Central London CTC blog

Turned up at Waterloo ready for John’s Basingstoke ride. Regis, Kate, Jon, Richard and I spotted John, clearly not his usual self. Feeling poorly, he yielded to the voices of common sense and returned home to bed.  I (was) volunteered to lead, and not knowing Basingstoke from Basildon, decided to take the gang on an arbitrary wander through the suburbs to places scenic and nice. We kept close as a group and navigated the traffic lights with our usual skill – I didn’t have clip out until Crystal Palace. more »

Resolved to improve my form this year, I hit on the Chiltern Classics. Riding the series would, I figured, give me a good platform for summer fitness. It all got off to a late start however.

The first of the six 100-km events, which run on consecutive Sundays, was the Harp RC’s promotion on 25 January. This is stated by the organiser to be ‘particularly demanding’ and is known in folklore as the Harp Hilly 100. Apparently, back in the day when men were men, and boys and girls were men too, the course was Imperial. One dreads to think of the toll exacted on the riders, so early in the season, by 100 miles sawing back and forth over the toughest climbs the Chilterns have to offer. The event starts at the Hemel Hempstead CC’s base, which makes driving the preferred means of getting there. Entry on the line was a tenner — a pretty tall price. And on Saturday night, the weather forecast was atrocious. Awakening to a steady downpour at 6 am, I felt no shame in pulling the duvet over my head. more »