Just back from the rest of the weekend’s house hunting and in-laws visiting! Great ride. 60 off road on Friday, 60 on road with the guys on Saturday. http://www.strava.com/activities/175029814 (take 13 off for the train.)
Thanks DrP for organising, good idea well executed. Thanks especially for your hospitality on Friday night.
Friday’s off-road was harder than I expected. I’d been in touch with DrP about doing the ride back to front; idea was to leave work early and ride from there, but that didn’t happen, so I got on the train at Waterloo just before the no-cycles cut off at 16:45. I think if I’d missed that I probably would have ridden home.
Off the train at Weybridge. A bit of road and a short section of Thames path got my hopes up for a quick ride down (I had DrP’s words about how long it should take ringing in my ears!) but turning into the woods, rougher tracks, indistinct paths, couple of missed turnings, even with the GPSy on the bars, couple of open sections where the southerly wind hit me… Average speed tumbled pretty quickly! Then the North Downs and the Surrey hills, more climbing, not all necessary – check the track! Great fun hanging on on the way down to Shere, though!
Somehow, I managed to bump gee off here into 4th place on a Strava climb. Only time that’s going to happen! Oddly placed little segment, he was probably taking photos too, or textin’.
Never thought I’d be happy to see the Downs Link, but I loved it on Friday. I’d just lost my nerve about where the hell I was and got the phone out to check. I was a hundred yards from the turning onto the track. A Cookie of Filth (Sainsbo’s triple chocolate) and off for the quick bit. A spot of RAARRH! and I was in Steyning. Genuinely enjoyed it. (Hated my other 2 goes on it!)
It was dark, I was knackered, and someone I didn’t know was being very generous to me, so I took the road to Worthing and met DrP for a “why not?” pint, then back to his a few miles down the coast.
More about the road ride up there^. Good group to ride up with, great to meet you all. Glad everyone’s rides went well (enough!). Great work Toby, glad you made it!
I was meeting mrsrapier in The South of England’s Highest Village, so I peeled off with m1kea (Hi Mike, it was Ed!) and he pulled me round some extra miles at a decent lick. My average speed dropped off somewhat after we split, but well before I hit the hills!
Up for the whole B-L-B next time! I think…