Sponsored Cycle Ride....Friday 22nd February 2008
Tony Dell successfully completed the cycle ride from Rydens Way to the seafront at Brighton, on friday 22nd February. At the top of this page you will find his report on the journey, whilst lower down the page you can read about how his pre-training went, including the accident from which he still bares the scars!
Tony's Report:
I started my journey at 07:00, after a vital frost-free night. It started with light drizzle, but that was not going to put me off. I had decided to wear a chest-strap heart-monitor, as after all my training I was curious as to how my body would react under the stress of this prolonged exercise.
Traffic was light, partly helped by the early time I set out and partly due to it being half-term week for many schools. I made good time and reached Abinger Hammer, my first major turning point on the route after an hour. I continued the steady climb up to Holmbury St Mary, with the church clock indicating 08:15, a bit ahead of what I had expected. I eventually joined the A29, and yet again I was amazed at how little traffic I had encountered. The one thing I did notice was how poor the state of the roads were in Surrey in comparison to entering West Sussex, where there was an immediate and noticeable improvement.
I took the back roads through to Warnham, and then a very short trip up the A24 to Horsham, where the traffic started to build up. I looked at a clock above one of the shops and saw that it was only 09:15, which was considerably faster than my plan. I just hoped that this fast pace wouldn't come back to haunt me! I reached the half-way point on the A281 the other side of Horsham and stopped to eat a banana (I know...appropriate when you see my photo lower down this page!). That proved to be a bit of a bad move, because as soon as I got off the bike my thighs started to cramp up. After a couple of minutes the muscle spasms subsided, and I was straight back on the bike with no real problems.
Just outside Cowfold, I phoned Keith Powell, who had kindly offered to act as my support vehicle for later in the journey. He had just reached Newlands Corner, so now was an excellent opportunity to test out the old "tortoise and the hare" scenario. I continued through some lovely countryside, with the rain holding off, but an ever-increasing wind into my face causing a few problems (I cannot describe myself as being streamlined!). Each time I briefly stopped for a drink of water, I suffered the same muscle spasms in the upper thighs, much to the amusement of shoppers on the high street at Henfield. At about 40 miles I was starting to hurt, but I knew that I would not fail to get to Brighton.
Keith finally caught up with me just as I started the first of the climbs over the South Downs. The hills were really starting to take their effect, and the icy-cold wind was gusting at 40mph from the direction of the coast. The last real hill on the Devil's Dyke was an absolute killer and I freely admit to having walked about 400 metres up this one, to be greeted by the sight of my cameraman. Honestly I tried hard to smile, but judge for yourself:
The one thing I knew for certain was that this was the last ascent for me, and within a couple of hundred metres I could see the sea in the distance. The rest of the journey was downhill, and was really quite a relief, although I was dreading having to stop at traffic lights in case I cramped up and fell off. I kept going and eventually I was left with a flat ride of about a mile to the east pier at Brighton.
I made it at just after mid-day, and stopping my watch, which said 5 hours and 3 minutes. At first I didn't believe this but it was confirmed by the clock on Brighton pier, showing just after 12. I even asked a tourist for the time, just in-case I had got it wrong! The certainly looked bemused as I stepped off my bike and proceeded to frantically rub my thighs like "Vic Reeves!"
In fact I even beat Keith to the pier, as he got caught in the Brighton traffic for 20 minutes. I was starting to get very cold now, as all my spare clothes were in his car, and the wind was really blowing a gale off the sea.
Keith arriived to take some photos, and then we came against what can only be decribed as Brighton Pier's very own security "jobsworth". He said that I couldn't have my photo taken with my publicity material (see piccie below). Luckily Keith nor I were in the mood to be stopped, so while a "polite" discussion was taking place, Keith clicked away with the camera. It is only after I got back that I realised in the background of the following photo is an advertising board saying "unlimited rides all day"...no chance!
Some stats for my journey:
Thanks to:
Who won the case of wine?
The closest to Tony's time of 5-03 was Mr Adcock of Stockers Lane who was very close with 5-05.
Would I do it again?
It was a great experience, and I would certainly do it again for a good cause. At the end of the day, my motivation has been strengthened in the knowledge that as a community we can all do our bit to fight for what we believe is right. I love the community spirit where I live, and let's continue to fight to get our Village Green!
Tony's Training!
My initial training in the gym has been going well! Generally I am doing 2 - 2.5 hours twice a week at the leisure centre. Most of this is on the various cycling instruments of torture. One thing that was obvious to me quite quickly, was that for a man of my physique (the power of positive thinking... the word makes me feel good!) a comfortable saddle for my bicycle would be a must. Thanks to the power of the internet, my luxurious saddle (a cruel "friend" described it as more of a settee!) was delivered within 24 hours of placing the order.
Of course XMAS was also a good time as my son very generously purchased me a pair of spandex and lycra cycling shorts (sorry...no photos of me in them as this may offend the censor!!).
