The Women's Tour 2014

Olympic Bobsled run Sarajevo

For those of you missing the Winter Olympics and looking forward to the first round of the MB downhill in South Africa

Windy Day

Saturday a week ago. 4 people in the car park . Is that record from recent times for a day when there was some sun and no snow on the ground?
It should have been 5 but I was late and then to make me really late I had a puncture .
I missed the group who had kindly waited until 9.55.
Subsequently I met up with Steve Rooke who saw me in a lay-by mending my second puncture and stopped to see if he could help. He could -I mended the puncture with his repair kit as my glue less patches were use-less as well as glue less.
We rode round together via Pitch Hill and Weare Street all the way back to Wimbledon.
We came across 3 roads blocked by fallen trees. This is on the  road south of Sheere just leaving the village.
It was more exciting on the road from Newdigate to Dorking where the tree had brought down the power lines and the Electricity man helpfully let us through provided we bent low as the lines were only a few feet above the road
An interesting day.
Nick

The man who lived on his bike

Tonight's Evening Standard

See Aqua Cycling at bottom of the page.
I did that on Saturday.

Tuesday mtb

A slightly shortened ride today after a collision between Roger and Niall. Roger was a bit sore and thought it was wise to go home.

Xmas lunch

To Barnes Green for our belated Xmas lunch. A lovely sunny day and the waters are receding.

Flooded Surrey

This weeks club ride was a real adventure as I cycled through the flooded lanes of Surrey. As it was the first Saturday of the month the club meets at Betchworth and so it's a little further to ride out. I had Mark W for company out through south London and up and over Epsom Downs. Even up here the roads and fields are awash with water and the associated debris that gets washed down onto the roads.
When we arrived at Betchworth there was still plenty of riders taking the opportunity to get out on their bikes as the forecast was for sunny and warm (for February) weather.
The A group were all chatting and were the last to leave and it wasn't too long before we met the B+ group heading back towards us, having not been able the get any further south due to the flooded roads around the river Mole. Returning back towards Reigate we got a bit further but there were still plenty of flooded fields with the excess water spreading out over the road and into the adjacent field. We got through these but this one was enough for Andy Hicks to turn round and try and find another way to our lunch at Westerham's Tudor cottage tearoom.

The river Mole was spreading out over a large area

This boys plan how to get through .

Cars were driving through this section and it was infact only up to under our bottom brackets and so we could get through without too much trouble.

I managed to get through this without getting my feet wet.

It was great to see a near 100% turnout in club kit. I turn a blind eye to our Routemaster Trevor,  because he does such a great job organising the routes each week, e-mailing out a GPX file to download to our garmins, together with a weather forecast, each Friday evening. And this week he took on the additional  role of testing the depth of the flooded roads.

This section of road was the deepest we found

This was the deepest yet and the water was up to the wheel hubs, so it was wet feet from here!!!! The drag from the water meant you had to push quite hard to get through but we all managed it. So after we headed away from the river Mole and on through Horley where a car was stuck in the water that was trapped under the railway line.

Barry taking the plunge.

Once away from the flooded lanes we headed south, but I was struggling to stay with the group. No excuses but I just couldn't keep up. We've probably all been there but I was off the back all the way up to Turners Hill were I told the others I would do the appropriate thing and Turn(ers) for home, as the name suggests. As I stood by the road eating the food I had in my back pocket, I saw this sign which got me thinking I needed the training or else I wouldn't make it back into the A team.... I headed off on the same route that Trevor had planned for us. A stop at sharpthorne for a coffee and more cake helped a bit, and a chat with some of the Redhill cycling club who were like us, chatting about what events they would be doing this summer - London 100, being the top of their list.

As well as the water the lanes were covered in debris washed from the verges.

I know we like to complain about the state of the roads in Surrey but on this ride I really did notice the destruction that the water was wreaking havoc on the roads. Many lanes don't have kerbs so the deluge of water washes down the verges washing away the stones that support the tarmac surface. These stones together with the soil and tree branches fill up the road gullies and it's not long before they are blocked and so even more water washes down the verges creating even more road erosion.

I found this bench seat cut into the rock. A nice resting place in the dry.

Cowden high street

I eventually made it to Westerham, just in time to see the rest of the A group riding away. I didn't chase them but heading straight into the Tudor Cottage for well deserved late lunch. Inside there was another SWRC member, albeit in one of the pictures on the wall.

A recognisable face at Westerham tea room, B+ group leader Alan Brunsden.

There's a few of these to erect around the place

Getting closer to London and there was more destruction from the weather. I had seen quite a few signs leaning over but this one had completely fallen over.

Sadly builders dump asbestos sheeting in the countryside.