This is a bit overdue, but I haven't had a chance to post since Sunday.
So, on Sunday I did the White Cliffs Challenge - a 100 mile round trip,
starting in Dover then heading out across Romney Marsh to Rye before
doubling back up past Ashford to the southern outskirts of Canterbury then
across to Sandwich and down along the coast through Deal back to Dover.
After getting up at the unearthly hour of 5am and scarfing a bowl of
porridge, I got a lift down to Dover with two chaps from the club, and we
met up with another at the start. It was a chilly but sunny morning with
clear skies promising a fine day's cycling. The start was supposed to be 7am
but after milling around for a bit we trundled off at about 7.20, latching
on to the back of a group from another club - a club that takes its riding
very seriously.
About half a mile into the route, the lead riders missed a turn and when we
all regrouped it was our rider, Mike, at the head of the bunch - where he
likes to be. Mike has only one way of riding, and that's as fast as he can
go, so we soon settled into a pretty brisk pace as we got over the initial
undulating terrain out of Dover, and on to the pancake-flat expanse or
Romney Marsh, assisted by a moderate north-easterly breeze at our backs.
The first checkpoint was at Rye, 38 miles into the course. We reached it
with barely 1hr 40mins on the clock - an average speed of nearly 18.5mph,
which is bloody fast by my normal standards, especially over that distance.
I tried to take my turn at the front but couldn't maintain the pace for long
so mostly sat in the bunch and let the serious racing boys do their thing.
After the checkpoint we let the fast riders go off first but we caught up
with them waiting by the roadside less than four miles down the road - one
of their riders had come off, falling head-first into another rider's front
wheel, causing a bit of a pile-up. Fortunately, no serious injuries done to
the faller (she just got back on her bike and completed the course -
somewhat ahead of me, I might add) but the wheel was a write-off, so they
were waiting for someone to come and collect the wheel's rather disappointed
owner.
We carried on at our own pace - around 15-16mph, which was still pushing the
limits of what is comfortable for me, especially as we were now riding into
the wind (which suddenly didn't seem so 'moderate'😉.
The hardest part of the ride came at around 65 miles, up Crundale, between
Ashford and Canterbury. This is a nasty little climb in three stages, each
of increasing steepness - the last part really rears up on you quite
sharply. I took it easy and when I caught up with the rest of my group I
learned that one of them had actually fallen off and had to walk the last
part, so I felt quite pleased with myself for having made it all the way up
by pedal power alone.
By the time we got to the outskirts of Canterbury, I was feeling pretty
knackered and was sorely tempted to just turn off and head for home - about
10 miles away. I had drained both my bidons and eaten the last of my bonk
rations. My legs weighed a ton, my bike weighted two tons, and I was
scraping around for reserves of energy, desperate for a cup of tea and some
proper food. But the next control wasn't for some way yet... I was OK going
downhill but as soon as the road started to incline upwards even slightly I
would just fall off the back of the group. Fortunately, they all very kindly
waited for me so I didn't ever fall too far behind and it kept me motivated
to carry on (and it was a good excuse for them to have a rest themselves).
Next control was at a pub at around the 80 mile point, where squash and cake
were provided. This was also where we caught up with a lot of the people who
were doing the shorter versions of the ride (100km and 50km), which explains
the odd spacing of the checkpoints (there was a final control at around 90
miles).
After that it was mostly pretty flat for the rest of the way, apart from a
long but gentle uphill slog just before Dover, and once we turned south just
before Sandwich we had the wind at our backs again. I eventually limped in
over the finishing line in a time of about 6 hrs 45 mins, exhausted but
happy.
The weather stayed fine for the whole day - indeed, I was very glad that I
had the foresight to leave my waterproof behind and instead pack a small
bottle of factor 30, which I applied at regular intervals. Unfortunately, I
forgot to do my legs so my thighs are now pasty white on the top half and
lobster pink from just above the knee downwards. It would be amusing if it
weren't so sore...
Still, a most enjoyable outing and one to look out for again next year.
d.