Hard Day in January '20 - Kent Downs Edition

HDiJ Ride report 2020.

It gives me a lot of pleasure to hear that the HDiJ is seen as an established part of the calendar – this goes way beyond my expectations when I was planning the 2009 ride (let alone the 1959 version). I hope this event will continue to cater for those who want an early season long distance fixed ride – let’s remember this sort of effort has played a part in the development of many champions.

The Route

The new route was an undoubted success – even though it did cause me some navigation problems, especially after the ‘closed’ bridge between Yalding and Wateringbury. I understand there was an additional 2,000 feet of climbing compared with last year, but the gradients were generally not so steep as to cause real difficulties; this seems to be an improvement (but I have to admit I speak as a spectator in a car).
Another benefit was that much of the distance was on roads with as little traffic as one can hope for in 2020. A lot of the research for the route was done by Pastrybot and he should be congratulated for his work, but when it comes to thanks and congratulations we must remember we all owe a big debt to YAL.

Gearing

‘Cycling’ would often include the leading riders’ gearing in reports of time trials, so I have recorded everyone’s gearing on this ride:

Josh01 44x17 - 77”
Lucy 46 x 16 (650’s) - 69” (but see note below)
Cagimaha 47 x 17 - 73”
Ivm (or donera ?) 44 x 16 - 73”
Lobster Shorts 48x18 - 71”
TTM 48 x 19 - 67”
Jaeyukdapbap 47 x 17 - 74.7”
Seager 42 x17 - 66”
Pastrybot 38 x 15 – 67”
Falconvitesse 48 x 18 - 71”
YAL 46 x 18 - 66”

Only CGG did not know his gear, which we will take as a sign of strength and confidence – he feels he doesn’t need to worry!
Lucy stated her gear as 69” from 46 x 16 on 650 wheels. I don’t know the exact diameter of the 650’s, but to arrive at 69” they would need to be 24” diameter, and I suspect they are more like 26”, which would give about 74.5”. This seems a bit high, but perhaps she needs it to keep up with her impressively speedy partner, Josh01.

Meritorious Ride Trophy

This is not awarded to the strongest rider, but to the one who has had to struggle, in one way or another, to finish. We decided to make the award to Lucy.

She had started with serious doubts about her own ability to cope with the distance, since she had previously thought of a single hour as a longish ride, and had restricted her competitive efforts to hill climbs. I’m sure that many outsiders would have thought it unwise for this petite young person to attempt such a tough ride on any machine, let alone on fixed. In practice, the lack of preparation did not show itself until she hit a bad patch at about seventy miles, but she managed to ride through it and finished looking perfectly happy.
It’s perhaps worth mentioning that Lucy shares at least two characteristics with the great Eileen Sheridan* - they are both small and good at smiling when the going is tough.

As some one who has always been keen on old bikes, I may consider creating an award for the oldest machine. I this 2020 ride it would certainly have gone to Falconvitesse, who did not seem to be troubled by the age of his Gillot which was set up with authentic 1950’s kit.

Next Year

There are three points I’d like to make.

As we all know, riding a bike always involves an element of risk and very occasionally there can be damage to outsiders (pedestrians, horse riders). For this reason I hope everyone taking part in any forum event on the road has third party insurance (e.g. BC membership or similar). This is not just for the individual’s own benefit, but for the financial wellbeing of everyone involved.

The view from behind the group, which is what the motorists see, could not be described as tidy. I realise it’s much easier for a club, where riders should know each other well, to ride neatly in pairs, while an ad hoc group like ours is bound to struggle. However I mention this in the hope that you can give some thought to the matter in the future.

If there is a 2021 ride using the Kent route, I’d like to suggest that you try the Jungle Café at Addington, on the A20 for your café stop. Although the Kingdom has good points it is too upmarket for my personal taste, and it may be others share this view.
The Jungle Café is a traditional transport caff which, having lost the lorry drivers, survives by providing excellent food at sensible prices. I don’t know how long it can survive, but while it does it’s well worth supporting.

For 2020, you’ve started the year with a good, solid training ride. My advice is – keep on with more of the same, and then use the fitness gained in some form of competition.

• Eileen Sheridan – if you don’t know about her, search her name. She is still alive and well and living in Isleworth.