London to Brighton - how did I do? Read on......
Discussion
So, London to Brighton. The tale of an unfit, middle-aged man who was given the entry to this year's event was discussed here - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=156...
Given its been 25 years or so since I properly rode a bike, I had a lot of work to do. I sourced a bike off a certain internet auction site, a lovely Genesis Vapour, and started on some training. I was building up from a start point of around 8-10 mile runs to 22 mile runs within the first month, with a couple of 30 milers in the run-up to yesterday. My main concern was the hills, however. In retrospect, I hadn't done enough of them in my training, and I knew they would be an issue for me. The team changed in the last few days up to the run as we lost one man to illness, another to work commitments, but managed to gain another who had wanted to do it and was able to fill one of the spaces. Anyway, I digress. My 3 team mates are much fitter than me, but luckily we rode very much as a team, and helped each other when needed.
A 7:30 start time from Clapham meant a very early start for us to get into London. We were waved off by our partners and children and made the start line in plenty of time. We had set ourselves the target of getting to Brighton in 5 hours, that we felt was respectable. The run out of London was good, a nice gentle ride, and whilst difficult to maintain the group at times due to other riders, we managed to stick together and keep up a good pace initially, eventually breaking free of the main throng. The climb to Chipstead Golf Club was the first gradient that threw itself at me. Unfortunately, getting boxed in by a couple of slower riders and having to stop to let an ambulance through, made me lose my rhythm. Catching up to the others at the top, I started to realise what part of the issue was, and that was confidence, especially on the descents. Whilst the others were able to speed past, I was still nervous about taking the downhill sections as fast. I would also find myself riding into the left hand side, and this is when I would get boxed in behind others, reluctant to try and pull out when I envisaged much faster riders coming through.
Our first stop was at half distance, an official stop down near Gatwick. At this point, we had taken 2 hours to get there, keeping us pretty much on schedule. I knew the second half would be much tougher with more hills, including Ditchling. Riding with the others brought me back a bit more confidence and we rode well as a foursome, swapping the lead out and drafting when we could. Again, on a couple of the faster downhills, I'd let the others go, and catch up with them when they slackened the pace back after their short bursts. The one thing you couldn't knock was the spirit of the residents of the towns and villages we passed through, shouts of encouragement, cheering and the offers of refreshments. Very heart-warming.
Our second, and final stop was around 3/4 distance, just before Ditchling. By now, this was the furthest I'd ridden and I could certainly feel it. I suggested to the others that I would meet them at the top of The Beacon, and they should just set their own pace until then. We set off, with the finish line in Brighton as the next stop. We rode in twos until the start of the climb, and just a few metres into it, my left leg felt like it was on fire. Rising temperatures and the realisation that I had nothing to prove, I decided to walk the climb. Walking with a group of 4 others, we chatted away about our day, and the camaraderie between everyone was just fantastic. I found the other 3 waiting for me as promised at the summit. They had managed to cycle up the hill, and I was thrilled for them. We had always said, the two most important things for us was to aim for our time, and finish together.
Upon setting off again, I realised that I had an issue with my right shoe, as I was struggling to engage the cleat into the pedal. So I kept riding, trying to manipulate the cleat into place, giving the others time to catch me up. At this point, my older brother-in-law, has told me that he had text his wife to let her know that we would be at the finish line in about 15-20 minutes! The race was on! The pace was set, but I wanted desperately to prove myself, so I took the lead and increased our speed dramatically on the first section of the descent into the city. The fastest part of the downhill presented itself, but yet again, nerves took over, and I started braking, only for the others to catch me, two of them passing me as we hit the city limits. Our ride down to the finish line was as a foursome, and despite a headwind, we crossed over the roundabout onto Maderia Drive as a team to see our partners and children cheering us as we finished. The challenge was completed in 4 hours 18 minutes including stops, 3 hours 43 minutes riding time.
So, how has this made me feel? Happy that I completed it, and did so as the team we set out as. The cycling bug has certainly bitten me again, although perhaps not as much as some. I enjoyed the day, and I loved riding out as a team, although I'm not sure I would want to join a club to do it. Maybe after a couple of more long rides I would, but who knows?
