Kent 100+ miler
6 August 2005
Four of us set out at 6:45am, Anders, Karelle, Ken and myself, for a quiet ride into Kent, within an hour we were leaving suburbia for mostly car-free lanes.
After almost flagging, up some slight hilly bits, I decided to do something about my wheel rubbing against the frame, as it seemed worse than on the Dunwich Dynamo and harder going.
A brief respite while I bent the mild 531 steel tubing, of the back axle and stays, into a more functional geometry, (to everyone's surprise and amusement).
Then we were off again, across the rolling North Downs, through treelined lanes with steeped banked hedgerows, and out into open fields, twee villages, of thatched roofed cottages, over rivers and brooks, with red bricked bridges.
Vista's across valleys of copsed woods, and pasture, white tipped Oast houses in the distance, past a lonely church on a hill, and on into Orchards of Kent, along winding single track lanes, with random darting rabbits.
Well it really has to be seen felt smelt, the breeze on your face, birdsongs and all.
Despite enjoying the beauty and break, from the white noise wurr that is background London, I was still finding it tough. Due, (I realised from tell tale aches in my muscles), to dehydration from lack of water. through a hot week at work.
After a mostly undulating cycle of 60 miles (and one corner shop break for water and snacks).
We stopped for a superb and well deserved pub lunch in Headcorn at 12:00pm, Enjoying the delights of local produce cooked in fine cider, and sprinklings of rosemary, and a taste of raspberries and onion (that was Karelle's salad). The barman claimed Stella is shipped over here in powder form, that might be my last one.
After putting Ken straight, that my cultured nature is steeped in my past, and not errr due to cycling with Wheelers for two and half years!!!! ('damn cheek') Seems like the old timers club have been lubricating their ego's at my expense.
A happy Anders got his two pints in on this week's lunch stop, and Karelle finished her tea. I polished of the leftover parsley on her plate, and looked at the map for the first time that day.
Karelle came along for the shorter ride but was assured that the rest of the day would be relatively flat, and she decided to continue for a 'few more miles'.
We continued on to join Sustrans route 11 near Appledore. Where I fixed my broken chain, (as Karelle pointed out earlier when she saw me changing gear with my foot), my bike is falling apart.
A change of scenery through the marshes, to join up with Sustrans route 2. Flat lanes for miles, two cars in 15 miles, in the middle of nowhere, one of the cars, was being driven by an impatient 'what are you doing on my road' arsehole, which is unusual out in the sticks.
It remained peaceful and steady riding all the way. We helped a couple out cycling, find their route. Toilet stop at a strange village pub. A few miles before Hythe, a view of the North Downs on the horizon, a quick round robin, and we eagerly stopped for tea and cakes.
On into Hythe, through park paths and onto the coast for a promenade sea view.
A quick video interview using Wheelers camera, whilst on the move, of Karelle achieving her first 100 miles comfortably. An excellent achievement by her. Something she wanted to do, and hadn't expected she would quite so soon.
Then a turn of a few corners and the hill......THE HILL! 1 sodding mile to the train station and the road creeks up 200 foot of crushed dinosaur bone!
After much too'ing and fro'ing we established where to catch the replacement bus service to Ashford and were of to London Bridge...
Steve Collins
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