London in the Summertime

It's hard to believe that we had a summer at all here in London.

Well, the truth is we did - one week in May, one week in June and one week in July !

So in that time I managed to do some speed snapping around the city in between the long, gloomy, wet periods.

Fáilte go Phort Láirge* - from Sean Kelly !

*Welcome to Waterford


The August Bank Holiday in Britain is associated with the last chance getaway to the sun before the schools resume, for those who are lucky. For the unlucky ones, it's another chance to endure a weekend of torrential rain at home.

Fred and I were getting away for the weekend, but to somewhere less sunny and definitely wetter. Not sure if that made us lucky or not !

Well seeing as they always talk of the "luck of the Irish", I liked to think that by going to Ireland, we were lucky !

We flew into Cork, then drove over to Waterford (Phort Láirge), where we met up with Fred's family to attend the christening of his baby nephew.

The journey to Waterford was a very grim affair - driving rain and a cold wind. From the main road, to the left of us were apparently the Comeragh mountains.

We couldn't see any of them through the mist. And the most daunting thought was that we were supposed to be riding up there tomorrow !

Yes, we'd decided to ride the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford. There'd be a choice of distances - 50km 100km or 160km. I was hovering between doing the medium or the long distance ride. However, given the biblical weather we were experiencing I didn't think I'd be riding anywhere the following day !

Still, the spread after the christening was a jolly affair with lots banter plus food and wine in generous portions. And hey, I wasn't going to skip on any of that for the sake of riding 160km !

The following morning turned out to be clear and bright. When we left the house at 7am the sun was just peaking through over the mountains and it began its job of drying up the roads.

I began to look forward to the day. The Event HQ at Dungarvan Sports Centre was a hive of activity - lots of cyclists of various shapes and sizes, and on different types of bikes milling around.

Fred had a cold, so decided not ride. I felt that for all the effort I'd made to get there, and as a way of getting to know the area it would be best if I did the longest route available, so I signed up for the 160km.

The lady on the signing desk couldn't hide her expression of surprise and admiration that here was a young woman from London, still in her civvies, hoping to set off and ride 160km through the mountains in the next half hour. There were many local women who wouldn't dare ride up there. Everyone I spoke to about the ride had mentioned the infamous climb up Mahon Falls. It seemed to evoke a reaction of fear and dread from everyone. I wondered what I had let myself in for.

Once I'd been through the signing on formalities I quickly changed into my kit and followed the other cyclists to the start area at Dungarvan bay.

Just after 8am we were on our way. The early part of the ride was a procession through the local streets with the townsfolk out to cheer us on. We had motorbike outriders to escort us out of the town and there were rolling road closures, which made us feel safe.

I hadn't quite realised just how many of us there were until we were on the main road and I could see a long snake of people ahead of me. There were over 2,000 riders.

All along the route I spoke to lots of riders from various parts of Ireland. They acted very impressed that I'd come all the way from London to do their event. Some gave advice on what the route would be like and what to save the energy for. Mahon Falls was mentioned again and again.

I got talking to a group of women mountainbikers from Portsmouth. One of the women was the mother of a good junior rider who raced for Wildside Racing Team in London. I also met a group of Irish women racers who had raced at World Cup events and knew some of the fast women from the old Rapha Condor squad. Small world.

The first difficulty of the day was Seskin Hill, just outside Sean Kelly's home town of Carrick-on-Suir. It was all very well talking about the steepness of the later climbs but no one warned me about this one. It was just over a mile long, and averaged 10% - the last 500m were at around 16%. It reminded me of Toys Hill in Kent.
A few riders had to walk this section. We were only 30 miles in. How would they cope with the rest ??

There was a feedstation a couple of miles after this, where Fred and the rest of his family were waiting to cheer on the riders. Fred's brother-in-law and a few friends were also riding the event. They'd passed through the feedstop about 15 minutes ahead of me.

Wow, the organisers know how to set up a feedstation ! It was an elaborate affair. Everything was located in a big sports hall. I suppose they didn't want to take any chances with the weather. That's fair enough, but they'd really gone to town by setting up chairs and tables. To be honest the amount of food on offer definitely justified making the feedstop a sit-down affair !

There was the usual pasta and sauce meal. In addition there was rice with other sauces, sandwiches, ham, sausages, lots of cakes, biscuits, a variety of fruit, plus tea and coffee - all this as well as the usual energy drinks.

It's worth mentioning that this cyclosportive, like the Tour of Flanders, is not a timed event. The emphasis is on completing the ride, rather than competing for a time standard.

After stocking up on refreshments, a quick chat and a photo, I continued on my way. The terrain regularly undulated until we reached the intersection.

Then once again came that moment where the group I was with was suddenly reduced to one, everyone else went straight on to do the 100km route, and I was the only one to turn left to do the long route. It wasn't too long before I found a few people to ride with again.

Also at this point the road became steeper and steeper. We were entering the Comeragh Mountains. As I looked up and saw the mountains I realised that my work was only just beginning.

The first serious climb was Powers the Pot. No idea where that name comes from, but you definitely needed power to get up it. The gradient averaged around 8% for 5km. The area above was quite exposed and reminded me of the North York Moors. There was lots of purple heather around.

The big descent was a pleasant relief, but then losing so much ground meant that we'd have a hellish climb to do later !

This came in the shape of the climb everyone was talking about - Mahon Falls. By this time, the sun had gone in and the rain began to fall. I was determined to hold onto the new group I'd found until at least the foot of the climb. I couldn't hold on for much longer beyond that though. The gradient was steep. There were a number of short 12% ramps. I just ground away slowly on my 34x27 compact for around 4 miles. I'm not sure that I had enough gears. Then right at the top, as if you hadn't had enough, the gradient kicked up ruthlessly to almost 25%. I was honking out of the saddle as best I could, and hoped that person in front of me would not just suddenly stop and compel me to use unnecessary energy to quickly switch my line. Luckily he didn't. Mind you, alot of people were walking this section.

Now I understood what people meant. This climb lived up to its infamous name. For me it was a cross between Wrynose pass (in the Lake District) and Bwlch y Groes (in North Wales).
Now I know where Sean Kelly would have gained his strength from to win the Tour de France points competition 4 times, and also the Tour of Spain.

The descent from Mahon Falls required a lot of care - especially on the hairpins and in these wet conditions.

I was glad to have gotten this beast out of the way. Unfortunately the run in homewards was not that straightforward. There was another long drag to endure, and although the gradient was not as tough as Mahon Falls, the Mara road proved to be difficult for me as it came quite soon after the 25% ramp from earlier.


Once over this I was able to buddly up with a few guys and we rolled back down to the main road to take us back to Dungarvan.

The sight of the harbour in Dungarvan was a welcome relief and it was quite a picturesque way to end a long day out in the hills.



Seven hours after crossing the start line I had finished. And I was pleased. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining down on Dungarvan bay - just as it had done first thing this morning. I then celebrated with Fred, at the Sports Centre, which had been converted into a cafe area. It was also the place where people went to have their photos taken with Sean Kelly, and have him sign their finishers' certificates.
The lady who handed me my certificate was quite pleased to see that I'd made it through and I still had a smile on my face.
I didn't get my certificate signed but I took a picture of Fred with Mr Kelly, and thanked him for organising such a great event - including arranging reasonably good weather for the day !

On the fringe of Edinburgh

Once again we made the trip up to Edinburgh. It was a bit of an impromptu excursion as it was my sister who had the idea of going up. She didn't really know the town so I thought it would be good to hook up with her and see the sights.

Also, with the Fringe taking place, what better time to be there.

This time, in contrast to last year, we decided to take our bikes. I took my faithful 'cross bike. Nice and sturdy, and copes with all weather and road conditions - even after a couple of seasons of being thrown around during the London Cyclo Cross League.

The idea had been to take a trip out to the nearby Pentland Hills. But the very gloomy forecast meant Fred did not take his off-road bike and was only going to try some road stuff - if he felt like it.

I have to say the weather ended up being quite pleasant and we hardly had any rain at all ! We ended up doing a big route around the fringes of central Edinburgh - Marchmont, Morningside, Craigmillar Castle and of course Holyrood Park.
We could see the Pentland Hills out in the distance, but alas we weren't equipped to go out and do some of the rugged stuff over there.
Ah, well maybe next time.

We did get to try some of the local rugged stuff on foot - namely walking up Salisbury Crag and Arthur's Seat. The views from up there are always spectacular.









And of course, we did abit of the Fringe. Some good acts, as always - Otis D Crenshaw, Gamrajobat, Stephen K Amos, and a 75 year-old stripper by the name of Lynne Ruth Miller. Anything goes at the Edinburgh Fringe !

