The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is held every year on the first Sunday of November and has been a constant in the lives of the people of Crawley for many years now. Indeed, the old Crawley Clock which I've mentioned in previous posts features this very event. As I arrived at Three Bridges Station for the start of the ride, I could see two cyclists waiting for me - Pete S and Sandra. Unfortunately Pete was on his way to a meeting and wouldn't be able to ride with us. Sandra and I waited for another 5 minutes but no one else turned up - I knew Anton was unable to make it and a couple of other riders had also said they were unlikely to be out.
We headed through Three Bridges and then down The Boulevard and Bank Lane to get to The High Street. Here, a jazz band was playing to welcome the "Old Crocks" into the middle of my home town. There were about 50 of the cars parked in the High Street and it was interesting to spot the different types and see how the vehicles were refined and evolved in their early days. Sandra preferred the ones with Dark Green or Maroon paint schemes, I seemed to lean more towards the garish yellows! We both liked this one because of the woodwork!
After spending the best part of an hour chatting and watching the cars as they came in and out, we decided to get some riding done. We headed out on the cycle path along Southgate Avenue which conveniently was the same route the Veteran Cars were taking (although they were using the road and not the cycle path!!).
Then it was up Pease Pottage Hill. This is a real test for the old cars as well as for a cyclist - though I ride up it every other week on my way to our Horsham starts.
I sat in the slipstream of a tallish Veteran Car with a lady driver and crew - they fairly shot up the hill at about 15 mph and I managed to stay with them all the way. At the top I stopped for a breather and took the following pictures:
The lower the number, the older the wehicle. Number 8 therefore was one of the oldest and you can clearly see the roots of the motor vehicle come from our world - the cycle world - it's all our fault!!
Sandra managed the hill and even commented that it wasn't as steep as she'd imagined.
I'm pleased with this picture of a steam-powered car. It's a bit blurry but, along with the cloud of steam, that was exactly how this vehicle appeared as it powered, relatively quietly, to the summit.
This one is quite advanced - it easily made it up the hill and overtook the one in the background. Not only that, it's got a windscreen and a folding roof! But then, looking at the numbers you can see that it is younger.
From the top of the hill we rode the short distance to The Black Swan at Pease Pottage. In the old days The Black Swan would have been a popular stopping place for vehicles travelling between London and Brighton, but now that it's not visible from the main road, it doesn't get nearly as much business. As Sandra and I pulled up, we were tooted by a campervan and looking inside I could see we were about to be joined by Ros and some friends. Ros was not riding today because she had an unplanned dismount from her bike the other week and broke her wrist - she's waiting for it to be plated and pinned but has been told that as soon as that is done, she'll be able to ride her bike again. She's a bit sceptical about that (as are we).
At the same time John V turned up, looking very dapper in casual wear and a flat cap, on his mountain bike. We lunched on beer and bagettes and various stories/reminiscences before heading back home in our various directions - Sandra back to Horsham along The Forest Road, Ros back to East Grinstead with her friends, John and I back to Crawley through Tilgate Forest. Mileage? Don't ask, suffice to say that I didn't even make it to double figures!!
Next weeks ride starts at Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 09:00 hrs and will head straight down to Pulborough Village Hall for the West Sussex DA AGM (which starts at 10:30 hrs). Once business has been concluded, we will head up to Nutbourne for lunch at The Rising Sun before heading back home more or less retracing the morning route. Mileage from/to Horsham will be about 35.
No comments:
Post a Comment