Back in the Saddle: A winter's ride to Brighton

Astute readers (hi, Mom!) may have noticed that the blogging has been a bit one-sided lately, mainly focusing on Alberto's activities. I've been having a very quiet winter, cycling-wise. Riding a cold 200 in October taught me that I start to get miserable after about 5 or 6 hours of cold feet and hands, so I resolved to keep riding shorter distances in the winter, working on my speed instead.

However, after a 100km day in the North Downs a few weeks later, I had not ridden any rides of 100km or later until this past weekend. In fact, the Christmas holidays, combined with some weekends of illness, snow, and other obligations meant that I had not ridden at all (apart from my 8km round-trip commute to work, and a few laps of Regent's park) in 2013!

I tell myself that it is probably good I had an 'off season', that everyone needs a rest and that I've enjoyed my weekends off the bike. This is all true. But with spring audaxes looming on the horizon, and with me starting to crave the feel of rubber on road, it was time to get back out there.

Alberto and I planned a new route to Brighton from our house (98km) and invited Dan along, who in turn invited a friend, who invited another friend. Soon it turned out that there would be 6 of us headed to Brighton -- five guys ranging from very fit (audaxers) to extremely fit (ironmen) would be my company on my first ride of any length in three months. What could go wrong?!

Machacas in black

We departed from home at 7am and picked up the rest of the guys at King's Cross. Despite my intimidation they were all very nice and seemed up for a relaxed day out. Alberto and I had the only GPSs, so they couldn't go too much faster than us anyway!

We spent the first two hours or so getting out of London. Traffic was light at that time of the morning, but it still reminded me why it's better to take the train out of London. Riding through city streets just isn't the point!

We exited London via Farthing Downs, always a treat, and then out through the North Downs. I didn't feel my at strongest on the uphills, and of course wasn't as fast as the guys, but I felt ok and actually felt stronger as the day went on. At about 11am, after 50km or so, we started craving the warmth of a cafe and some hot food, but all we seemed to pass were pubs which of course were not open yet!

In the North Downs

We all had snacks so pressed on through nice lanes, coming out onto a B road for the ride up Turner's Hill, which was the pretty much the only unpleasant road of the route. Still, any road feels better when you're in a group of six.

Dan asked some passersby about a cafe so we decided to divert to Lindfield, where we heard there was a nice one. We were not disappointed, and everyone was much happier after a bit of a rest and a bacon sandwich. By that time we only had 25km to go, and the prospect of Ditchling Beacon was looming large. I hadn't been sure I would make it, being in such bad shape, but I think the cafe stop did me worlds of good and I felt pretty okay during the final run up.

We passed through Haywards Heath and again on a B road into the town of Ditchling, and then to the Beacon. We had spread out quite a bit by that point, meaning that the fastest guys had a long wait at the top, but I was pleased to take about 12 minutes for my own climb, and Alberto reported that I only finished about a minute behind the guy in front of me -- so my fears of being the weakest link (by far) were unfounded.

Warren summiting Ditchling Beacon

Across the top of the Beacon we got some of what we have started referring to as 'Iceland training' -- stiff winds -- which made the heavier traffic that always appears at that portion of the ride a bit too stressful. After one last little hill it was all downhill to Brighton, where we took some photos by the pier and then headed to the train station to make the quick journey home.

It was all in all a pretty good day out on the bike. I was not as out of shape as I thought I'd be, which proves that my running has been helping! It's always nice to spend a day out with fellow-minded cyclists, and all in all it was a great start to my 2013 season. I'm looking forward to getting back in the saddle again.

Brighton Pier

A night ride in the mist (London to Brighton overnight)

Our last Friday night ride to the coast, which was part of a charity ride for the Martlet's Hospice, has been a little different from previous ones. This was the second time we've ridden to Brighton overnight, but the very first time that we've cycled in extremely foggy conditions since pretty much the M25 (outskirts of London) until the very end in the Brighton seafront.

Getting ready to leave home.

Highlights

• Felt super-awake. More than ever on a night ride. The secret: 1h siesta beforehand!
• Misty conditions made an interesting ride, and even more interesting scenery. Complete lack of scenery I mean. We actually had no clue where we were, even though we had done this ride a million times. Luckily we had our GPS and the Fnrttc marshals to point us in the right direction

Fog before we have even gotten past the M25!

