Yes, he did it! Anton successfully rode the PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris).
Well done mate, incredibly tough ride but you managed it.
Here are the stats (Anton was rider number 5716):
Yes, that's 1230 kilometres (about 880 miles) in about three and three-quarter days!
Anton is Iron Man (cue Black Sabbath track of same name) - "Durnn, Durnn, Durn,durn,durn duddle-duddle,durn,dad,durn,dad,durn etc. " (in a big, gruff voice).
I'm hoping to get more detail out of him about the ride, but I do know that he had to contend with a lot of rain and two days with a severe stomach upset that prevented him from keeping any food down!!
So today's ride was a sort of "warm down" for Anton - a mere 30 mile easy pootle during daylight hours. Joining Anton and myself at Three Bridges Station were Barbara, Ros, Laksh and John C. We headed off through Pound Hill, over the M23 on the Turners Hill Road and then down Old Hollow before using Copthorne Bank and Cross Lane/Dowlands Lane. The wind was generally behind us and we were soon through Horne:
Emerging onto the A22 just north of Blindley Heath, we turned left and then just as quickly, forked left back off the A22 onto Tilburstow Hill Road. As usual, we took the right turn just before the hill really kicked in but also we stopped for a breather, Ballet practice for Anton and a bite to eat for Ros....
Then Barbara grabbed my camera and took a snap of me - note the John Peel T-Shirt - I was wearing that to commemorate Johns birthday on 29th August.
Carrying on, we came to cross the A22 at a crossroads. As I got there, there was no traffic so I went straight across. When the others arrived a few seconds after me, a sudden glut of traffic meant we had to wait about 4 minutes before we'd all made it safely over.
We carried on due east for about a mile before turning south and down to the junction by The Brickmakers Arms - it was good to note that this pub appears to have reopened after a period of closure. The picture shows everyone sheepishly making their way back having missed the turn (and not noticed I was standing in the road waiting for them!!):
This road runs alongside that impressively long straight stretch of railway that runs from Redhill in the West to Tonbridge in the east - here's the view from an overbridge looking towards Redhill:
Next we passed through Crowhurst and saw the village sign:
It looks like a local benefactor was from Estonia - an inscription on a bench said that he was a "Great English Patriot" - leaving aside the obvious flaw in that statement, it's funny how the word "Patriot" has become quite an uncomfortable one, what with its shades of jingoism, racism, discrimination, association with the right wing and various other "isms". But then, that's a feature of our country, language and culture - we constantly change, adapt, absorb and become stronger for it. I'm SO glad we are such a mongrel nation - it makes it that much harder for extremism to get any kind of hold.
After Crowhurst, we headed through Lingfield and out along the western side of the racecourse along Blackberry Lane past some swanky houses. Then we passed through Felcourt and a downhill swoop before the final (stiffish - well stiffer than I remember) climb up into East Grinstead where we stopped at The Bluebell Cafe for lunch (all except John that is, for he headed on home in order to catch the Grand Prix).
The food was very good and we spent an enjoyable hour or so there before heading out and having said goodbye to Ros, acquired The Worth Way for a pleasant and easy ride back to Crawley.
Next weeks ride is the final DA Event of the year, The Arun Crossings. As a Member Group we're doing quite well in the DA Trophy competition - I reckon if we could have a good turn out for this last event, we may well win it. I believe the weather forecast is good for the weekend, so I don't think we've got any excuses :-)
This ride starts at Pulborough Station at 09:30hrs and involves several crossings of the River Arun using a variety of roads and bridleways, with a lunch stop at The Ship pub in The Haven (and usually a tea stop at Wisborough Green). I would recommend using a mountain bike or a strong touring bike for this ride as it involves quite a bit of fairly gentle off-road riding. It's great fun and I always enjoy it. Please note that car parking used to be free at the station on Sundays but now costs the princely sum of £1.
Travel by train takes about 30 minutes and would cost about £9.30 from Three Bridges (return), leaving at 08:46 (platform 3) and returning at 19 minutes past the hour sometime late afternoon (16:19 most likely). These trains would all stop at Horsham in both directions as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment