Adrian's Challenge -1

Club member Adrian McKie has been out with the 9.15 run in recent weeks and has been enjoying the challenge. Here are some of Adrian's thoughts on riding with the Woolwich ...

Sunday morning club-ride, September 2010

Bean Road, a chill in the air and I’m persuaded to join the 9:15 run. I hear talk about autumn leaves are falling, the perfect time of the year for a climbing challenge, but where? The objective is being kept a closely guarded secret.

 We head west towards Polhill via Chelsfield Village, warming up now a variation to the usual route finds us descending to Knockholt Station and then the steady climb to Badgers Mount. The usual bumpy descent down Polhill and we are soon heading west along Pilgrims Way. A nice steady pace is being set. I’ve heard mentioned that the tea stop is the Beaver Centre, Tatsfield, the climb to there is one I know and one which I have mastered on a few occasions.

Across Westerham Hill and we are rolling along nicely, this is what cycling’s about, nice pace, good weather and lovely Autumnal scenery. That hill is approaching get in the right mind set. What’s happening we are not turning right up Clarks Lane, the run is proceeding straight ahead along Pilgrims Lane, must be taking the next turn, Rectory Lane, no its straight ahead to Titsey Hill. /P>

Thankfully we are turning left towards Limpsfield, somewhat of an unknown region. Signposts with strange names, right and left turns, what a relief a name I know “Otford”, more right and left turns. A road closed sign, but in the usual club fashion it is ignored and on we press squeezing past the road maintenance crews and their equipment. On glancing up I can see chalk cliff faces, mountain goat territory!

Lovely village scenery, romantic road names, Chalk Pit Lane, a new one to me. Beginning to notice an incline, but the winding lane does not allow you to see ahead. The incline is becoming steeper, I find myself going up through the gears and suddenly the lane reveals the challenge ahead, a tarmac wall, well it looks like a wall rising straight up into the clouds. I’m told that the challenge is on, the carrot being a cup of tea in a few miles.

Made it I’m on “The Ridge”, where a sign post indicates that the climb is 20%. Thankfully it’s a comfortable ride to the Beaver Centre for that well deserved cuppa.

The ride home finds us heading towards Jail Lane for the descent down towards High Elms. While ascending Berry’s Green Road to the junction with Jail Lane we encountered a traffic bottleneck, cars going up cannot move forward for cars coming down, and there we are in the middle of the climb with no where to go. I thought the main climb of the day was hard, but trying to start from a dead stop on a steep climb was yet another challenge.

Roll on the next challenge, “A bridge too far”.

Read Adrian's next challenge here.