So, okay, I've got all the gear so I had no excuse not to do some road training. I refamiliarised myself with which end of the bike was which and feverishly went to work on adding the new saddle, lights etc. My best mate (we'll call him KP, as he is nuts!) agreed to come out on a training ride with me, so we agreed a route and got kitted up (Sunday 30th was a good sunny day and not too cold!). The first half hour was very much a case of making minor adjustments to ensure the bike was rideable, and semi-comfortable. I use the word comfortable in the loosest sense of the word, as I think the inventor of the bike designed it as an instrument of torture! The first major hill to tackle was Newlands Corner, and this is actually going to be on my route to Brighton. We made it safely to the top, and it was a total relief to go down the other side. We rode down through Gomshall and Abinger Hammer, and were totally focussed, not stopping at any of the Pubs! Then it was on into Dorking, where I was politiely offering advice on driving skills to a driver of a BMW Z4, who tried to knock me off!
We stopped at the bottom of Box Hill and KP decided he knew the sort of diet "finely honed" athletes should eat, and swiftly ordered 2 half-pounder cheeseburgers! Well getting back on the bikes after this athletes lunch was a tough task, but it had to be done, if we were to get back before it got dark. We travelled beside the A24, watching the motorbikes screaming past, and turned left at the roundabout before Leatherhead. The hill was yet another tricky long ascent, but I think we felt like king of the mountains when we got to the top. We travelled on to West Horsley, towards Guildford. Finally we turned off the main road, travelling through West Clandon, Send, and back to Old Woking.
I think getting off the bike would not be accurate...falling off outside my house would be a better description.
I was happy, when I looked up the distance we had travelled, as according to the RAC route-planner, it was just over 32 miles. That fills me with a sense of hope as the Brighton run is only another 18 miles on top of this. So what did I learn from this first proper training run?
Update (Saturday 12th January)
All the required new bits were fitted to my bike, so I thought it a good idea to go out on the 32 mile route previously used, but this turned out to be a bad decision! I made excellent time up and over Newlands Corner, but as I got past the Silent Pool, by the turn off to Shere, I noticed a cyclist in a bad state on the verge. As I slowed to help him, I hit black ice and slid down the road. Just to prove that I really sweat blood on behalf of RWAG, here is a shot of my injury:
I was actually very lucky, as the cyclist I stopped to help had a nasty gash on his face and it looked like he had fractured his arm in two places. He had already phoned a doctor friend who was coming out to pick him up, and his very expensive carbon-fibre bike. I gave him my coat to keep him warm and chatted with him till his friend arrived.
With the icy conditions on the road and the state of my sore leg, I decided to limp to Gomshall station and get the train back. On my way there were a series of ambulances and fire engines heading in the same direction. As I got to Gomshall, there had been a three car pile-up and the A25 was blocked. I started to feel lucky, as I could have had my accident here, and suffered worse injuries.
I arrived at Gomshall station, having just missed the train to Guildford. Luckily a helpful lady on the opposite platform said the next train to Guildford was in two hours! The train to Dorking (opposite direction!)was due in two minutes, so I ended up going to Dorking and 15 minutes later catching a direct train to Guildford, and then to Woking. I eventually got home and picked the grit out of my leg and cleaned up the wound. I guess it will be a week or so before I am able to cycle again. I also need to make sure that when I do the ride to Brighton for real, the weather conditions are favourable!!
Right....I hope you feel sorry for me.....now...please sponsor me!!! (Subtle, or what?)
Update 1st February
I have managed a couple of trips around the 32 mile training circuit over the last two weeks, with no major accidents! It never ceases to amaze me the kind of sights you can see out on the road. I stopped at the post office in Abinger Hammer (another one threatened with closure) for an ice lolly. Admittedly it was "brass monkeys" and I had to dig deep into the freezer to find one. When I came out of the Post Office, I was greeted with the sight of a male Swan, waddling along the central white line on the A25. I stopped the traffic while a couple of other brave souls ushered the swan towards the watercress farm, where apparently his mate resides. At least it brought a smile to some faces, although some drivers seemed keen not to stop for the swan.
One thing is for sure, my levels of fitness and tolerance to wind-chill is improving. I reckon by the end of February, weather and work permitting I will be ready to set out to Brighton for real!
Update 8th February
Training went well this week, and I tried a longer route today. I certainly can't complain about the weather as it was a balmy 12 degrees centigrade and lovely and sunny! The route took me over Newlands Corner, to Abinger Hammer, Holmbury St Mary, joining the A29 at Ockley. Then about 5 miles down the A29, I took a loop via Ewhurst and Cranleigh, and headed towards Shere. This route can only be described as mountainous (well thats how it felt to me!). There was one ascent that just went on for ever, and I should have taken more note of the road sign that said "21% - not suitable for caravans, coaches or lorries". I finally descended into Shere, back over Newlands Corner and then home. I was somewhat suprised to find that the route I had taken was just short of 40 miles....only another 10 miles to find to make the Brighton distance! It was useful assessing the road around Holmbury St Mary, as even though we hadn't had rain recently, the roads were very wet, and I definitely need to pick a day after a frost-free night to make my trip safe.
Thanks to the many sponsors, and Paul Butler for knocking on doors,(still time for more sponsors!!), I am likely to raise over £800 when I make the journey for real. I can also say that estimates for the time it will take me to complete my ride to Brighton have varied from 3 hours to 3 days...let's see who will be right!