Pascal's Parlour

Pascal's ebay chic parlour, complete with original 70's wallpaper and stuff. We are staying in the chrome room.

After breakfast of pan et cafe in soup bowls we set off cross country (Jane had the map in her tight fists) to 'paul's friend's maison.To say the place is a work in progress is right. Send in DIT SOS and Nick whats sis name:)

Dover

Somewhat inclement weather met us at the port. We can only hope for dramatic improvement in conditions for the journey to foreign shores. Godspeed and fair winds.

Limousin Countdown

I haven't touched the bike since last Tuesday, the little case of tendinitis in my knee after stupidly setting my saddle too high on the hard tail hadn't settled completely. And after a hard 82km last Tuesday, it was still a bit irritable so I've stayed off the bike. It means I've missed a few 'polishing up' training sessions.

Jane is going fairly well and it's looks as though I'll be hanging on to her wheel :-)
I got the bikes together today: Jane's Giant came back from Greg's ktted out in new bits, she took it out today and insists that even at a kilo heavier than the Santa Cruz it climbs much better! I've put my best wheels on the giant for her and this removes the best part of that kilo. I've got the old hugi/dt's on mine. Obligatory new tyres,tubes, pads, chains and cassettes on both bikes too.

Whilst we're away I shall be texting pics and words to lco, who will be posting on here.

Sunday Road Ride

Today was like summer!The forecast said sunny spells. It was 14'C when we set out, culminating in a heady 22'C when we stopped to fix Jane's puncture.

Today's ride was to be a steady road ride to test a slight lateral knee tendinitis I'd picked last week after forgetting to drop the saddle on my hard tail, which I'd lifted for Jane to try the week before. I'd taken the week off and been subjected to some ferociously aggressive treatment to my pelvic and leg muscles from Jane:-o

14'C mmm I fell for that one last week, so two layers and some long finger undergloves beneath my mitts. I also put leg warmers under my longs to keep the muscles warm along with a judicious amount of deep heat!

Our destination was Balcombe, a small hamlet with a lovely tea shop, a favourite ride of ours if we need an out and back steady ride through the lanes in Surrey and Sussex. Paul was going a lot better this week and was attacking every hill, me and Jane were taking it very easy, me because my legs were very sore from Jane's tender administration she calls treatment :-)and Jane because she's done shed loads on the bike recently.

And so it went; Paul flying up the hills and me and Jane keeping it steady and trying not to run into Paul as he freewheeled the descents. I did a couple of little pokes to see how the leg was, and Paul was on me like a rash! He wasn't going to miss a jump this week :) The knee was good.

The quandary - I would love to ride the hardtail at the gtl,but don't want to risk a knee problem. So I must default to the last working configuration, which is me and the Santa Cruz :-)

In all a pleasant spring ride 82km in 3.15 ish with 1250hm.

April Showers!

April is the cruelest month,

breeding lilacs out of the dead land,

mixing memory and desire,

stirring dull roots with spring rain. T.S Eliot


What a difference to last week, my on bike thermometer reads 14'C at 10am as we set off. The trails have dried out a lot since last week, never the less we head toward the sandy areas of the North Downs.The forecast today is for sunshine and heavy showers coming in from the west. Out across the Roughs as before, but instead of snow it's bone dry. I keep a steady pace on the front, paul behind me and Jane at the back. Her Giant is in the shop for extensive refurbishment before the GTL, she's riding my Blur; doesn't like it very much and is a bit tentative on anything technical. We push on out to Abinger through Deerleap and the sky starts to darken in the West, but beyond it is blue sky. I decide to head west to try to get under the cloud and through to the other side before the impending deluge. Over the A25 and off-road around the back of Shere, picking up the pace a bit as the sky darkens. There is a flash of lightning off to the side of us followed by a deep roll of 'summertime' thunder, and we start to feel a few big drops of rain as we cross the blue sky/cloud interface. 'Here it comes'. I shout behind me. And suddenly it's hammering down and we can barely see the trail in front of us, my thermometer now reads 6'C. A change of 8'C in a few minutes.........'til April is dead, change not a thread'. My grandfather's voice says in my head. We push hard again and can see the tantalising blue sky ahead of us; just as it came it's gone! The bubble bursts and we break through into the sunshine. The trails are now sodden and so are we. I'm beginning to feel a bit cold as we drop down past the cricket club at Albury Heath at the top of the sandy climb, just as I'm warming up, I hear a shout. Paul has snapped his chain! I put my coat on and roll back to him, his quick link has sheared! Worringly it's quite a new chain.

Note to self: remember to put a couple of these in for the GTL.

