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@Benj
Not strictly a weekend ride, but as yesterday was the last day of the academic year for the course that I teach on, it is at least a holiday ride...
http://app.strava.com/rides/9701797
I went out on my usual route into Kent with the idea of doing a few loops of the exedown climb between Wrotham and Kemsing. The combination of feeling quite good, the sun being out, and having a slight tail wind meant that I was hell-bent on chasing a few KOMs on the way out (I really should know better...).
When I came over the rise as you come into Swanley from Sidcup I could see a rider about half a mile away, climbing the rise at the end of a long straight section and I determined to catch him. I eventually caught up at the top of Wested hill and we rode together on into Eynsford. Initially, he was going to take the main road to Otford but then said that he would accompany me up Bowers lane - which for those of you that don't know it is a climb that starts off very, very steeply for about a third of a mile and then softens off but continues upwards for another couple of miles.
I had wanted to give it the beans but was glad to have some company and thought that it would mean that I could save some energy for Exedown. How wrong can you be?! NEVER, ever make assumptions about cyclists on the basis of age - the dude was an absolute boss on the bike. He is 58 years old and I can't think of that many cyclists in their thirties that are better climbers - he is beautiful on his bike - really controlled and efficient. He had a few yards on me at the top of the steep section, but then I dug deep and pushed hard over the long gentle upper section. I turned around three miles from the bottom of the climb expecting him to be out of sight and he was just 10 metres or so behind me!
If I'm half the rider he is when I'm his age I'll be seriously pleased with myself - he was a lovely chap too - pretty certain he won't be on here though - but even so... Chapeau Monsieur, chapeau!
Anyway we cracked along the Pilgrim's Way for a few miles and went our separate ways just before Wrotham. I stopped to eat a bit of a flapjack before tackling Exedown. This is a climb that has always had a bit of voodoo over me for some reason, but recently I felt like I had cracked it, but today I was absolutely slain and crawled up granny style. Realising that I had yet again failed to eat enough to keep me going (wrongcog dude, I need one of your marzipan boxes - actually I just need to listen to your advise about food - one does kind of need it!) I started to head for home.
It was a fairly uneventful ride home; the cursed traffic lights were against me and my assault on the Sidcup hill segment was thwarted by a f**king stupid driver squeezing past on a pinch point 3/4s of the way up the hill and then immediately turning left on me, I was doing 21mph and nearly went over the bars trying to avoid her car - ratfink!
The beautiful weather I was cycling in has clouded over as I type this and I think it might rain in a minute. Very glad I got out this morning...
I've just emptied my pockets and found that I have lost the £20 that I stashed in case of need - so if anyone finds it, well, it's mine innit...