Cracking day out, should have eaten more and drank more...
To bed at 22:00 but only an hour of actual sleep the rest being that fitful clock watching kind and awake at 03:00 before my alarm to grab a coffee and some porridge before departing at 04:00 to ride down to Tilbury.
First hour of that was without the streetlights which makes riding in the dark a great experience however the suicidal deer and foxes darting in and out of parked cars made it interesting! Passing through the fridge graveyard of Fort Road, and despite trying to ride to a set speed I was quicker than expected and at the ferry for just after 06:00 and caught the 06:20 across to Gravesend. I took my time on the short ride up to the start.
Big number of riders signed up for the ride, over 100, not sure on the final number of the road but it was like a mini reunion of people I’ve met on rides previously…. unfortunately my usual memory for names failing me in some instances. I made sure I bought my train ticket home from London whilst I had a coffee to give me some added incentivisation to finish the job in hand…
Start was at 07:30 prompt and I made sure I was at the front to avoid any complications at getting through the cycle gates on the way out, but it turned out to not be a problem. The first 20km comprised of the climb up to the highest point of the ride near Wrotham and was in to the wind. I seemed to have picked up a train behind me and chatted with Alan but they soon started to overtake as my initial efforts up hills started to become slower.
Despite the headwind, which wasn’t to bad, the day was turning in to a fantastic mild spring day with the sun breaking out.
I rode through Hadlow with Ross and Ian who told me about the Victorian folly of Hadlow Castle – quite an impressive structure. Shortly after in true Audax style, my riding partner changed and Tom the organiser had caught up with me, we chatted on and off all the way in to Headcorn airfield where Tom used his frequent flyer points to access the VIP lounge whilst I had beans on toast sat outside admiring the Dakota on the strip. From here I set off with Garry to enjoy the ‘flat section’ thinking that the Marshes started from this control… 30km later we left the last of the climbing in High Weald exiting via Isle of Oxney onto the Romney Marshes with a lovely tailwind. Second airfield of the day was a museum and then further in to the marshes with the first signs of trouble in the seat department on my left sit bone which started to get really painful on the run in to Hythe.
The climb out of Hythe was a steady one with a couple of Wolves patrolling the Zoo fence at Port Lympne. Garry had promised some Alpacas just after the climb, but I didn’t see any here. A rolling lane heading over the M20 brought the third airfield of the day.
I soon reached Wye just as the railway crossing was being closed and had a bit of a wait there. Some more rolling up and down and happily watched two full size ASK21 gliders flying out of the Kent Gliding club as I approached Charing. It was getting close to the end of the working day for those that hadn’t taken the day off to ride and the traffic was starting to build.
When I got to Hollingbourne I was on familiar territory from when I used to fly model gliders and enjoyed the trip down memory lane from here through to Detling. Bonus was three Alpacas just before Hollingbourne!
Penultimate control was the Shell garage on the A229 which I used to stop at to grab something to eat when flying and then over to Borstal and across the Medway in the dark. Rolling again with a long climb up through Cobham I was soon in the Arrivee enjoying a cup of tea and some soup before starting the 38km ride in to London for the train home.
I’d plotted a mostly cycle path based route which worked out well.. a bit of a climb up along the A2 and then cycle paths along the A296 / A225 which unfortunately meant whilst traffic free they were in to the oncoming traffic and their headlights making it hard to pick out the road surface at times. Still no interaction with cars which was good for my tired brain. The route was mostly stolen from Tim Decker’s commute in to London and also the Friday’s Whitstable ride and worked well. I crossed the Thames at Woolwich tunnel after a fantastic decent down Bostall Hill where I hit 63kph on quiet roads but had to stop at the traffic lights.
Once across the river it was mostly CS3 but at Silvertown I badly bonked and inhaled three packets of Haribo to get me to the station. I was now quite a bit past my target time for the station as I hadn’t noticed how slow I had been on the last 20km due to the lack of fuel and tiredness. When the Haribo kicked in I screamed along Cable Street and was in to the station in time to board the 22:02 with 300km done and the first of my PBP qualifiers completed subject to verification. Too late to make the beer festival in Chelmsford I opted for a pizza and then to bed sober.
More pictures here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5rcmpJDieqVtyYU68