Hundred of Kingston - No Barriers
Saturday 22 June saw me ride from Ealing to the start of the 150+ km Hundred of Kingston Audax. The meeting place was the impressive Alpkit store on Old London Road in Kingston where coffee and biscuits awaited. While there were many shiny new bikes with their shiny young riders, there were also a few older riders (like myself), riders with a variety of body shapes and a rider with one leg (and no prosthetic) whom I had met earlier in the week on the Midweek Tour of the Cotswolds. We all made it to the finish: hence, no barriers!
Although this was nominally a 150 km ride, ideal for those wanting to step up to 200 km, the route provided was 171 km with over 2000m of climbing which included the famous Ditchling Beacon and a short, very steep climb out of Brighton. An easy day out for the shiny young people, a challenge for some but very few DNFs.
Extended Calendar Event
Last Audax year (Nov 22 - Oct 23) I was one of 26 members to gain the Randonneur 10000 award for riding 10,000 km in day rides of 200 km or longer. Audax maintains an All Time list of recipients with just under 100 riders who have gained one award but far fewer who have gained two - all the way to one person (female) with 8 awards. Having gained one award, I decided to move up a step into the group of those who have two awards. When does a challenge become an obsession? You can judge!
A 150 km ride does not count, even if it is more than 150 km. I checked with Martin Malins who administers the ECE events and he confirmed that I could add 30+ km by riding to the event and back home to convert it to a 200 km event. My two rides, totalling 37 km, duly appeared on my results page as 0.5 points. Riders in the main event received instant validation, giving 1.5 points. Total: 2 points towards my target of 100 points for the Randonneur 10,000 award.
Few Few Km in the Lead Group
“Everyone knows” that you must not start off too fast and blow up. Riding on my own in a DIY, I always try to start at an easy pace and conserve energy. On calendar events with a large front group I try to go faster to keep up for the first few km while they warm up at their easy pace; I then drop off and ride on my own or with other slower riders. I kept up, swept along, for about 8 or 9 km before dropping back and riding behind one woman. I passed her just before we crossed the A24 intending to repay the favour of a little shelter from the wind. As she was not happy with my flashing Garmin Varia rear light, I said that I would stop and turn it off. I stopped at a bus shelter to switch off the offending light (on the basis that others might find it dazzling) and to put on some sunscreen as it was warming up. Two more groups shot past, leaving me to ride on my own most of the way to the first control at the Bluebell Railway Sheffield Park station.
Lunch at the Bluebell Railway
Chris had told us in his Riders Notes that he would be keeping “half an eye” on our bikes which we could park along the fence, although he advised bringing a cafe lock if we had one. Anxiety being my middle name at times, I brought along a heavy lock which I did not use because both Chris and the station staff member (in full regalia) assured us that they would look after the bikes. In any case, mine would be one of the least desirable!
Control at the Bluebell Railway Sheffield Park station
The control was open from 11.06 to 13.12; by the time I arrived and got my brevet card stamped at 12.15 most riders had been through but I was assured that I had plenty of time to get to the next staffed control at Saddlescombe. Chris explained that it was on the right just past Devils Dyke Road - info that was to be vital later. He added that the gpx file would take me to the entrance.
Food for riders was served upstairs, with bacon or vegetarian sausages in a hefty chunk of bread. Water bottle refilled in the ground floor cafe, I set off again. At this stage I met Kevin, the rider with one leg whom I had met on the Cotswolds ride. He was making very short stops to allow for his slightly slower riding pace.
On to Ditchling Beacon
I rode on, largely on my own. Shortly before the infamous Ditchling Beacon climb I rode for a short distance with another older rider; we chatted for a while, largely about the reluctance of some motorists to the accept changes in the Highway Code. We swapped tales of close encounters; mine was being “shoulder barged” by an elderly motorist in a Nissan Micra who was having difficulty in urging his car up the hill.
As the road began to steepen at around 76 km, he suggested that I went on; I was to see him at the Rusper control (127 km).
