On 18 Feb 2006 09:59:03 -0800, "MartinM" <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
>davek wrote:
>> So, who shall I see in Hailsham this weekend?
>
>Quick RR;
>Urrrrgghhhh!!
And one from me.
Part of the deal for me getting away was that Mrs. Hall got use of the
car. Imagine my delight when I found the only car key amongst my
belongings just as my train was coming in. Ho hum.
Off at Polegate and into the Co-op to get extra supplies. Then 10
minutes up the Cuckoo Trail to Hailsham, dodging dog walkers on the
way. Met up with Colin of the Tandem Club, and bumped into MartinM.
Colin and I set off about 10 minutes before the official start time,
as suggested by Mark Heffer, to avoid clogging the roads with a 110
strong peleton. Not long after we started, so did the rain. On with
waterproofs and got accosted by someone who turned out to be davek.
Onward and upward to the first proper checkpoint, where I guzzled a
cup of coffee and various bits of cake. A quick chin wag, then back
down the hill in the drizzle.
Some excitement: Swooping down a hill somewhere, I applied my back
brake. More lever movement than normal plus graunching noise = missing
brake block. Bugger. Subsequent descents were taken more gingerly.
We soon arrived at Burwash for squash and mueslei bars. Bumped into
MartinM again and we chatted about dynamo hubs. I phoned Mrs. Hall to
tell her the news about the car key, which wasn't exactly what she
wanted to hear. The rain seemed to have stopped, so waterproofs were
removed. Things are rather chilly as the damp underlayers get blasted
by the air, but we soon warm up as the climb up Burwash hill kicked
in. Compared to the last time I did this ride I was going much better
and felt confident. Then a series of uphills attacked, and my granny
ring was pressed into service. The rain started again so we had
another stop for waterproofs. At about this stage we got passed by a
bloke on fixed. Must be Mad Jack himself.
The climb up to Fairlight had me grovelling and swearing in equal
measure. The rain came down harder just as I arrived at El Supremo's
catering wagon. Marvellous. Coffee, cake, sauasage rolls, rice pud and
tinned fruit. Two blokes seemed to be mending a puncture in the
ladies' loo. Or rather mending a puncture in their rear wheel while
sheltering in the ladies' loo.
The weather wasn't conducive to hanging around, so soggy gloves were
reapplied and we shot off down hill. The restorative properties of El
Supremo's rice pud were such that the little ring was banished for
nearly all of the way home, and the miles slipped past. The rain got
heavier and "uphill" got replaced with "upstream" as the word of
choice for ascending. Obligatory dead badger spotted somewhere near
the final info control, plus MartinM who by now had a slow puncture.
And then we were in Hailsham, in the warm and dry. Coffee, chat then
zoot down to Polegate for the train home.
A good day.
Tim
