Thought I'd missed my chance to do a wafflycat and get out
for a nice ride in the sunshine this week. However, after
lighting rocket under parental bottom, the meeting that
wrote yesterday off took place this morning, and I managed
to scramble and got the train at lunchtime to
E.Grinstead.
Set off from there to negotiate traffic, roundabouts,
high-street, on my lonesome (and without much in the way
of signalling abilities, too) - and managed not to get
lost this time (sustrans route marking really is pants
round there).
Ignored the cycle lanes on the roundabout just by the
station - they lead cyclists around the very perimeter of
the roundabout. Even I can see that's daft and just asking
for a car to plough through you cos they've assumed you're
also leaving the roundabout. I cycled round it taking up the
whole lane, well away from those red things.
Generally found it ok - was aware pulling out round parked
vehicles is a little trickier if you can't stick an arm out
brazenly then pull out, but managed it without incident, and
all the drivers gave me plenty of room when they passed (and
waited patiently behind quite a bit) too!
Once onto the offroad part of route 21 (heading for forest
row, then possibly on to groombridge) I could relax a bit
more and really enjoy
Ea. Very good surface - well packed down fine gravel, and
my audax tourer with 700x25 tyres handled it fine (now
that I'm not as tense the bike is a little better at
not twitching here there and everywhere!).
Quite a few other cyclists/walkers out, including a couple
of what looked like seasoned touring cyclists who I passed
twice (we seemed to have had the same idea but started from
different ends)! I have to admit I think I was the most
visible of the lot, given the bright yellow (and black!)
jersey I was covering my overly ample figure with - everyone
else seemed to have gone for more camouflaging attire ;-)
Forest Row came and went - with a little bit of puzzling
over where the route vanished to - the answer was discovered
down the side of a fence, rather than continuing along the
(rather potholed) access road.
Eventually Groombridge arrived, and I got to the end of that
section of route 21, with a HUGE grin on my face, but also
the knowledge that despite riding with the wind very
slightly against me, it had all been downhill so far! I
decided I was too hungry to turn back, so peeled off toward
groombridge village in search of food, thought twice about
it when I saw the hill going up, then decided if it wasn't
marked with chevrons on the map then I'd be able to walk up
it, if I didn't manage to cycle it.
One stop later (to let a couple of vans past) I got to the
top - another achievement - didn't expect to manage it, but
as usual the lowest gear and triple chainrings made it JUST
bearable. Long swooping glide down the other side (thinking
oh no, I have to cycle back up this) and found a closed
bakery and - thank goodness - a corner shop that wasn't, but
which did sell bananas, and other assorted stuff. One banana
isn't enough, but I didn't realise that at the time.
Cycled back up longer hill, and managed it with just one
stop (again for cars, handy that) then down and retracing my
route back to e.grinstead, but with the added factors that
a) my legs were tired now, b) they were telling me this, c)
my hands had decided they were tired too, and d) it was a
mild incline nearly all the way!!
At forest row I started to have doubts that I might not
catch the train back, and end up on one that would mean
changing at east croydon to get home, but east grinsted soon
arrived sooner than I thought - though I opted to walk up
the last cyclepath part to where it joins the road - far too
steep for the tired legs by then!
Discovered cycling at 6mph in traffic isn't as scary once
you realise the traffic is only supposed to be doing 20mph,
but still hard work going up the high street, before it's
downhill to the station, and home
- and I couldn't be bothered to wait for the train on the
very last leg, so cycled the one train stop home (another
first for me doing it solo).
All in all (as you'll have realised by getting this far and
not giving up reading) I was dead chuffed today. 25 miles
from door to door, my second ride of the year (and apart
from 10? miles last weekend, last time I cycled was sept
last year).
Also rediscovered that grinning leads to increased protein
intake. Good job I'm not veggie any more, and wasn't riding
a recumbent ;-)
Can't wait to go do it again!
Velvet