I must admit I feel a bit of a tourist tart - only going to Edinburgh during the month of August, when the Festival and the Fringe are on. One of these days I will go up there when the regular locals are around. We can have a day of riding the local club routes. (Edinburgh has a strong club cycling scene.) Then we'll reward ourselves with a good local brew in a small neighbourhood pub, to wash down an authentic haggis meal. And who knows, we might even spot Scottish people in the streets of Edinburgh !




I look forward to making the trip back up again.

Freddie goes to Eastbourne

One day in August, Fred decided to take on the challenge of riding the South Downs Way within a day. It would involve riding 100miles from Winchester to Eastbourne, completely off-road - rolling over rugged trails, through fields and tracks and of course 4000m of climbing over the South Downs !!

"Rather you than me, mate!" I told him. I did have the kindness of heart to give him logistical (and moral) support, and volunteered to follow a parallel route in the car. I would then meet him at various points along the way as he endured his travails.

So on Saturday morning at about 5am we drove down to Winchester. I dropped him at the train station and he began his long day in the saddle at approximately 6.30.

The day started brightly as the sun was out and the view of the downs was beautiful.

I met Fred first of all at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, where he had a quick sandwich and cake, before he was merrily on his way.

By the next stop in Kithurst Hill car park, around five hours later, the sun had gone in and light drizzle began to fall.

As the wind became stronger, the temperature dropped and everywhere became wetter, I figured that Fred would probably do with something hot on his next stop.

He really appreciated the flask of coffee when we met at Ditchling Beacon. It also looked like the wet weather was dampening his spirits as he had to replace his inner tube, having had 2 punctures while battling through the biting wind.

At least he was now past the half-way mark.

The final meeting point at Firle Beacon was a very brief matter - even if it was somewhat hijacked by the local residents !

I was slightly worried about him though, as the rain was falling heavily and Fred said that the final section would have the steepest hills, as well as very slippery paths to negotiate in the wet conditions.

As Fred was taking more than 2 hours to reach each meeting point, I calculated that he should reach the finish line at Eastbourne at around 6.30pm.
As the minutes ticked by after 6.30pm I became rather anxious and worried that he might have had a fall on one of the slippery chalkey descents along the way.

Finally, Fred appeared at approximately 6.47pm. He was wet and bedraggled, slightly frustrated to have made a wrong turning to Seaford, but he was very relieved to have finished - and so was I !

After drying himself off, we made our way into Eastbourne and had a celebratory meal in a Spanish restaurant.

If you want to do it :
Ride it in good weather. Riding in the rain is not easy ! Not only is it an experience to be endured rather than enjoyed, but it takes longer because the reduced visibility means sign reading becomes more difficult. Consequently, more time is used up by map-reading. And that still doesn't guarantee not getting lost !

Plan to do this earlier in the year - preferably around the Summer Solstice. This doesn't just allow more daylight, but also if the weather forecast is not good the trip can still be deferred by a few weeks without daylight hours being compromised. By doing it in August our options were reduced.

A full suspension bike is much more comfortable when riding in such bumpy conditions.

Take extra clothing in case the weather turns cold and wet.

There are water taps at given points along the way, and one or two shops nearby. However, if you are riding to a time it would be easier to either carry your supplies with you or have a support car.

I am very inspired by what Fred did. Completing it in a shade over 12 hours is pretty impressive given the conditions.
Maybe I could try it next year. Better start saving up for a new bike....

Summer Racing Summary - Part 2

So once I'd got my bit of fun out of the way - Beastway, that is - I resumed my regular activity of racing on the road.

I did the Terry Cronin Circuit at Hillingdon. Not the best of races for me, as I went pop on the very windy back straight and lost the pack about two thirds of the way through the race. I rolled in second last.

The Women's Team Series at Naseby was one of the hottest races I've done - both in terms of the race itself and the conditions. In fact when we arrived it felt a bit silly pulling into the car park in the countryside to don bike gear and race. We should have been putting on bikinis and lounging in deck chairs !

With the temperatures into the high twenties and two 12% climbs to negotiate on each lap this race was not for the faint hearted. Each time we climbed, people were squeezed out of the back. It was a real battle to hold onto the string.
(photo by Dave Humphries - dhumphries1@gmail.com)

It was really telling how, for a national level race there was no real bunch to speak of -just splinters of the 45 strong race all along the course. In fact the field began separating out from the gun. I finished 29th.

