Downland Sportive report - 15-04-2010
Tales of the Downland Cycle
Sportive of Sunday 11th April. From Eddie Land
The forecast for the day
was: max of 14°C with a strong East to N/E wind and the occasional
spot of sunshine so I decided to wear Roubaix bottoms, a long sleeved top and
gillet. Some rode in shorts and even bare arms.
There were two distances on
offer 110km and 100m. I elected to enter the 110k.
The event H.Q. was Downland’s
premises close to the centre of Canterbury which proved to be a yard with their
buildings on three sides.
The weather was in the single digits and breezy, in fact I was almost shivering as the time of start of 09:00 approached.
Each rider was issued with a
number to fix to the bars and a numbered card to hand in as we started.
I set out with a group that
turned out to be largely composed of 100m riders.
We headed Nth and to get out of Canterbury in that direction there was a long hill to climb to get atop the ridge that overlooks the Thanet Way-this climb was a bit near the start for an olden especially as it was cold. From here we continued in the direction of Boughton/Whitstable and had the mansion at Boughton in view before turning South Westerly and crossing the A2 into South Street. By this time the 100 milers were on a loop packing in some extra miles. From here there was a rider from Greenwich Tritons who shot off up the road, myself and another. Myself and the other rider-who never declared his name-were feeling the strength of the wind and although he was very strong on the flat and a good descender he wasn’t a bit and bit man so we rode side by side. On commenting on how strong he was I said ‘mind you I am probably giving away 20 years’ he asked how old I was. When I responded 66 he said I was dead on 20 years his senior and his dad was 2 years younger than me and did nothing. Then onto Ruckinge on the B2067 and then Eastwards and that wind.
From here it was on to
Shotenden , Molash and Challock Lees and R at the RAB and on to Wye. The climb
out of Wye was a Wrotham in length and about the same gradient-here the rider
with me dropped back but caught up with me soon after the R turn towards
Smeeth-just North of the A20 and East of Ashford.
The climb from West Hythe to
Lypme was hard with the first part being a one arrow (between 14% & 20%) with the other guy being dropped and reappearing just after I had resumed from
stopping and opening an energy bar wrapper-in fact the wrapper was so tough to
break open that the energy bar was consumed to replace the energy lost in
opening it.
From here it was into Hythe
and a short run negotiating the Sunday traffic. It was at this point that the
other rider said we only have the climb out of Hythe to the A20 and then it’s
an easy run in and we should get shelter from the wind, well that proved to be
untrue. He said he would catch me later but he had a surprise coming as did I.
The climb North out of Hythe
was another Wrotham job with quite a steep bit but not amounting to a one
arrow.
As I approached the RAB on
the A20 the Channel Tunnel Exhibition
Centre could be seen below and on looking round the other rider wasn‘t in
sight. It was then an R eastwards and L into Newington, here was the surprise-another hill with a one
arrow section right on a tight L turn, in fact the inside of the bend must have
been 20%or more. The climb was another of Wrotham in length
and as it flattened out there were 2 guys taking photo’s. From looking at the
photo website it seems that these guys spend much of their weekends taking
shots of Sportive Riders.
Now at about the 83km mark
it was generally North and here the wind hit you either from the right or face
on at full tilt. The sun decided to have an afternoon nap and the temperature
soon dropped, in fact when I drove away from the event the car thermometer said
the external temperature was 12.5 so add in the wind chill!!!!
Onto Lyminge, Rhodes Minnis
and quite roads to Canterbury. Along this stretch my speed was down to 16mph as
I battled the wind blowing across the fields.
Canterbury was buzzing with
cars but it was easy to get to the H.Q. Only one sign had been missing on the
route and that was one that had already been replaced.
I completed the ride in 4h
12min riding time but the certificate said 4h 14min which would account for
traffic lights and the opening of the energy bar wrapper. The other guy never
caught me, the two hills so close together had proved his undoing such that he
wasn’t able to make up the lost time on the approx 26km run in from atop the
last climb.
Many had started out in
shorts and a few had bare arms as well arghhhhhhh.
The event was well
signposted, there was free drinks beforehand and afterwards and lots of free
cakes.
Well done Downland Cycles.
Average speed was 15.5mph.
Why not join me in an event.
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