SEARCH FOR MUS. REYNOLDS

‘When I was told that “Mus. Reynolds come along last night” he was spoken of so intimately that I supposed he must be some old friend and expressed a hope that he had been hospitably received “He helped hisself” was the reply; and there upon followed the explanation, illustrated by an exhibition of mutilated poultry.’*

James spoke of some reference or other to ‘The Boosh’ (those in the know, know I suppose), about a Crack Fox. He said that we would be taking a sideways look for this fox and it was suggested that we “bring: cross bike with cross tyres on (and mtb shoes incase its muddy), lights, beer money, maybe a scarf and suncream, some giggles and finally a bit more beer money.”

That’s what we did, except Josh, who appeared riding a Dawes Galaxy with a full pannier bag and all of the touring trimmings – but we considered that he knew what he was doing. 

What transpired was a very pointless and very silly higgledypiggledy tour of Lewes, in the dark. An hour and a half of weaving down twittens, up and down steps, along cobbled streets and some other places I didn’t really know but was glad to have experienced.

The fox remained elusive but the beer was good.

 

At the Momument to the Lewes Martyrs © Josh Cunningham

Thanks James. And, Alun, Jo, Josh, Kris, Sam.

*Extract from A DICTIONARY OF THE SUSSEX DIALECT & COLLECTION OF PROVINCIALISMS IN USE IN THE COUNTY OF SUSSEX, Reverend W.D. Parish of Selmeston, 1875.

FERAL CAT ‘CROSS

Whilst watching the Women’s UCI Cyclocross race at Koksijde, Belgium an idea entered my Long Man APA addled brain. 

UCX strips cyclocross back into an endurance challenge – inappropriate bikes on inappropriate terrain – but recently I have been considering something a little more concentrated – a few conversations I have had recently have begun to spark ideas and then I saw this on the UCI YouTube channel:

“The origins of cyclo-cross are a matter of much debate. One theory we like is that in the early 1900s, French cyclists would race each other from one town to the next by whichever route they thought would be the fastest.”

Bing! Let’s do that then. An A to B race – sort of like a fixed gear Alleycat Race but over, let’s say, 20 miles over mixed countryside terrain and on cyclocross bikes.

Just an idea, but as usual with these ideas I won’t be satisfied until we’ve had a go.

Anyway, must dash the Men’s race at Koksijde is about to start.

WHITE CHALK HILLS CX

A traditional cyclocross race. Legitimate. Properly sanctioned. No end of trials and tribulations to organise. No matter how many steps ahead you may be those who you depend on to do something, or to make a decision, or talk something over with a colleague, will always be 2 steps behind, and there will always be something to surprise you.

It’s a steep learning curve to realise that you can’t hold on to control that tightly and that you must allow time in the process for people to catch up.

If not for the support of good friends I’m not sure I would have got through it without incident. But I’m proud of what we achieved and incredibly grateful for the support.

Perhaps next time it will be easier.

whitechalkhills.cx

Original image via @themanfromicon

Thank you: Lois May-Miller, Kris Fowler, Jo Burt, Gavin Peacock, Simon Catmur, James Brickell, Matt Butt, Matt Green, Sam Winter, Mark Markowski and the Bayeux Landscapes Cycling Team and many, many others.

Discipline (optional) – White Chalk Hills UCX

Show me my world as I love to see it:

A collective gathering, prepared or perhaps not (as the case may have been) to ride the inaugural White Chalk Hills UCX – a concept not lost thankfully.  The spark of an idea gently developed into a full scale conflagration which culminated on Sunday 30^th December 2012.

We had 25ish riders – a decent turnout, mostly Cyclocross bicycles, some hardy individuals on single speed CX and a few MTB’s.  A weather window had blown the rain away and the sun shone intermittently between blustering grey clouds.  Marc and me had endeavoured to ride the full route and put out the stamps the day before; rain lashed against our cheeks and the wind blew Marc from his bike 3 times, yet we got all but one stamp out (Windover Hill was impossible to mount as the weather had closed in), and so riders were offered a gratis stamp (a yellow tug boat) for Winchester Pond.  I may have put the Long Burgh stamp in the wrong place.

We had pinned Sam’s OS map to the Tri Store window – “watch it here, mind how you go there” “There be beasties along this bit” “smile at the sheep and the dog walkers” etc, etc, and at 09:10 “GO”.

Click, click and riders were off.

For added fun we had placed some self inking stamps at various trig points along the route and recorded the start and finish times of riders for reference.  I did say that failure to stamp the card at the check points came with a 3 minute time penalty and not doing the “optional” Bostal climbs and the ‘Info Control’ at the Red Lion Trig point came with a 10 minute penalty – in retrospect I don’t think that was entirely fair and, as there were no rules to begin with, I have decided to change the rules to 5 minutes and 15 minutes respectively (nice round numbers).

