I rode the Kidderminster Killer yesterday. Due to a [censored] on the
navigation front I was 25 minutes late for the start, but eventually
finished about 2/3 of the way down the field.
It was a superb ride. We had good weather, the controls were all
welcoming with excellent food, and the route sheet was perfection. At
the finish my recorded distance was within 1/2 kilometer of the claimed
202, which is remarkable.
With 3 AAA points you would expect it to be challenging, and it was.
The route up Long Mynd was the longest stretch of continuous 23%
gradient I have ever encountered. I got about 1/4 of the way up before
wimping out and walking. A few riders did make it all the way up, on
ultra-low gears, but were not that much faster than the walkers. The
views on top of the Mynd were outstanding. The whole area is extremely
beautiful.
The main pain was getting home again. I'd gone up by train to Worcester
the day before. From my finishing time I knew I wouldn't get a train
all the way back to Twickenham and expected to have to ride from
Reading. However, when I got back to Worcester at about 21:00 there
were no trains at all going in even vaguely the right direction.
I therefore decided to ride from Worcester to Oxford and try to catch
the all-night bus to London from there. Some way short of Chipping
Norton I started to lose the plot and had to doze by the side of the
road for about 1/2 an hour. I got to Oxford at about 03:00 and at 03:15
found what I thought was the correct bus stop. By 04:25 I realised my
mistake and managed to locate the correct one this time, about 1/4 mile
away.
I finally got a bus (The Oxford Tube - it take bikes) about 04:55,
reaching Shepherds Bush at around 06:10. Home by 06:45, listened to
Mark's piano practice (without nodding off) and into work (almost) for
09:00. I may have drifted away slightly once or twice during the day,
but actually got some useful stuff done. Going home now and looking
forward to an early night.
--
Dave...