Alternate CR - Sat 2nd Feb

[Mike I]

Top ride this morning, thanks Andrew. Got the weather sorted as well.

I was one of those who sensed the sound of cracking whips, but got home to "Are you back already? It's so nice we thought you'd stay out for a couple more hours". You can't win, can you folks? Actually, by the time I'd dropped down into West Wickham and made my way up Crystal Palace hill (where I was passed by a girl, but she did look quite fit ) I felt that my day's work was done anyway.

What's all this about 7am starts on a Sunday? Plenty of time for that when the TT season starts, surely.

[Antloony]

Good write up there Mr G. Sure was a beautiful day, really clear and some gorgeous views on the way back.

I was a bit worried at first as my left knee has been giving me grief all week but thought 'what the hell' and went along. Was fine after the 1st 5 or so miles. Felt really strong today (as mentioned by Andrew) and feel Im getting better and better all the time. Got a long way to go to catch Carl though...he just goes away from you like your stood still.

Im getting better at Toys now, paced myself up there and saved enough to even accelerate up to Kasper (though he was suffering today).

It really was a testing but great route, some fantastic down hill sections as well as horrid upwardly ones.

It was so funny at the start when we hit St James...there was one great groan in unison from us all followed by lots of huffing, puffing and swearing.

Hightlight of the day, the blonde in the Audi beeping at us to get out the way at the junction at the bottom of Toys decent. Did we give her some stick or what, quite comical really.

Thanks to Andrew and all those who came along, made it a great day.

Cheers

[mlocke]

Andrew, i have been feeling a bit rough the last few days this week so really didn't fancy struggling round Kent so I just did the usual club run.

Sounds like it was good though

Mark

[Kasper]

Thanks again Andrew for a well organised hilly ride. Only losing one rider round today's route is quite an achievement!!!

As you may well have noticed i really started to struggle round the second half of the course and was severly tempted to bail out for home at a couple of points. However thanks to your patience and waiting for me at the junctions I soon realised what i'd be missing out on if I aborted the mission early. Mainly the cafe and something to eat although you're right Beaver World was a wholly unexpected pleasure!!!
The cafe could'nt come soon enough I'm afraid due to an enthusiastic session of spinning at the gym last night!!! That's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it!!

It was a big group we had and I think this explains some of the drivers impatience to get round us at some of the busier junctions, but no-one came to blows so just the car drivers letting off steam methinks. That blonde in the Audi was a looker though wasn't she??

Mark you missed a good ride and I also wondered where you'd got to after spotting you at CSS. Sorry to hear about the ice taking down riders on the club run. You'll be glad to hear there was some ice around today as well, the worst section coming about a third of the way up Toys Hill of all places. Unnerving when your rear wheel starts to wheel spin and your only going at a snails pace!!! However thanks to Carl's eagle eyes and early warnings no-one fell off. Just don't turn or brake as you go over it I find is the best strategy.

After the cafe stop I felt a surge of Bacon sarnie fuelled power come over me and flew away with Ant on the start of the home leg. This ride really needs an earlier cafe stop for future events Andrew .Paul on the Pearson was also going really well up the climbs today and deserves a mention, not least for making it all the way round the whole fifty plus miles despite not being out much recently. Well done all (even those who had to dart home for fear of missing the rugby or have i got that wrong? )

See you next week for the old ports reliability ride, bar any last minute spinning classes

[carl f]

Great ride today,thanks to andrew and everyone else,great to be back out with the agreeables,its been to long!
Apart from the odd oik with tinted windows shouting 'you bunch of .....' and the odd smug tank skimming past us, it was a fine jaunt out to the rolling hills of kent
Considering it was such a lumpy route,i think we kept the group nice and tight with some of us doing more work than me on the front
One mile from the reptile cafe and andrew found a surge of raw power after sniffing the bacon sarnie and tea on the brew
Thanks chaps,great day's riding and nice to meet some of you for the first time
See you at the swan for the old ports next week
Carl

[Andrew G]

You're lucky I gave you a cafe stop at all , that's the first time I've stopped on that loop you're just looking for more excuses . The cafe is only about 40 miles from CSS, it just feels like further, and is a nice reward for a hard ride. Put it in any earlier and you'd break up the good training of the loop and your legs would seize up making the hills that followed really hard work until you got going again.

I'd forgotten about the ice on Toy's I managed a stationary spin at one point as both wheels slipped simultaneously. Fortunately the tyres then gripped as I didn't fancy trying a rollers session on that incline

[carl f]

I know we are!,it was only after the constant moaning for 20 miles about no cafe stop that you let us have a break

[Antloony]

I hit the ice going up Toys as well, just spun my back wheel round (suprised I had the strength to do that)

And whats this..people moaning about a late cafe break, why, us hard'uns never usually bother to stop (because we're stoopid)

[Grant Barnes]

Well what a glorious ride yesterday - some spectacular scenery and well as some nasty climbs. Thanks again to Andrew for organising a great ride. Not much to add after the other posts - some notable performances by Carl, Toby, Andrew, Mike and others. Some were suffering although from their own admission from over training look forward to the net one.

[Jonathan B]

Great ride and a good workout which should be good prep for next weeks old ports ride. Cheers to Andrew for leading the way. There are some great routes and lanes out that way and its a shame we don't ride out that way more often.

[Paul on the Pearson]

Great ride Andrew on some roads Ive never been on before. Great weather and great company and when I got in, changed and crashed out in front of the telly, switched to channel 12 it was an episode of Top Gear I havent actually seen before!!
See you Sunday.