The learning from the rear of the ride.....................
TECing means you don't always get the chance to catch up and ride with people you should. Note to self (1) - must do better.
A smooth exit from London can set the mechanical tone for the ride. We were smooooth.
The Erith by-pass is not the ideal place to repair a puncture, although the passing juggernauts were mostly quite considerate.
I'm beginning to understand
@dellzeqq 's aversion to m*dguards. By the time we arrived on the scene
@mistral was already well on the way to saving the day.
They were probably Millwall supporters - nobbers!
Fixing a puncture on a clean bike is much nicer than fixing a puncture on a dirty bike.
Was it a stoat, a weasel or a ferret? Either way it was dead and
@ianrauk reverently moved it to the side of the road (with his shoe!!)
The
@Trickedem gang sure know how to make cake. And ham and cheese rolls. And tea.
Friday nighters make a great snack for the Chatham midges when attending to a blown tyre.
It's amazing what you can do with duck tape.
And duct tape.
Gentle encouragement can really help people who are digging deep on the hills. Chapeau.
As someone said, the best way to get through Sittingbourne is either over it, or under it. I guess until that option is provided we'll still have to go through it.
Riding without a front light, in the pitch dark, can be magical. Not that I would do such a thing
GoPros work better in daylight. Don't hold your breath for my pictures. Note to self (2) - buy a back up battery
Don't listen to what
@PippaG says upthread about the pace on the ride back to London. She's hard as nails.
The Costa Coffee by the Dartford Crossing isn't as bad a place for a few minutes rest as you'd think. (Sorry to leave you there
@martint235, but I was badly in need of re-fuelling)
The Graveney Marshes Dash is a tradition. So, when the ace
@Agent Hilda released the TECs from their duties after the final turn I decided to make a break for it. Imagine my surprise though to round a bend and see the peloton massed behind our leader like a coiled spring. What was this? Were we laughing in the face of our history? What should I do, hold back and behave or follow
@User30090 and
@martint235 through? Ultimately of course, there was bacon at stake so through I went trying for all the world to look like I wasn't busting a gut and that 25mph is just my normal cruising speed. (Did I fool anyone?)! Note to self (3) - don't make the break before the Sportsman pub otherwise the very slight drag up the hill into Whitstable can take on epic proportions. I'll concede the Martin beat me to the Waterfront, but in mitigation I cite the traffic lights at the roadworks on the seafront (briefly) and the railway bridge lights in the town (longer). We were at the top of stairs at one minute before 7.30am, which coincidentally was the time they started cooking breakfast. Marvellous!
A Waterfront breakfast, the warm sun, a big bunch of friends and the anticipation of a speedy ride back home. A perfect morning.
As for the SMRbtH, that featured some rain (but not much), a couple punctures, getting lost, the A2, perfect timing in Rochester, and the chance work on my tan lines.
See you on the road sometime.
