Winnershsaint
Guru
I'm reasonable new to this road cycling lark. I'd like to share with everybody my ride yesterday. It was the single most enjoyable sporting activity I have done since the 1992 London Marathon.
I set off from home on mainly flat roads to Twyford and then picked up the road to Henley on Thames via Wargrave. At Henley I turned off on the road to Marlow and followed it out to a small place past Henley Management College called Mill End. There I hung a left into the Hambleden Valley The sky was blue, the scenery stunning and with Red Kites circling like vultures it was just great to be out there. I have to confess this was virgin territory and I'd gone out to do some climbing. With the Anthony Maynard Sportive around the Berkshire Downs only two weeks away I though it would be prudent to head for the hills.
My original plan was to hit the A4 to Burchetts Green and head up Remenham Hill to Henley and then do the wonderfully named Pishill before looping back home. A chance conversation with my next-door-neighbour - a proper cyclist who had ridden around the edge of the Chilterns before realising there was around 2000m of climbing in 50 miles in this part of the Chilterns - and I was pointed in the direction of the Hambleden Valley. He'd mentioned a bit about the hill that led from Turville to Christmas Common and said it would be good training for the Sportive so I thought I'd give it a shot.
The ride along the valley undulated, nothing too harsh just pleasant cycling. I saw signs with bikes on them indicating there was some kind of event on, and lots of riders out and about. Through the village of Turville I passed a bloke and confessed I had no idea where I was heading, but that I knew there was a big hill that I was going to have to climb, he confirmed this saying he was doing the London to Oxford ride (that accounted for all the cyclists) and that he was taking it easy because there was a big hill coming up. Through the trees I could see the road narrow and a hill, a steep one at that reared up at me. I don't know what I'd expected - Remenham Hill seemed steep and Pishill was gradual before ramping up in the last 500m, but this just went up... As I hit the incline it was all hands to the pump- Down to the little ring and then down through the gears. I suppose I thought I could hold a higher gear some of the way up, but alarmingly and way before I expected I was in the lowest gear. The road was extremely narrow and seemed to be semi-sunken with trees closing in on either side which seemd to accentuate how steep it was. I could see the road bend. I was under no illusions by this time that when I turned the corner more of the same would face me. Indeed it did only this time with a large 4x4 coming in the opposite direction. With no reduction in the incline and seemingly steeper bits between me and the 4x4 the last thing I needed was to lose any of my very limited speed. Fortunately the driver made it easy and waved cheerily as I passed. I gave a half hearted acknowledgement, but in reality I couldn't give a shoot. It was about me and the hill. It turned again but the the road upwards remain unchanged. So there I am. I've no more gears left going up what was for me the steepest hill I'd climbed - then suddenly I started to warm to the task. I got out of the saddle, sat back down - took my hands off the hoods and on to the bar tops, and bit by inched up the hill. after the fourth or fifth kink the top was in site. I made it to North End using the small ring but going up through the gears as recovery. Resisting attempts of the London to Oxford marshalls to point me away from where I wanted to go I reached Christmas Common. By comparison the rest of the ride was uneventful. A few ups and downs like Peppard Hill a short 16% descent and then on to Sonning. detouring around the back end of Wokingham along Nine Mile Ride (possibly the worst tarmac surface in southern England) I eventually got home after nearly 60 miles in just under three and a half hours with a loud clicking noise coming from somewhere around the cranks (what's the betting BB folks?)
So my toughest ride yet was over and for the first time I had a real sense of achievement.
I set off from home on mainly flat roads to Twyford and then picked up the road to Henley on Thames via Wargrave. At Henley I turned off on the road to Marlow and followed it out to a small place past Henley Management College called Mill End. There I hung a left into the Hambleden Valley The sky was blue, the scenery stunning and with Red Kites circling like vultures it was just great to be out there. I have to confess this was virgin territory and I'd gone out to do some climbing. With the Anthony Maynard Sportive around the Berkshire Downs only two weeks away I though it would be prudent to head for the hills.
My original plan was to hit the A4 to Burchetts Green and head up Remenham Hill to Henley and then do the wonderfully named Pishill before looping back home. A chance conversation with my next-door-neighbour - a proper cyclist who had ridden around the edge of the Chilterns before realising there was around 2000m of climbing in 50 miles in this part of the Chilterns - and I was pointed in the direction of the Hambleden Valley. He'd mentioned a bit about the hill that led from Turville to Christmas Common and said it would be good training for the Sportive so I thought I'd give it a shot.
The ride along the valley undulated, nothing too harsh just pleasant cycling. I saw signs with bikes on them indicating there was some kind of event on, and lots of riders out and about. Through the village of Turville I passed a bloke and confessed I had no idea where I was heading, but that I knew there was a big hill that I was going to have to climb, he confirmed this saying he was doing the London to Oxford ride (that accounted for all the cyclists) and that he was taking it easy because there was a big hill coming up. Through the trees I could see the road narrow and a hill, a steep one at that reared up at me. I don't know what I'd expected - Remenham Hill seemed steep and Pishill was gradual before ramping up in the last 500m, but this just went up... As I hit the incline it was all hands to the pump- Down to the little ring and then down through the gears. I suppose I thought I could hold a higher gear some of the way up, but alarmingly and way before I expected I was in the lowest gear. The road was extremely narrow and seemed to be semi-sunken with trees closing in on either side which seemd to accentuate how steep it was. I could see the road bend. I was under no illusions by this time that when I turned the corner more of the same would face me. Indeed it did only this time with a large 4x4 coming in the opposite direction. With no reduction in the incline and seemingly steeper bits between me and the 4x4 the last thing I needed was to lose any of my very limited speed. Fortunately the driver made it easy and waved cheerily as I passed. I gave a half hearted acknowledgement, but in reality I couldn't give a shoot. It was about me and the hill. It turned again but the the road upwards remain unchanged. So there I am. I've no more gears left going up what was for me the steepest hill I'd climbed - then suddenly I started to warm to the task. I got out of the saddle, sat back down - took my hands off the hoods and on to the bar tops, and bit by inched up the hill. after the fourth or fifth kink the top was in site. I made it to North End using the small ring but going up through the gears as recovery. Resisting attempts of the London to Oxford marshalls to point me away from where I wanted to go I reached Christmas Common. By comparison the rest of the ride was uneventful. A few ups and downs like Peppard Hill a short 16% descent and then on to Sonning. detouring around the back end of Wokingham along Nine Mile Ride (possibly the worst tarmac surface in southern England) I eventually got home after nearly 60 miles in just under three and a half hours with a loud clicking noise coming from somewhere around the cranks (what's the betting BB folks?)
So my toughest ride yet was over and for the first time I had a real sense of achievement.
