Central London CTC blog

“It doesn’t get any easier—you just go faster.”

Well that’s what I take away from Sunday’s Start of Summertime Audax out of Stevenage.

Great turn-out from Central London CTC, about half of them sporting the colours. Perfect, warm weather in prospect and several on that account showing a leg for the first time this year.

Our group was off at 10.45, others having preceded us out of the starting gate. It comprised the usual suspects (the Regent’s Park squad) plus Phil and Rachel. Our plan was to just check in at the first two controls, riding through to the hospitable third control in Great Hormead.

And that, in fact, is what we did.

Avant le départ (L–R): Rachel, Phil, Keith, Damian, Jon, Stephen, Tom, Charlie and Sarah.

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This was the target set for the year’s first 4-star ride. Our destination, Saffron Walden (and some of the way back).

Conditions could scarcely be better when six of the usual suspects met in Highgate: scarcely a huff of wind, with sun and better than 15C forecast. Potter’s Bar was soon taken, with ride leader Damian leading from the front, as is proper. Even before turning off the main road into Kentish Lane for Hertford, we had hailed loads of club riders, and continued to see them all the way to Saffron Walden.

There was no stopping for coffee in Hertford; but for an enforced stop to repair a puncture somewhere near Berden, the boys just kept swinging along. This was OK for those who had done the last three Sundays, all of around 100 km, and one of them the so-called Hell of the Ashdown sportive, with its 1000m of climbing. But for the writer, who had done only one full-strength ride this year, back in January, the lunch stop at Saffron Walden, reached at 12.15 after 80km, came not a moment too soon. more »