Sunday 5 May 2013

Tour de Sussex...Giro d'Surrey...

To celebrate the start of the Grand Tours cycling extravaganza in 2013 the typist and I decided we would head off for a nice bike ride as part of his training regime to complete two stages of the Tour de France route in October.....we planned to ride from Brighton on the coast back to home in Ashtead....a total journey of about 50 to 55 miles depending on which route we took...and if we got lost.....


...er....how comfortable is this going to be?...can I ride on your knee?.....

...we are very safety conscious so I made sure my helmet was securely fitted even when we were on the train to Brighton....we took our Garmin so we would know how far we had gone, how long it had taken us and how fast typist was pumping his legs....

...oh dear, it was pouring with rain and very windy when we got to Brighton but we had no choice but to set off. It was tough going along the coast raod for the first few miles. Normally on a long straight flat road we would have been doing 20 mph or more but we were being buffeted down to 12 mph by the wind.....so much so that we did not manage to get any photos of the beach....


...it finally dried up enough just as we turned in-land after Shoreham.....bye bye English Channel...

 ...we had quite a lot of hills to go up and quite a few cars to avoid....and after we had done 15 miles we stopped for a little snack....

...important to replenish the carbs....and the cycling community is so kind that every time we stop at the side of the road other cyclists ask us if we are OK....perhaps the typist looked tired...i shared my oat bar with him just in case...
....we zoomed along making good time.....we stopped in Horsham for a coke and we had to stop a few times to consult the map to make sure we did not head of on unnecessary detours....


....excuse me...do you know the way to Surrey?


....it's that way.....

...we made good time and had made it all the way back to Dorking when we stopped at a junction and carefully looked left and right. It was a very wide road and there was space to pull out into the middle and stop before turning right. We clipped our shoes into the pedals and rolled across to the middle and we were just about to apply the brakes when....BANG WALLOP.....a lady behind us drove straight into the back of us and knocked us clean off the bike....THUD....typist jumped up and SAID @!!***%&$££@....and ..%@$££@%%@$£$£$....and then *^$@@@£!**&XX...and walked to the side of the road to check us and the bike out....and then the lady...DROVE OFF WITHOUT STOPPING!!!!!! This is (a) very rude and (b) very illegal....but we were so shaken up that we did not really notice until two very kind drivers stopped their cars and checked us out and one of them had taken her car number....typist thought we were OK and the bike was fine...but then he realised that his ack wheel was all bent and he had scrapes and bumps on his hand, leg and arm....luckily he did not fall onto his shoulder which had the operation....

Scene of the Accident: we were by the white house behind me and pulled out where the little bollard is in the middle of the road....fur a bit ruffled
a very forlorn bike with a bent wheel....
...thankfully we were only a few miles from home and mum came out with the rescue wagon and picked us up....personally I think the whole thing may have been staged to get typist out of cycling up Pebble Hill....and to think that we stood at the corner for a few seconds wondering if we should go left or right....if only we'd gone left....

Sir Bradley Clapton.....

p.s. we are all fine this morning...we shall be back on the road in a few days....

12 comments:

  1. Hope you reported the driver!
    Glad you are OK

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  2. Oh dear. I'm glad you're ok.

    Tim

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  3. Whew - so happy you are all okay. What a great ride - up to that point.

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  4. Disgusting that they didn't stop. Glad you are both OK. Not the nicest start to the season though :(

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  5. Hope you reported the drive too! Before I came to love with her and when she was younger and fitter (!), @HeatherAlex used to cycle, not for long and not very far, but fairly regularly. Then one day a driver clipped the bike, knocked her off, wrecked the bike etc and also drive off. A country road so no one around to take the number sadly. Ended up at hospital for stitches and had to get a new bike, but has never ridden on a road again... I'd say scare-dy-cat but ack-sher-ley I can't say I blame her.
    PS she has ridden in to mountain areas to go climb big mountains, but roads are a bit of a no-no

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  6. That car driving lady is a cowbag...and no mistake.

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  7. Wow pal wot a scary adventure! I glad you is both ok *hugs both pals* #woof

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  8. Sir B

    So glad you and your domestique are ok, do report that lady, there are a lot of incensed supporters who want to stop it happening again.

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  9. Pfft! Silly lady - spoylin uvawize gwate wide! She norty d need lern can no juz wide off like dat! She do need wepawtin weez fwade! Glad yoo bofe ok!

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  10. I can't believe she drove up! I am glad to hear you are feeling ok this morning - look after yourself!

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  11. OMD, Clapton. I am sure glad to hear that you and typist are okay. Daddy-dog does street biking here and Ma is always worried that some old fart (we have lots of those in South Florida) is going to crash into him. I cannot believe she drove off!!! What an @#$ $%^& *%%$@!!!!

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