Ironically that really tough weekend for me paid off - literally. I won £20 as my team, Surrey League finished 2nd in the team competition. (So my dash for the line ahead of the Team Luciano rider was a handy move !)

Also, the day before that I won £12 in a women's omnium track race at Herne Hill. Ok, hardly the stuff that would wake up the tax man, but it's nice to get a reward from time to time.

My other races over the summer were just the usual bread and butter of Herne Hill track league on Mondays or Wednesdays, and Crystal Palace on Tuesdays.

Our last Crystal Palace race of the season was a couple of days ago. It was great to see many people out to "celebrate" our last dose of pain.

At this point I must say a big "Thank you" to the organisers, including Michael Moore, who put on women's racing. For some time, after the loss of women's racing at Hillingdon, it looked like we would have no regular women's racing in London. But the good people at Crystal Palace stepped in and helped out.

So we were able to race from May to late August against other women and quite locally too. Most of the races were won by Charlie Blackman (London Dynamo), and I would usually place in the back end of the field. But hey, I know it's made me stronger.
There's something addictive about that course though. The circuit is so short and changeable that it's like a fairground ride. It's a real adrenaline buzz. Also, the atmosphere is very friendly, and even for those who spectate it was a good place to hang out on a Tuesday evening. Fingers crossed we can still race there next year.

All this racing has helped me get nearer to my goal of earning double my tally of points from last season. Last year I got 43 British Cycling points. This year I would like to earn at least 80. I am currently on 65 points, so if I can keep my momentum going I might just get there.

The new Cycle Centre at Redbridge (aka Hog Hill) is now open, and my next road race will be there. It'll be the London Criterium Championships, and I think it'll be a beast. I thought that I'd finished with the painful stuff when I did my last race at Crystal Palace, but it seems that Hog Hill will be the mother of them all !!
Rendez-vous on 6th September.

Summer Racing Summary - Part 1

The lack of posts about racing posts I've done will probably make people believe I haven't been racing.

Well, the news is me and my bike have seen some of the fast action over the summer. Actually the action was, as usual, not as fast as I wanted it, and what's this talk of summer. I'm still waiting for it to come to the UK !

Anyhow, a brief run-down :

BEASTWAY

After my Alpine break I slowly got back into the swing of things by doing a warm-up competitive event in the shape of the Beastway race at Hainault Country Park. As I'm not really a mountain biker I find these events quite refreshing as given that I'm pretty poor off road I have no pressure or expectations. In fact the last and only other time I did a Beastway race was about 4 years ago on the old Eastway circuit. From the gun I was off the pace, lost in a cloud of dry soil and dust as the herd disappeared away from me. Having been left on my own I had to fathom my way around the course with no one nearby to chase down. Unfortunately, the windy conditions had blown away some of the course tape and when I arrived at a particular crossroads I came to a halt not knowing which way to turn. I quickly plumped for the left hand trail, thinking that was the direction of the course. However, these mountain bike race courses tend to be very convoluted and don't necessary follow the "logical" direction. So within a minute the sight of the herd careering towards me made me realise I'd gone the wrong away.
I was able to duck out of danger. Unfortunately being in the thick of a race does not lend itself to stopping people to ask directions. So I once again I was left just as confused as I was before this incident. And with no marshall nearby, I figured it wasn't worth my while to traipse around losing "precious" time to ask the way. Feeling fed up and hopeless I put me and my bike on the area I felt more at home - on the tarmac, and then rode back to the car. That was my Beastway.

Since those days though, a few seasons of cyclo cross and a few mini mountain bike outings had toughened me up for Beastway races so I decided to give it another go. Fred was there with his club marshalling at the race, so he would be able to point me in the right direction if I got lost again !

Things didn't go too badly in the end. The course wasn't especially technical, there was one energy sapping hill, which played to my advantage given my newly found mountain legs, and most importantly I didn't get lost ! I finished 5th out of 8 women, and this was accompanied by the usual jeers of "how do you expect to do any better on a bike that's had it !" from my London Phoenix mountain bike friends. But hey, it's all good preparation for when I get that all singing all dancing bells and whistles full suss, lightweight dream machine some time............

Run down to be continued.....

Silver Lady !

More Olympic Success !

Big Congrats to Emma Pooley on taking the SILVER MEDAL in the Women's time trial, which was won by Kristin Armstrong (USA) with podium completed by Karin Thurig (Switzerland).

Glad that to see you have your day in the sun.