The 1st PVT Brighton trip of the year.

[Andrew G]

Another excellent Brighton run by OS Guru PVT, top notch route today there and back.

[quote="Andrew G"]Nice one, but tell Keith he has to use his commuting bike and we're allowed to stick bricks in the panniers .

[Robh]

Hi Andrew,

The 2hrs I was you guys before I had to turn off to get back home (did a total of 4rs today) the avg speed was 19.1mph. The weather was great but for us small light guys we got battered about a bit from the wind.


Rob

[Andrew G]

Just a little update as I've heard from Ant.

His crash happened on the run in to Brighton and he was behind a car, didn't see the lights change to red, car stopped he didn't . He managed to brake and fold the front wheel sideways so the bike didn't hit the car much (no damage done to car or bike) but he went face first in to the back window (estate car) but avoided an Ullrichesque situation of finding himself sitting in the boot.

He was mainly fine and walked to the roadside okay, but had plenty of claret leaking on the floor from a nose bleed. Also a small cut on the chin and above his top lip.

Anyway he's been to the hospital and had a few stitches but otherwise fine, but wanted me to say thank to everyone for helping. He's now off for a beer to numb the pain, speaking of which "Sean Award of the day" to Dan who had a can of lager with his lunch

[Del]

An excellent and very windy day!

First club run to Brighton for Andy K and I, who have been riding in the 17s and occasionally 18s since joining in November last year.

I was a bit worried we'd hold the guys back, and although I bounced on and off the group quite often on the way down, they were always in sight and the regrouping at junctions kept us all together.

I struggled more with the wind and pace on the way out for some reason, but felt much stronger after a Hot Dog and Tea on the front and stayed with the group ok as we put a fair pace on back to Horsham. As Andrew said, Andy K was struggling a bit at this point, although he'd done well on the way out, so we dropped off and took it a little easier. Came back through Horsham, up the dual carriageway to Crawley, the turned off via Charlwood and stopped at the cafe for a tea, just to make it feel like a normal club run.

Huge respect to Keith for riding his commuting bike with its impressively sized pannier. I was slow away from the front at Brighton when the wind was at its strongest. Keith dropped back and towed me back to the group, then went back and got Andy K. Big thanks to Keith for that.

Glad to hear that Antloony is ok. He was bit of a mess at the side of the road. I know how he feels as I used my chin 2 years ago to stop myself when I went over the handlebars on a cattle grid on Dartmoor.

Very impresed with Dan's seafront beer consumption, which he told us followed on from more beer the night before. He said he wanted a fag as well. He also bought a couple of pork pies for the return trip, which Andrew assured me should always be eaten at the 80 mile mark of a sportive, to replace salt and neutralise the effects of too much energy drink, gels and bars.

All in all, a great run well organised by Paul and a chance for a couple of new members to get to know some more people, and to stretch ourselves a bit more.

[Ian A4size]

Very impresed with Dan's seafront beer consumption, which he told us followed on from more beer the night before. He said he wanted a fag as well. He also bought a couple of pork pies for the return trip, which Andrew assured me should always be eaten at the 80 mile mark of a sportive, to replace salt and neutralise the effects of too much energy drink, gels and bars.

Thats the spirit, tho i thought he had given up the gaspers when he grew hair, went blonde......

I saw the group return to croydon when i was driving home from doing a bit of shopping.

There were a few ACC riders in Butlers , I bet their wives, boyfriends think that they ride for 5 hours on a saturday- instead it's just a cafe hop.

[Snoop Doug]

We didn't take the tunnel train today, nope, we took the 11.52 from East Croydon instead.

Looked for, but couldn't find any yellow and black by the sea
[img]http://i31.tinypic.com/214e1j5.jpg[/img]
Had great fun wave dodging on the beach
[img]http://i26.tinypic.com/14c4ew6.jpg[/img]
I was overcome with excitement and had to be rescued by lifeguard Keira (note new improved pecs from all the training )
[img]http://i32.tinypic.com/2uj1d2p.jpg[/img]
Had some fun at the fair
[img]http://i28.tinypic.com/2zss2l0.jpg[/img]
Then Keira went all arty on us in the bar - great day, tad windy mind
[img]http://i29.tinypic.com/2vjbvjo.jpg[/img]

[Ian A4size]

......if you wanna be a record breaker.... cue trumpet solo #94

[adrian]

Great day out yesterday. Glad to hear Ant's OK - looked pretty nasty, with more blood than you ever want to see outside someone's body and a painful-looking, tooth-shaped cut above the lip. Good decision to get the train home, I should say.