• Lonelyness of the ride, despite the large number of riders, we were riding solo for quite prolonged periods of time. It really feels magical to be on your own, without seeing much more than 15 m ahead of you, lit up by an LED light. Looking backwards is scary, and competely dark.

Foggy

• The absence of cars. Only around the Gatwick area at ~3am we saw a few cars rushing to the airport.
• The climb up Ditchling Beacon. Although usually a proper hilly section of road, with awesome vistas of the South Downs, tonight it seemed like a rainforest. It was so foggy and damp that it truly looked different.
• Lucy made it all the way up the Ditchling without stopping. And all in one piece. And I managed to climb without standing on the pedals, in preparation for the long hills of the Etape Cymru.

That's Lucy's bright light coming up to the top of the Beacon!

At least she's still standing.

• The home-made cakes delivered by the Martlets volunteers! That surely propelled us to the top of the Beacon!
• Getting an earlier train and home by 9:15 am was the earliest we've ever made it back. Neither of us felt like having a fry-up breakfast, and the weather was not appealing...

Heading to the station.

Lowlights

• A fight involving plenty of police and even a few FNRttC-ers in Balham. We later learned that the FNRttCers invovled were police as well who got off the ride to assist before backup arrived!
• Not being able to use our glasses due to the fog. I got drops of mist from trees straight into my eyes as a result...not a nice feeling
• Lucy's stomach cramps and sleepyness at the half way stop. Mate, gotta get used to sleeping in sports halls in preparation for our Super Randonneur 2012!
• My very own stomach got also upset towards the end of the ride. A combination of food and exercise maybe? Need to remind myself to eat home-made only (with the exception of home-made cakes...of course!)
• The ride itself starts to feel quite short after all the long routes we've done this year. We barely rode 90 km from the official start. Perhaps we should aim for a Saturday morning ride post-Friday night ride?

Stats: 112 km door to door, 5 h 52 m riding time, 19 km/h average, 51 km/h max speed.

We'd like to thank all the people from the Martlets Hospice and all the Fnrttc marshalls (standing by themselves in the fog for hours!!!) that made this ride one of the most memorable ones to date.

memories of the night ride to Brighton

Amazing video from one of the FNRttCers

On Friday, May 13 Alberto and I had our first go at a new form of cycling adventure--an overnight ride.

We rode from Hyde Park Corner in London to the seafront in Brighton on a ride that was organised by the fabulous Simon from Friday Night Rides to the Coast (FNRttC). We heard about these rides last summer and Alberto was quick to make sure we signed up as soon as registration opened this year. As the date approached, there was a slight concern that I would have to be away for work that evening, but everything worked out in the end.

On the week leading up to the ride I felt quite nervous. I wasn't sure what to expect. I think I had a vision that everything would be pitch-black except for the beam of my light (we had purchased some good lights!). I was worried about riding in a large group, as its not something I do often, and I didn't know if I could keep up with them. Luckily, I had already been to Brighton a number of times so I knew the distance would not be a problem, but I had never gone over Ditchling Beacon before (having always chosen the other main way to get over the South Downs just outside of Brighton -- Devil's Dyke).

On Friday I arrived back from a work trip at about 5:30 and started to get everything ready for the ride. It was really strange to still have a whole evening at home, as we didn't need to leave our flat until 11pm. Alberto cooked a delicious pasta--stir fried farfalle with butternut squash and pine nuts. Eventually, it was time to get on the bikes and head to Hyde Park Corner.

Arriving at Hyde Park Corner a few minutes before midnight, at first we couldn't find the place where the cyclists had assembled. Then we turned and saw them: a hundred red lights blinking in the distance. We headed over to register ourselves with the ride organisers and Simon gave a safety talk, which I was a big fan of, as I was quite worried about safety in the darkness of the night!

The sight of 100 or more cyclists navigating their way through London after midnight on a Friday night must be impressive... many pedestrians asked us where we were going, and it was so much fun to see their faces when we answered, "Brighton!".

The first two hours or so we spent getting out of London. I have come to see the wisdom of this as it means that you have streetlights for the first few hours of the ride, and daylight comes early as well, meaning you really only have to deal with a few hours of darkness in the countryside.

I was in awe of Simon, the organiser, and the other volunteers, who marked the way and stayed with the slowest riders to make sure that everyone stayed together. To me, it just demonstrated everything that I love about communities--people coming together and giving their time in order to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Everyone on the ride was friendly and supportive, pointing out holes to one another and making small talk at the rest stops.