Across Albury Heath we grind throught the damp sand. There's always very little mud here due to the sand, but impossible ride in the summer when the sand is dry. Albury Heath/Blackheath is a large sandy, fairly sparse flat woodland with a googleplex of wide sandy interlocking bridleways. Consequently, I always get lost here:-)

Two years ago an application to remove gas from this area was submitted. Apparently, there are 80 billion cubic feet of methane underneath here. The company wanted to draw it out, but also use the space as gas storage during times of low use. The locals were up in arms fearing the worst. But the company came in, built a small pumping station over a couple of weeks and I still haven't found it yet :-)

The 2nd left looks as good as any and I take it, I hear dissent behind so I know it's the wrong one :-) I press on, if I show any doubt then Paul and Jane will stop and discuss which is the right way for an age:-) My bluff works and we arrive at a place I know.... phew! Through little London and back off road to Dewdney's Well. This is a long steady climb up what is effectively a stream with a rocky bed at this time of year, at the top it kicks to the left up a steep rooty climb. I can see Jane's front wheel from the corner of my eye and she starts to half wheel me....interesting! Through the centre of Peaslake and up a short road climb to Holmbury Heath, we cut straight across here to do some rooty ups and downs. On the last descent I spot a new way down and flick to the left, Paul follows me. It's very steep and mined with wet roots and finally goes under a very low thick branch. I've got my chest on the saddle and I feel it bumping on every spinous process and removing the waterproofing from my jacket:-) Paul is too tall and can't get beneath it. Over Paddington Farm down the scary slippery drop, over the A25 up the muddy, strength sapping, hole in the wall climb and we're back to the Roughs heading towards Deerleap.

Someone aways attacks on the Deerleap, a 1km section of wide sandy bridleway with a couple of 90' turns, culminating in another 1km section of rough potholed track. Traditionally Jane attacks here, but this year me and Paul have been stronger. (we'd raced through the winter and Jane hadn't) So the last month or so it's been me that's attacked with Paul chasing me down, then we'd ease up for Jane.

As we approach I see Jane swallow a gel..... interesting! Paul enters the section 1st with me close behind. I decide to attack early and jump him on the left bend, I catch him completely by surprise and quickly get a 100m on him. I look back to see him giving chase and Jane is on his wheel....interesting. I ease a bit to let Paul close the gap, only a bit though :-) Just as he gets to my wheel Jane attacks hard on the left(a classic move, attack as soon as the group comes back together) I jump to get her wheel, I glance back and Paul's missed it, he can't get my wheel. I turn back to Jane's wheel and she's two lengths ahead! I close the gap and we're away. The old Jane is coming back. Hurrah!

Great fun.

ps in his defence Paul had done a track session the day before.

foto by lco

Snow!

Today the snow arrived, it's a rare and momentous occasion when a fall of snow coincides with a weekend ride day...hurrah! But!! even rarer and even more momentouser JD came out to play....double hurrah! 'I need to ride my bike before the GTL' she says :-) Julie is very fit, she commutes a bit and runs alot most days.

So four of us set out in the in the deep snow, but already it was wet and within the first 100 metres my backside is soaking wet. Once off road the snow was still squeaky in places, though where people had ridden or walked, water flowed freely. Already I was beginning to feel a bit chill on the downhills and just ok on the ups!

Out through Westcott and across the Roughs, here the snow was deep. This helped warm us up a bit and was great fun because the it was soft and squeaky with loads of grip. We then dropped down the lane into Abinger and take the back lane up to Holmbury. This was our biggest mistake of the day. The whole lane was flowing water running off the fields we were drenched in our own spray. We turned off at Holmbury to take the hill to the old fort.

From here the whole of the Surrey Weald was brilliant white, including the Wick of Gat where all of the flying machines were grounded. The three km's of climbing to the top had kept us 'not too cold' and now from this point everywhere was down. We headed down toward Peaslake. after ten minutes of descending through ice cold spray from the trails, I was freezing. Even the Mighty Dinsdale was feeling the cold, especially when I heard her say 'Is anyone else dangerously cold?'

On the drop into Peaslake was the icing on the cake and I was in serious pain, my hands were screaming. I dropped my bike and ran into the village stores and walked around pretending to shop and trying not to whimper as my hands came back to life! .......I've had enough, I'm going home!

Everyone's in agreement and we set off for the 16 km's home across country. I'm still cold and remember that I've got another waterproof stuffed in my back pocket. So, I sprint ahead to generate some heat before I stop to put it on. We carried on pushing hard to get home, praying not to get a mechanical or a puncture.

Eight hours later and my hands are still slightly tingly.

If it snows in the GTL, we'll be ok. :-)