I rode on, hauling my bike with the 2.6 kg Hiplok lock that I really didn’t need. As the gradient reached 11% I saw Kevin ahead of me, pedalling very strongly with his one leg. “You’re a hero!” I breathed, trusting that this was an expression of admiration rather than being condescending. If anyone strapped up my right leg and removed the pedal, I’d probably fall off at about 5%.
The road steepened further and turned again and again until the summit appeared with a group of cyclists gathered in the gravel car park to find the number on the ticket machine, required for the first info control. Duly noted, I rode on. If you’ve ridden the London to Brighton bike ride or done this route on any other occasion, you will know that few photos can do justice to the view and the mix of joy and relief it brings as you ride down towards Brighton.
Circumnavigating Brighton
I was relieved to catch up with a group of younger, faster riders as we reached the right turn on to the busy Coldean Lane. It was a while before we could find a gap in the traffic to ride downhill and turn left across the A27 on to Cardean Avenue. It was somewhere along here that the puncture fairy afflicted one rider and the group split up, with some waiting and others riding on. I stopped briefly and spoke with a man in his fifties or sixties who was doing this ride as his first Audax; I think he said he was not sure whether this would be his first or last. I assured him that there are easier rides!
Ditchling Beacon is hard but, in my experience, the ascent of Eldred Avenue and Tongdean Lane (just after crossing the A23) is harder. My mapping software (plotaroute) shows it at 11% but Garmin - and my legs - show 15% in places. Fortunately, it’s short and the climb along Devil’s Dyke Road is fairly shallow.
Gentle climb along Devil’s Dyke Road
A Different Skill Set
Most of my rides are solo DIYs. The main skill required is to navigate the route on my headunit (Garmin 1030 Plus) accurately and meticulously, documenting any deviations necessitated by roadworks or other incidents. There are no controls for brevet card stamps or receipts to prove passage.
Riding a calendar event requires attention to the distance to each control. Some riders arrive at the start early enough to write the distances on to card or paper which they then stick on their stem; I may do the same in future.
Turning right off the Devil’s Dyke Road, I ascended Saddlescombe Road reaching the summit at 94 km roughly where the Devil’s Dyke Road joins from the left. From here it was a great, fast and highly enjoyable descent to join the A281 at a roundabout; shortly, I stopped and turned into the Rushfield Garden Centre, remembering that there was a stop at a cafe. A quick look at the brevet card showed that this was at 93 km but my Garmin showed over 96 km. Minor panic, or perhaps not so minor as I turned round remembering that Chris had mentioned that the cafe was just after the Devil’s Dyke Road joined from the left. I rode back up the hill, calling out “Seen the control?” to other riders who were descending. Most were going too fast to reply and one group said that they had not found it. I rode past two gravel farm entrances to Saddlescombe NT marked “Farm vehicles only”, reached the Devil’s Dyke Road junction and turned around again. Fortunately I spotted riders leaving the “Farm vehicles only” tracks and rode in to the cafe.
Getting my card stamped, I was assured that I was still in time to finish and that, to clarify, I had about half an hour in hand. So, no mechanicals, no diversions, just ride steadily.
A rider in front of me at the caravan wanted something that would take 10 minutes to prepare, changed to something that would be quicker and went back to his original preference. I chose a piece of delicious cake but no coffee as I did not want to wait. I sat with Kevin for a few minutes until he left in the direction of the toilets. I followed shortly and, cake devoured and water replenished, I set off again.
How, why did I make this mistake? Partly, a question of skillsets - I like to “just ride”. Anyone who misses an info control can generally get the answer from another rider, which begs the question “Why have them?” Staffed controls where the card is stamped are another matter: miss one and you have to go back or accept DNF- did not finish.
The real reason is a lack of preparation on my part. Chris provided riders with three gpx files for the three parts of the route and one larger gpx file of the whole route, which I loaded on my Garmin thinking that the individual files were for people with older devices that might struggle with one file for the whole route. If I had taken the time to load each file, I would have realised that each file ended at a staffed control. Hubris, arrogance, lack of preparation - note to self, take more time next time!
