London to Hastings this April

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StuartG

slower but further
Location
SE London
It's a guy on a full sus MTB fairly motoring along as well it seems if you try to zoom in.
Yes I did the zoom in too. But if you zoom again you only see a broken bit of metal sticking up in the air. No blood though ...
 
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anothersam

anothersam

SMIDSMe
Location
Far East Sussex
It's Saturday the 16th unless the weather is really disagreeable, in which case the mission will be scrubbed.

There will again be blueberry muffins, baked the night before, waiting for you as a reward for scaling Brightling hill.

I like to scare people about the hills,
I like hills. Some more than others. We were warned... that this would be a lumpy ride. Perfect.

Sam has cultivated an approach to hills which is a heady concoction of hedonism, masochism, conscientiousness, necessary deception and brazen effrontery.

There are many roads called something Hill in this part of the world. They are well named.
but judging by other routes I've seen and tried, it could be worse. Call it the "It Could Be Worse" ride.

I've changed my mind. Please don't call it that.

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We'll be stopping, or at least slowing down, at places of historical interest, including the Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs, Down House, Chartwell, Bateman's, and the pièce de ré·sis·tance, Nigel Farage's semi-detatched. There has been an enquiry upthread why I don't just take the most direct route. This is why.

The official finish line is the America Ground. This was land taken over by squatters (so a little like the place across the pond) in the early 19th century. According the Hastings Borough Council's website it had "a reputation for drunkeness and lawlessness," which remains a glittering lure along with the new BMX and skate park.

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london2hastings@gmail.com for more details or my blueberry muffin recipe, though it's no great secret, just add blueberries.
 
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anothersam

anothersam

SMIDSMe
Location
Far East Sussex
I've been checking the weather forecast. Madness.
Scroll down for the artist's conception of the completed pier. You don't want to be around for the next high tide with that giant moon. And the little girl about to ride her bike into the middle of the juggling exhibition – thank God she's wearing her helmet. The couple walking hand-in-hand look like they're in the middle of a long stroll… straight out of the wall. And the older gents, one with a cane, are both wondering if people will think they're together.

godzillapier.jpg
 
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User10571

Guest
I've been checking the weather forecast. Madness.
Scroll down for the artist's conception of the completed pier. You don't want to be around for the next high tide with that giant moon. And the little girl about to ride her bike into the middle of the juggling exhibition – thank God she's wearing her helmet. The couple walking hand-in-hand look like they're in the middle of a long stroll… straight out of the wall. And the older gents, one with a cane, are both wondering if people will think they're together.

godzillapier.jpg
£25.00 to see Suggs & Co strikes me as a very good deal.
Having seen them on a number of occasions, I can vouch that they do deliver entertainment with gusto, brio, vim and other cleaning products.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
£25.00 to see Suggs & Co strikes me as a very good deal.
Having seen them on a number of occasions, I can vouch that they do deliver entertainment with gusto, brio, vim and other cleaning products.
Why yes. Finally saw them at a football stadium near me last year. Most excellent they were too.
 
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anothersam

anothersam

SMIDSMe
Location
Far East Sussex
Meeting 8am, Waterloo Bridge as per last time?
I'll be emailing that info when I confirm if the ride's going ahead

 

Tin Pot

Guru
It's Saturday the 16th unless the weather is really disagreeable, in which case the mission will be scrubbed.

There will again be blueberry muffins, baked the night before, waiting for you as a reward for scaling Brightling hill.

I like to scare people about the hills,
but judging by other routes I've seen and tried, it could be worse. Call it the "It Could Be Worse" ride.

I've changed my mind. Please don't call it that.

faces.jpg


We'll be stopping, or at least slowing down, at places of historical interest, including the Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs, Down House, Chartwell, Bateman's, and the pièce de ré·sis·tance, Nigel Farage's semi-detatched. There has been an enquiry upthread why I don't just take the most direct route. This is why.

The official finish line is the America Ground. This was land taken over by squatters (so a little like the place across the pond) in the early 19th century. According the Hastings Borough Council's website it had "a reputation for drunkeness and lawlessness," which remains a glittering lure along with the new BMX and skate park.

twinned.gif


london2hastings@gmail.com for more details or my blueberry muffin recipe, though it's no great secret, just add blueberries.

What sort of time will you be passing Down House, and what sort of pace are you riding at?

I could join you as you head out of London, as part of a larger training session :smile:
 
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anothersam

anothersam

SMIDSMe
Location
Far East Sussex
We left London 17 strong, chiefly because I had the last minute idea to invite the Hastings & St Leonards Cycling Club, one of the oldest clubs in the country. One guy had cycled up from Hastings that morning and arrived looking barely winded. Let's just say they have some very strong riders.

There was a trifling amount of rain. Hardly worth the mudguards I had installed just for this.

Three or four punctures. Providence inflicted them on dynamos who told us to "go ahead, we'll catch you up." As one of the H&STCCers told me, "They like a challenge."

My here, there and everywhere style of marshalling (google "The fellow is quite ubiquitous") proved inadequate this time around, but most cyclists seem to come equipped with GPS these days, so all was well. Stuart's failed him but he must have a compass in his head because he went through some easy-to-get-lost-in territory yet turned up at the Velo House in good time anyway.

