You are reading a single comment by @andyp and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@andyp
For a few weeks I've been forming a plan to ride the Pilgrims Way from Titsey to Canterbury. Today was the day.
Took my Pompino with Vittoria XN cross tyres and 42 x 18 gearing and set off promptly at 9 a.m. (I had to be home to pick the children up from the childminders at 6 pm).
After 45 minutes or so, I joined the Pilgrims Way at the foot of Titsey Hill, then proceeded to head east, into a slightly nagging headwind. The first major diversion was around Chevening estate, the official weekend residence of the Foreign Secretary and any rights of way seem to have been removed. I rejoined just before Otford and enjoyed the tarmac section through Kemsing.
The first off road section began just after Kemsing, and the surface was fine, a mix of loose gravel with a few ruts, but all perfectly rideable and this took me all the way through to Wrotham. After this the route was, on paper, a bit tricky, but the North Downs Way uses a lot of the old Pilgrims Way so it's well signposted and I crossed the M20 and quickly rejoined the route. A mix of tarmac and bridleway followed, until the foot of Vigo hill, where a 5 mile or so section of off road began through to Upper Halling. I really enjoyed this section, thinking how this used to be a main thoroughfare before the advent of roads, and it was fairly technical in places (all rideable of course, but as a cyclocross rider, my default is "this looks rideable"). I shared salutations with a couple of ladies out for a walk just before Upper Halling, and rejoined the road, with a long road section up to the M2 to come, where I'd cross the Medway.
As I rode I noticed a slight snag in the drivetrain, so pulled over and discovered a damaged link in the chain. Thinking I could nurse it to Rochester I carried on, only for the chain to break as I left the village. I packed it up in a bag, asked a resident how far it was to Rochester (about 5 miles she said) and began to make my way there using a mix of freewheeling, scooting with one leg and walking up any hills.
I decided to head home, as even if I could find a bike shop in Rochester that had a 1/8" chain, I'd lost valuable time and might not get to Canterbury early enough to ensure I could be back home by 6 pm to collect the aforementioned children.
Strava ride is here for those who are interested. Hopefully I'll get the chance to complete the ride in the next couple of weeks.