Saddlescombe to Rusper Village
Refreshed, fed and watered. I set off for the next control at Rusper, noting that it would be at 134 km, not at 127 km. Noting also, that my ride would end at 178 km, penance for my stupidity.
Getting tired, I stopped in Punchbowl Lane by Park Farm (shortly before the A24). I was soon joined by inquisitive cattle on the other side of a wire fence.
Inquisitive cattle - Park Farm, Punchbowl Lane
It was here that two riders (the two pictured above leaving Brighton, I think) asked me if I would like to ride with them, rapidly adding “unless you want a longer rest.” I accepted but it was not long before I was well off the back.
They were just in sight on Grouse Road (officially at 121 km) where the route turned left but they continued straight ahead. I called out “Left” but they could not hear me. I continued on this stretch, which Chris had identified in the Rider Notes as having some very up and down roads and not many populated areas. My anxiety streak kicked in fairly hard: were the other two on the correct route and had my Garmin misled me? I was relieved to find that the Garmin was identifying climbs, showing that I was indeed on the correct route to the next info control at Rusper.
At the top of a small climb I stopped and dismounted on Faygate Lane by Rusper Court Farm to delve into my Tailfin bag for food. Ed, whom I had last seen on the Ditchling Beacon climb, assured me that it was only a mile to Rusper where there were seats. Reassured, I set off and met Ed at the village store where we filled in the last info control question - time of the last post on Saturday. Should you ever find yourself in Rusper with an urgent letter to post, it’s 10.15 am.
Ed and I swapped details of rides; when I told him that this was #7 for June and about 130 rides of 200 km since I retired, he told me that there was a word for people like me and that he hated me! He then tried to tell me about an algorithm for challenges which my overheated brain did not take in. Ed pointed out the location of a tap in the garden of the pub we had just passed: vital info for any riders finding themselves out of water with the village store closed.
The two riders who had “gone on” soon turned up and expressed some suprise that they had taken a loop; I said that I had called out but they were too far ahead. Next we were joined by Kevin who made his customary quick stop before riding on.
We were soon joined by younger riders who had the fitness and speed needed for longer cafe stops; there was some disappointment that the village shop was closed for the day and no longer open for ice creams. I set off and was soon passed by them before they turned into a farm with a cafe.
To the Finish
Only 44 km to ride and almost three hours: what could go wrong? Plenty but fortunately it didn’t.
The route from Epsom to the Chessington Road was brilliant - almost traffic free in a highly urban area.
I rode the last few km with a couple of other cyclists, one of whom was as tired as I was: the on-off pedalling style is a “give away”. The route ended at the Park Brew and Kitchen where I received my final stamp at 7.00 pm, well before the cut off time at 7..40 pm. Bike parked at the rear, I made my way upstairs to the bar and asked if they had alcohol free beer. The reply was that they had cans in the fridge, but - when we looked - they had all gone. I settled for a quarter of a pint - that’s not “a thing” - it’s just a half pint glass half full. I chose the beer with the lowest alcohol content at 3.2%.
I stopped drinking alcohol, going completely “cold turkey” overnight, when I bought into the WHOOP system: their guidance is that each unit of alcohol raises the resting heart rate by 1 bpm and reduces HRV (heart rate variability) by 1. Why pay a subscription for data analysis and fitness guidance only to compromise it? (I was going to type “screw it up” but that would be an exaggeration.)
And Home
I left with friendly shouts to and from Kingston Wheelers who were still chatting, eating and drinking. After negotiating roadworks at the foot of Kingston Hill I made my way home to rehydrate. Ride #7 for June completed, 200 km ride #30 for this year completed, back “in the game’” for my second Randonneur 10,000. That, if achieved, will be my last R10000, at least for a while as shorter rides give more time for sightseeing, chatting with others, visiting cafes and taking photos. And, I’ve been told, there’s more to life than cycling; maybe I will find out.