Was pleased to make it up Church Hill in Cudham on singlespeed.

Ran into some old friends who offered 17 sweaty cyclists tea at a moment's notice. Declined with thanks.

My wife passed us going up Kings Hill Road in Burwash in a car full of muffins, juice and water. I very nearly grabbed on, but there were a distinct lack of handholds, save the wing mirror. I don't think it would've held.

I detected a note of disappointment in some quarters that Jack Fuller didn't appear this time.

No sightings of the notoriously belligerent fen raft spider as we swept through the Pevensey Levels. There was a derelict washing machine in the middle of the road. Graeme Obree castoff?

The group disbanded on the St Leonard's-Hastings border, most off for a pint. Half a dozen of us pressed on to the official finish line.

Shortly thereafter we fractured again, this time by accident. In the end, two of us stood in front of the mural commemorating The America Ground. The other of us turned around and headed to Eastbourne for the evening; he's probably riding back up to London as I type this. Beautiful day for it.
 
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User10571

Guest
Getting up Church Hill in Cudham on anything that doesn't have a motor, takes some doing.
Going down it takes nerves of steel.
To the uninitiated, Church Hill, Cudham is one of those roads who's incline is such that you can pop a wheelie, like wot the yoof do, with no real effort - in fact, it is a struggle to keep your front wheel on the ground.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Another excellent day out. And this time I very nearly made it to Hastings (St Leonards, so close but no cigar). As per last year, I opted to get the 5am Southern train into Victoria, for multiple reasons, not least it's nearly half the price of SWT and barely slower that time of the morning. So, after a mere five hours kip, up at quarter to four, on the road at half four. Train ran to time, left it at East Croydon in order to kill time in a positive way and get some more miles in. And at a quarter to seven, even London roads are quiet. Successfully negotiated the tramlines and headed north through Norwood, Tulse Hill (inspiration for one of my favourite song title puns, Carter USM's '24 Hours from Tulse Hill'), Brixton and Kennington, before crossing Westminster Bridge and heading east. Still only 7.45 or so, so I went on a brief and fruitless search for a not terribly expensive cup of tea at Waterloo station & back north of the river before making it to our rendezvous at 8.06, still first there. Shortly thereafter I was joined by the first other of our number (of the Hastings CC contingent), our ride leader, and Claud. Nigel (who I remembered from FNRttCs past) was the heroic/lunatic chap who rode up. Yes, I've done that before, but not before a morning ride and certainly not in four hours (and his route from home would be considerably more lumpy than mine). Chapeau!

Once we were joined by the rest of the CC chaps and gals, off we went. As last year, the initial stages were a bit of a trudge. Those who somewhat optimistically opted for fingerless mitts regretted it in the damp. An extended stop at Crystal Palace park, but we were already making much better time than last year, and that continued. Church Hill defeated me again- I would have had the gearing for it (34x32!!) but my pace went down faster than I shifted, still had two sprockets left when I was forced to put a foot down or risk falling over, and once you stop on that gradient you aren't going to kick off again.

At some point, my Garmin decided to have a return outbreak of a malaise I haven't seen from it in many months. You have a track loaded. Pink line of navigation is on the map. You are following said line. But it's not giving you any directions. Not a problem if you're in the group. When you aren't....At Penshurst I missed the turning east, kept going south as I knew no different and nothing implied I should turn. The last direction prompt the Garmin gave me came some thirty miles back (!). Got to Fordcombe, some further distance south, and realised (a) I'd gone astray, not merely riding on my own somewhere en route and (b) I was at least going the right way, if not the right roads in the right order. Fortunately, the route into Tunbridge Wells and rejoining the pink line was straightforward. Down to the A264, go east, and I'd be in town and back en route. I tried phoning Sam and then Claud (the only two I had numbers for) to let them know what I was doing, neither answered so I just kept going. Got to the junction where I met the route, was going to see on the phone where the Velo House was…then I saw it across the road. I arrived there only about ten minutes behind the rest.

Veto House was only slightly less busy than last year, and most of the waiting staff were still unfamiliar with the concept of looking/asking for order numbers rather than wandering around with the food. Fortunately, my burger was one of the exceptions and was most excellent. Second half was just a teeny bit less lumpy, the pace picked up noticeably, though no-one could describe it as flat. Following Brightling Hill, Mrs W and the refreshment stop were very welcome. Mad Jack's residence looked as fantastic as ever..
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Some biomechanical lawnmowers were in action...
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The Pevensey Levels stretch was a real blast- slight delay due to fly-tipped washing machine excepted. Most of the Hastings contingent took their leave not long after Bexhill (the De La Warr pavilion looked fantastic even without a coach hanging off the roof) to go to the pub. Self and Claud fell off the back of the remainder in St Leonards- Sam waymarked a turn, the others seemed to miss it, we thought they were all going to turn back…in the end we went to the Warrior Square station for the Brighton train. No problem connecting with the next Pompey train, back just after 9.30. Half a ton of grot cleared off the Litespeed this morning, though it was much cleaner than the bikes without mudguards!

Thanks one and all!
 
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