I was also amazed by Keith's prodigious strength. At the top of the Beacon, people were trying - and failing - to lift his bike up. But what impressed me most, as a regular faller-over at traffic lights, were his (Keith's) track stands

No huge novelties on the way down - my chief memory is of a Green flash whizzing by me on the last bit of the climb up the Beacon

It was pretty blowy on the way down, but the sun came out good and proper for us as we were having lunch - I felt vindicated for having put the sun block on at 6.45am:

[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2008/2303894799_2d29c7029e.jpg[/img]

The pace picked up quite somewhat after lunch, with Mr PVT running late for his Horsham rendezvous. It calmed down a bit after that, and my main concerns were a) the toothache brought on by a Powerbar and b) that the convenience store at Faygate (?) didn't sell pork pies . Oh, and I think I lost a glove there, as well.

Even so, the sunlight reflecting on the chalk downs of Box Hill had a curious come-on effect. So Hal, Dan and I bid a sudden farewell to the others at Newdigate and got the extra miles and hills in.

It wasn't so much that I found Box Hill itself a struggle; it was more that my legs just wouldn't cooperate as Hal and Dan edged away ahead of me, and I thought I was in for a painful hack home. But the (horrible) pasty I had at the top seemed to have the desired effect and I felt pretty good the rest of the way.

Got home well satisfied with the day's exertions, and with 122 miles in the bank.

Thanks to Paul T for organising and leading, and to everyone for making it a jolly agreeable day.

PS # Medication, uh-huh-huh... #

[Andy K]

A Great day out and thanks for the encouragement along the way!

I was keeping up on the way out but given the wind, terrain etc. it was a little faster pace than I would normally maintain for a longer distance ride. It all started to take its toll on the way back and I was suffering a little. Special thanks to Keith for dropping back (on more than one occasion1!!) to give me some shelter as I tried to regain the others.

Not wishing to hold up the group too much and being back in familiar territory, Del & I left the rest of the pack just south of Horsham for a recovery paced ride home, with a much needed tea and banana stop at the Charlwood cafe just before it closed!

Thanks again guys - excellent company - thoroughly agreeable day! ... also glad to hear Ant is recovering well!

[Antloony]

oooh ouch.....Ive got face ache.

Thanks for all the kind words guys, hope my face didn't put you off your sea side snack to much.

Ive got 7 stitches in the cut aboove my top lip, they glued the one on my chin back together. Must say a special thanks to Mr Green and Tamar who was an absolute angel in making sure I got to the walk in centre in Croydon in one peice. I waited 2 hours there to be seen only to be told to go to A&E as the cuts were to severe to be treated there. I rode home back to Sutton with blood still dripping from my face where I got cleaned up and my mate took me to St Hellier hospital. 2 hours later Im stitched up and on my way home.

The swellings really come out today and I look like I've been 12 rounds with an angry gorilla, Ive got whiplash and Ive banged my knee to but otherwise Im fine. Its a good thing the misses is away and cant see me like this, got a week to heal before she's back.

Otherwise was a great ride down there, managed to hit 53.2 mph, fastest Ive ever been on a bike.

Once again thanks for all the help and kind words, hopefully see you all next sat.

[Andrew G]

[quote="Sean"]Who is that in full FDJ summer kit?

[Ian A4size]

But he looks almost........human!

[Brian Nolan]

ouch - hope you are feeling a bit more comfortable now Ant.. shame you had that spill as you were going really good ! prob v wise to head back on the train as the leg from Brighton to Shoreham was v tough in the wind and , with Paul T in head down mode was pretty relentless..
Full marks to Guru Paul for an excelent route - shame it was so windy but it made for a good workout !
I should have took the turn for Box Hill with Hal, Adrian & Dan but thought that would be harder than the club run in reverse ... Even though Andrew was doing great work up front and looking pretty strong the ride home took ages when I just wanted it to end !
all in all a great day out - thanks lads ( and Tamar !!! ).
cheers,

[adrian]

Nice one, Brian - thought you were looking in imperious form yourself.

Actually I forgot to mention that as we got up to the promenade after the lunch stop, we came across a protest by dog-owners ("It's our city too!"). Apparently they (or, more accurately, their dogs) have been banned from certain parts of the city - presumably those parts that people don't want covered in dog poo. I was going to say something ill-informed on the subject but decided to keep it shut, not knowing the full story - perhaps it wasn't just about poo?

So I had to laugh at the irony when I got home to find my overshoe, shoe and cleats caked in the stuff

[Brian Nolan]

ooh - nasty !