South East 2003
When my sister decides to do something there are no half measures, so when a sponsored cycle ride is mooted there is no way it can be let’s go round the park or something simple. Last year it was Land’s End to John O’Groats in three weeks and I found myself joining them in Glasgow, with my bicycle, to complete the last stretch – but that’s another story. This year, the proposal was 200 miles around Kent and Sussex in three days!
Anyone who cycles at all will realise that 70 miles can take 10 hours (one is allowed to stop for refreshments) so 200 miles converts to around 30 hours in the saddle (ouch!!), which is quite a lot.
Despite all this, my sister found over 28 people to join her and complete the challenge, several others would meet up along the way. We found ourselves getting up at 5.30 in the morning on Day 1 and making our way to Gatwick Airport or rather the MacDonald’s car park close by to meet the Support Team (the “PJ’s” – Peggy, Jane, Jean, John, John, John and Jeff) and be briefed by our leaders at 8.0. Philip Clarke from the Who Cares? Trust was there to see us off. The route had taken months to plan and led right through the check-in area at Gatwick, past bemused passengers and down a couple of floors in a lift! You can only get six bikes in the lift at one time but it is a designated Sustrans cycle route!
It took an hour to get us all through but we were finally on our way heading east. First stop for snacks and drinks was in the ground of Penshurst Place after 25 miles. The campervan, the van carrying all the bags and food and the Discovery towing the trailer were assembled in the grounds of the magnificent Tudor stately home. An irate worker had tried to chuck them out but he calmed down when told it had been pre-arranged, no-one had told him. Wonderful spread of sandwiches, rolls, fruit and energy bars all designed to revitalise 28 hungry but determined cyclists. Half an hour later we were back in the saddle heading towards Tonbridge where we met up with one more cyclist, this was also pre-arranged. The Support Team had difficulty finding a good place to set up lunch but finally opted for their favourite venue, a pub car park at Sutton Valence.
By the afternoon we were bowling down country lanes, past oast houses and enormous farms at a good pace. It gives you a wonderful sense of freedom being amongst the rolling hills speeding along 14 – 16 miles an hour! We were just getting into the rhythm when disaster struck. One group were cycling along a little close and one had to jam on his brakes a little too hard - the next thing we knew he was comatose in the middle of the road! He came round after a few minutes and injuries seemed superficial – one dented helmet, a torn shirt, a badly bruised shoulder and grazed elbow and leg. The Support Team took him off to Casualty for a check-up but he was back on his bike the next day – he, we, were lucky. We were much more careful after that, keeping our distance and braking on the hills a little more so.
We had covered 73 miles by the time we stopped. That was not before we had had to dice with death, all 29 of us, by crossing the dual carriageway of the A2 at 6.30 at night. The Travel Lodge was on the outskirts of Dunkirk (not the real one, it was a tiny village but the name amused). The rooms were clean, a good size and the water hot but we were only “allowed” an hour to clean up and change before being transported to yet another pub for a meal. A room had been booked and the party had swollen to 36. The campervan had to circumnavigate Kent before finding the place but we all met up in the end, ate well and finally retired exhausted, putting the alarm on for 6.30 the next morning!
Day 2 – We assembled at 7.45 for a briefing, we were warned it would be a long day! We re-crossed the A2 which is not so crowded first thing on a Saturday morning and made our way to Canterbury. We rode right up to the Cathedral, along the cobbled streets past the trendy shops and then out and away across open farmland – not before having to cross a ford, the water was over 6 inches deep. We were heading towards Dover, stopping after 22 miles for refreshments in the coach park next to Dover Castle with magnificent views of the castle and harbour. From Dover, we made for Folkestone which was hilly, and our little band got separated. We had to reassemble on the seafront but people were getting tired! This wasn’t helped by having to cycle into the wind along the coast to Hythe after which we went inland and across Romney Marsh.
This was mostly flat apart from Winchelsea where we were challenged with a real “stonker” (a very big hill). Quite a few of us got off and walked and one fellow got a puncture, just before the hill. Unfortunately he didn’t have quick release wheels, spare inner tube or a spanner to take the wheel off! The day was saved by four at the back – they had a spanner, mended the puncture and John and John in the Discovery provided a pump. The two Johns then followed them in on the last uphill stretch and they didn’t get in until 7.45.
The main group finally arrived at the overnight venue just outside Hastings around 7.00 after 76.7 miles and a number of stonking hills. I thought this was a bit excessive and quite a few of us were having trouble standing up, let alone carrying bags to our rooms! However, an hour later – revitalised by hot showers and clean clothes we were off to the pub for a BBQ. The group numbered 40 by this time, we had been joined by four more cyclists and one had caught the train home from Hastings – this had been planned in advance! It was colder than expected in the pub garden so we had to retire to the bar and forego the entertainment we had hoped for - Dotty playing her fiddle and Pete the Dentist on the guitar.
Day 3 – Full breakfast for everyone had been ordered and was duly consumed. The service was slightly inefficient but they were probably not used to feeding 40 hungry souls in a hurry – just dying to get back on their bikes!
We assembled once more for the now familiar briefing and set off on the last stretch. The day was extremely hot, the sun was relentless and there were more big hills, one cyclist had to retire with heatstroke. The first bit was great, downhill for a couple of miles, down to the sea at Hastings and then all along the coast to Pevensey Bay. We made really good time with the wind behind us. We stopped in Hailsham, in the Waitrose car park, where the campervan was set up and refreshments provided. Another supporter turned up.
Next it was off to Groombridge and more hills. Much of the day was along the Sustran cycle routes, off-road, through woods and along the old railway lines. Thoroughly recommended and safe, but maybe not for pedestrians and small children confronted by over 30 cyclists peddling madly looking as it they had a deadline to meet!
Groombridge Village Hall Car Park was where we stopped for lunch, all 40 of us. The natives were very unfriendly and wouldn’t allow us to use the facilities so we had to trek up the road to a more friendly pub. The riders were now beginning to suffer and the sun was very hot.
The hills after lunch were not welcome and we went the wrong way adding more hills and more miles to our task. More people were getting off and walking the steeper bits. Faces were getting more strained and there was frantic searching for glucose tablets, energy bars and isotonic drinks. One or two thought of packing it in but staggered on with grim determination.
We were a motley crew but our leaders kept going and the back-markers kept us together. We hung on in there, chatting on the easy stretches, gasping for breath when it got tough. We included psychiatrists, psychologists, pharmacists, dentists and speech therapists; social workers, guardian ad litems, lawyers and chefs; racing drivers, journalists, those who won’t say and half a dozen energetic teenagers who just came for the ride.
We arrived at the Snooty Fox at Three Bridges having navigated the Worth Way and the Cuckoo Trail not necessarily in that order. There were no more punctures and we all arrived in one piece to be greeted by at least 20 long suffering supporters who had been willing us along the way. It was 6.30, not the pre-arranged 5.00, we had cycled 220 miles in 3 days and felt much more respect for the Tour de France chaps. The beer went down rather well and the riders quietly slipped away looking triumphant after being presented with a certificate from Susie from the Who Cares? Trust. We hope the funds we raise will be substantial and will make a difference to children in care.
So, thanks to those who masterminded the whole operation, planned the route, the food, the accommodation and everything else. Congratulations to Gill and the “inner circle” who kept us together and of course those who sponsored us. Thank you for being just a “Dream Team” as Gill would say and well done everyone who was “taken for a ride” around Kent and Sussex the other weekend!!
