded back to Ashford for a train.
Doh:
better take a good map next time rather than be over reliant on flawed from-the-saddle judgement, and just on fuzzy PDF map printouts and the complex routing instructions from the London ‘Grand Depart’ website (http://www.tourdefrancelondon.com) , These were useful, but needed good OS map support. In fact, once I’d calmed down, I reflected overall on this and the earlier ride as very satisfying efforts for a bikie way, way past his best years. With 83 miles on the computer, I’d easily surpassed my age-related mileage target of 71 (a personal aim now; this could get difficult a decade on). And a 2-bite stage total of 149 miles surpassed the real Tourmen (we won’t talk speeds or hours en selle). I should now be able to do longer up-front turns on the enjoyable Just-for-Fun clubruns usually led by John C. and Tim. 
Anyone fancying Kent outings based on the Tour route would be advised to give the big town areas (and certainly Thamesside) a miss; especially Ashford-way the Chunnel influence seems to have increased high-speed traffic flow way beyond a cyclist’s comfort zone. The network of quiet lanes on and around the route is much preferable. And from my experience, the extensive Kent rail network will allow several possibilities to extend your riding well away from the Brighton Road axis. (Though the pricing structure is odd; it is cheaper to take an Orpington-Canterbury return, ignoring the biked stretches, rather than a single Orpington-Tonbridge and single Canterbury-Orp’n). Well, roll on the next Tour en Angleterre visit. From the feeble first-week crowds through northern France, Le Tour would welcome a return trip, too.
Roy
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