I loved that accomplishment, I loved my bike, and I know I can get more confident the more I ride. I just need to practice those ascents now, as we are planning on doing it next year.....
Given its been 25 years or so since I properly rode a bike, I had a lot of work to do. I sourced a bike off a certain internet auction site, a lovely Genesis Vapour, and started on some training. I was building up from a start point of around 8-10 mile runs to 22 mile runs within the first month, with a couple of 30 milers in the run-up to yesterday. My main concern was the hills, however. In retrospect, I hadn't done enough of them in my training, and I knew they would be an issue for me. The team changed in the last few days up to the run as we lost one man to illness, another to work commitments, but managed to gain another who had wanted to do it and was able to fill one of the spaces. Anyway, I digress. My 3 team mates are much fitter than me, but luckily we rode very much as a team, and helped each other when needed.
A 7:30 start time from Clapham meant a very early start for us to get into London. We were waved off by our partners and children and made the start line in plenty of time. We had set ourselves the target of getting to Brighton in 5 hours, that we felt was respectable. The run out of London was good, a nice gentle ride, and whilst difficult to maintain the group at times due to other riders, we managed to stick together and keep up a good pace initially, eventually breaking free of the main throng. The climb to Chipstead Golf Club was the first gradient that threw itself at me. Unfortunately, getting boxed in by a couple of slower riders and having to stop to let an ambulance through, made me lose my rhythm. Catching up to the others at the top, I started to realise what part of the issue was, and that was confidence, especially on the descents. Whilst the others were able to speed past, I was still nervous about taking the downhill sections as fast. I would also find myself riding into the left hand side, and this is when I would get boxed in behind others, reluctant to try and pull out when I envisaged much faster riders coming through.
Our first stop was at half distance, an official stop down near Gatwick. At this point, we had taken 2 hours to get there, keeping us pretty much on schedule. I knew the second half would be much tougher with more hills, including Ditchling. Riding with the others brought me back a bit more confidence and we rode well as a foursome, swapping the lead out and drafting when we could. Again, on a couple of the faster downhills, I'd let the others go, and catch up with them when they slackened the pace back after their short bursts. The one thing you couldn't knock was the spirit of the residents of the towns and villages we passed through, shouts of encouragement, cheering and the offers of refreshments. Very heart-warming.
Our second, and final stop was around 3/4 distance, just before Ditchling. By now, this was the furthest I'd ridden and I could certainly feel it. I suggested to the others that I would meet them at the top of The Beacon, and they should just set their own pace until then. We set off, with the finish line in Brighton as the next stop. We rode in twos until the start of the climb, and just a few metres into it, my left leg felt like it was on fire. Rising temperatures and the realisation that I had nothing to prove, I decided to walk the climb. Walking with a group of 4 others, we chatted away about our day, and the camaraderie between everyone was just fantastic. I found the other 3 waiting for me as promised at the summit. They had managed to cycle up the hill, and I was thrilled for them. We had always said, the two most important things for us was to aim for our time, and finish together.
Upon setting off again, I realised that I had an issue with my right shoe, as I was struggling to engage the cleat into the pedal. So I kept riding, trying to manipulate the cleat into place, giving the others time to catch me up. At this point, my older brother-in-law, has told me that he had text his wife to let her know that we would be at the finish line in about 15-20 minutes! The race was on! The pace was set, but I wanted desperately to prove myself, so I took the lead and increased our speed dramatically on the first section of the descent into the city. The fastest part of the downhill presented itself, but yet again, nerves took over, and I started braking, only for the others to catch me, two of them passing me as we hit the city limits. Our ride down to the finish line was as a foursome, and despite a headwind, we crossed over the roundabout onto Maderia Drive as a team to see our partners and children cheering us as we finished. The challenge was completed in 4 hours 18 minutes including stops, 3 hours 43 minutes riding time.
So, how has this made me feel? Happy that I completed it, and did so as the team we set out as. The cycling bug has certainly bitten me again, although perhaps not as much as some. I enjoyed the day, and I loved riding out as a team, although I'm not sure I would want to join a club to do it. Maybe after a couple of more long rides I would, but who knows?
I loved that accomplishment, I loved my bike, and I know I can get more confident the more I ride. I just need to practice those ascents now, as we are planning on doing it next year.....
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