Saturday 21st July - Tonbridge - Penshurst Off Site Ride

This was our last club session and club ride of the summer so I'd let Michele choose the route; she opted for one of our old faves, the Tonbridge -Penshurst Trail.  To mix things up a bit we met at Hayesden Country Park (beware the height barrier) and planned to ride all or part of a figure of eight with Hayesden being the intersection of the two loops, Penshurst and Tonbridge.

I rode to the start with Polly and it was very inspiring to see the Park Runners streaming out of Tonbridge Park towards Barden Lake.  When we arrived at the meeting point, Cayden & Leon were already waiting for us, quickly followed by Hannah, Daniel, Fin, Oliver and Ivo.  Hannah opted for a leisurely ride, so set off with Claire and Michele towards Tonbridge Park. The remaining riders all wanted to ride the hillier route, so we set off towards Penshurst.

Everyone was on top form and we made steady progress towards the hills, interrupted only by a fallen weeping willow obstructing the path, it was simple enough to negotiate but did require everyone to dismount.  Once we hit the hills, everyone rode for themselves and it was good to see how well they judged their effort; managing to keep pushing to end and arriving suitably tired at the top.  As usual we adopted a 'steady' approach to the descents with Calvin and Polly leading everyone out. 

On the return journey we met Hannah and co (just by the Willow incidentally), so we stopped for a quick photo then hopped back on our bikes and headed back to Hayesden and then onto Tonbridge for our second loop.  Another loop uninterrupted by punctures or other mishaps, which makes for a very relaxed Saturday morning.

Arriving back at Hayesden, we chatted about holiday plans and some of us sat down at the Cafe (Coach Damian would have loved this bit, the hot dogs looked good, Polly was very pleased with her egg baguette).

It's been a great term, thanks to all our parents and volunteers who keep the wheels turning :-)
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and tweet your cycling photos over the holidays (preferably in a KVK jersey!).  Find us on Twitter @the_KvK

Sunday 15th July - Seaside Ride 2018

It's a special thing to arrive  by bike, and when you are arriving at the seaside it is even better.  This year I decided to try out the traffic free section of The Cuckoo Trail, that runs between Heathfield and Polegate, and then on towards the beach at Eastbourne.

After several recce rides on my own, I was finally happy that we could navigate a route from Polegate to Eastbourne without too much difficulty, so it was all systems go.  The route itself is thirty two miles in total; the outward journey is a breeze, being ever so slightly downhill all the way, the return journey is slightly tortuous, especially the last four miles from Hailsham where the gradient increases.  Whilst I was confident that most of our riders could complete the outward leg, I knew the return journey would be tough so I encouraged some dynamic planning; several families dropped their young riders and drove to Eastbourne to meet us, while Johnny and I both left our cars at Hailsham, in case we needed a rescue vehicle.  I also plotted a road route that Malcolm, Hope, Ellen and Polly opted to take.

The day started well; everyone made it to the start point and we were soon rolling towards the seaside.  The old railway line is largely shaded by trees, which given the extremely hot weather we've been having was very welcome.  We made good progress, with only a couple of unscheduled dismounts, the most impressive being when a squirrel ran out in front on Hannah causing her to swerve and skid.  We even negotiated the junctions and road crossings quite effectively on the way into Eastbourne.  No mean feat for a group of twenty cyclists.  Oh what joy to see the glittering blue sea ahead, the kids wasted no time getting into their swim suits and heading for the water.

Hannah, Bronnie, Alice (me), Cayden, Lucy, Joshua, Anna, Ivo
In the sea already Reuben & Mathias

Cayden feeling pleased with himself!

Hannah on a rock :-)

Ellen & Polly arrived via the road, it was hot, they had a few punctures.

Ready to roll: Ivo, Gary, Johnny, Anna, Alice, Bronnie, Mat, Me, Lucy, Joshua, Cayden + Mum
In the background Claire, Hope, Ellen & Malcom - finishing lunch???

An hour later, everyone was refreshed and refuelled and ready to start the return journey.  Just before we left, Ivo got stung by a wasp TWICE. Undeterred, we set off on the sixteen mile return journey (most of it slightly uphill, with no engine to pull us).  In true KVK style we pedalled on; stopping only for emergency Haribo and a couple more unscheduled dismounts (no first aid required this time).  All but one of our party made it all the way back.  We persuaded Anna to hop in the car with Johnny at Hailsham; she was asleep within a few minutes of the engine starting.

Thank you so much to everyone who road, drove or supported this ride.  A great day to recall on a dark winter day, when the prospect of a sunny seaside ride seems a long way off. 

What a great team! Back at Heathfield, 32 miles later.