I felt great for the whole ride. I needn't have worried about being too slow, I think I was right in the middle of the pack and passed a fair number of people, though I was passed by many as well. Being in a group encouraged me to ride faster, and I think the fact that it was dark and I couldn't see my speedometer or what gear I was in really helped me to find my natural rhythm.

Alberto and I shortly after dawn. I stole this picture from someone on the cyclechat forums, but I can't remember who!

As the sun rose and the traffic began to pick up a bit, we approached the South Downs. Just before Ditchling Beacon, Alberto gave me a pep talk and we said goodbye as it was clear he would make it up much faster than me! I was working hard and in my lowest gear almost from the very beginning, but I just kept going, and even passed one guy! I really wanted to make it up and I think it was the mental will that kept me going more than anything else. I felt so proud when I made it the top. Having middle aged machacas congratulate me on a job well done was a nice bonus as well :-)

Cresting the Beacon!

We made it to Brighton at about 8:30am and ate the most delicious and welcome breakfast I think I have ever eaten at the Madeira Cafe in Brighton. But shortly afterwards, I started to hit a wall - having not slept in more than 24 hours, and cycled 115km as well, was starting to get to me. Although I would have loved to stay with our new cyclist friends, I just couldn't take it anymore, so we left and headed back to the station, tired but happy and definitely hooked on the night ride!

A Rough Ride

I guess some rides are just more challenging than others... Sunday's ride to Brighton, despite being quite short at 105km door to door and despite the fact that I'd ridden to Brighton three times already, was a rough one.

The difficulties started early on when the route that Alberto had planned (we didn't want to follow the same route we always do) had some massive hills in it just outside of Croydon. Sometimes there is a reason that routes

stick to the big roads -- these residential ones were soooo hilly. I just wasn't prepared to work that hard so early on, and I was worried about saving some strength in my legs for Ditchling Beacon.

The ride was really pleasant as we left the M25 and continued through the Farthing Downs, but I just wasn't feeling my usual self. Maybe it's because I hadn't ridden in two weeks, as my commuting bike was having mechanical difficulties as well, or maybe it was the windiness or some other unknown factor, but I never quite got into the groove of the ride.

Struggling up Farthing Downs... not a good sign!

It didn't help that there were some parts that were quite literally ROUGH -- the 'road' leading towards Hedgecourt Lake near East Grinstead was more of an obstacle course than a road...it was literally full of huge bricks and rocks and would have probably been a challenge even on a mountain bike! Then later the route took in a public bridleway (unpaved, obviously) which was another adventure!

The whole ride I just wasn't feeling confident about making it up the Beacon and obviously if I was doubting myself then there was no way I'd have the mental perseverance to keep going. Despite the fact that I made it up the Beacon two weeks ago having just cycled through the night, I didn't make it this time. I had to stop for water about a quarter of the way up the hill and then again at about three quarters of the way. The second time I stopped, I wanted to just walk up the rest of it, but the cars were coming quite aggressively from both directions and it didn't feel safe to walk. Instead I found a place where I could rest, ate half of a peanut butter wrap, and waited until I really felt my heart rate had come back to normal, and then continued up the hill.

It was unbelievably windy at the top of the Beacon, but I had to stop and catch my breath and eat a bit more. Alberto was there waiting for me and he had gotten out my windbreaker, as we figured we'd both need the extra layer on the downhill. We proceeded on the downhill against some serious wind, which was both a challenge to the legs and also to safety, as the road heading into Brighton is quite busy and cars were passing us quite closely. I couldn't really keep a straight line against the wind sometimes, so it was really a challenge.

I was so grateful when we finally arrived into Brighton. We got to the train station almost an hour before our train was due to leave, but the weather was really rubbish so we just stayed in the station and got some food.

All in all I wasn't too impressed with my performance on Sunday. There were however a few minor victories:

• I have finally learned how to drink water while on the bike! I still feel a bit nervous about it but am very glad I learned before the hot summer days kick in (if they ever do). I know practice will make perfect!
• Got to try out my new windproof gilet from Condor. I bought it on sale on Saturday and boy was it a lifesaver! Don't think I'll ever go on a ride without it now

Oh well, here's to the next ride!