I don’t think British Cycling or the UCI will mind if I do this – with that in mind the below table shows the start and finish times of those riders that made it to the Belgian Café and handed back their control cards (I will be returning these to riders in the next few days as keepsakes).

Name

Start.  The Tri Store

1.Friston (red and white poles 8.1 miles)

2.Snap Hill (17.0 miles)

3.Info Control – Red Lion Trig Point (19.6 miles)

4.Firle Bostal (optional) (23.7 miles)

5.Bo Peep (optional) (27.9 miles)

6.Long Burgh (optional) (30.5 miles)

7.Winchester Pond (36.7 miles)

8.Trig Point TQ5700 (39.3 miles)

9.Ringwood Bottom (42.3 miles)

Finish. The Belgian Café (47.1 miles/4758 ft of climbing)

Finish Time

Nigel F.

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

17:00

7hrs 50mins

John (Lemons)

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

17:00

7hrs 50mins

Jo

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

17:00

7hrs 50mins

Biff

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

16:55

7hrs 45mins

Gavin

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

16:55

7hrs 45mins

Kris. F

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

15:55

6hrs 45mins

Dan. H

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

15:55

6hrs 45mins

Jay

09:10

YES

YES

YES

NON

NON

NON

YES

YES

YES

14:55

6hrs 30mins

Rob. P

09:10

NON

YES

NON

NON

NON

NON

YES

YES

YES

13:50

5hrs 45mins

Tom

09:10

NON

YES

NON

NON

NON

NON

YES

YES

YES

13:50

5hrs 45mins

Simon

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

15:30

6hrs 20 mins

Andy

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

15:30

6hrs 20 mins

John (the Plummer)

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

NON

15:30

6hrs 25mins

JP

09:10

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

YES

NON

15:30

6hrs 25mins

I took to my car soon after everyone left to do some race chasing – meeting riders at various places to point a camera at them.  Our good friend Gavin, massive kudos to him for completing the route (see above) having never ridden a CX bike before, will be editing together footage that he took from a GoPro helmet cam and what pictures I managed to get – he is a talented fellow.  Hopefully this will be available in a few weeks.

A spontaneous occurrence from the house hold of Tom – the route happened to go passed his house and riders were invited to take water and have some biscuits from the generosity of Tom’s wife, a friend and what seemed like hundreds of children all keen to see the riders and offer support.  Absolutely unexpected and I really can’t find the right words to express my gratitude.  The ride was unsupported but there was still space for treats; I found myself at the top of a blustery Firle Bostal handing out Curlywurly’s.

As riders finally arrived back at the Belgian Café; glass of fine Belgian beer in hand and pommes frites, 1000 yard stares, battle weary, coming to terms with the abuse their bodies had just received and colour slowly returning to cheeks.  Smiles soon appeared and chatter about the days adventures began – a lifetime of anecdote and stories from a single but epic day in the saddle.

We pulled off something special – riders completed an achingly hard ride in the most robust of gusty winds, but for the most part the rain held off for a day (as I type it is now pissing down again) – Biff said “we have taken cycling futility to a new level”…and I don’t mind that at all.

Thanks to all the riders who turned up, Sam Winter for his invaluable help with the route, Lois May-Miller for her graphic design skills and Marc, Kris, Ady, Matt and Dan for their unequivocal support.

Further Works:

Stewart Lee – The Rappers

Biff Bacon – Slip Smiling Away

The Darker Half of the Year

The last of harvest has been reaped, the clocks fall back and we move into the darker half of the year.  The animals bed down and begin their slumber for the winter; we humans are still chafing at the bit in our humdrum world trying to eek out the last vestiges of value from the dwindling resources – trying to keep the electric lights on.

Halloween ~ our semi-neopagan fallacy, as a celebration of what was known as Samhain to our Gaelic cousins, to protect ourselves from evil spirits, we ‘guise’ as the grim reaper, a ghoul or as Pikachu, for example, to beckon the souls of the dead and dance with them – it is the dance of death that unites us all, after all. Let’s dance to the fragility of life and remember how “vain are the glories of earthly life”.

Let’s race our fucking bikes round the infield of a cycling track, on the track, round the track out back and beyond; in the mud, in the pissing rain, in the darkness.  It’s the perfect remedy to remember how marvellous it is to be alive.

“Kick the darkness until it bleeds daylight”

Thank you Knog and Rollapaluza we all had a bloody great time.

Knog Muddy Hell 2012

Further Works:

Keith Hudson – Darkest Night

Christopher Walken reads Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Raven’

UCX

Inspired by BOULDER ULTRA CROSS the seedlings of an idea have begun to develop, in conversation, on Thursday’s Cyclocross nocturne ~ over a beer of course.  We give Kris the credit for this.

Sunday rides have become heroic in proportion – an excuse to ride as much terrain as possible and challenge ourselves to death (almost).

Details are hazy, but the plan is to hijack the usual Christmas gentleman’s road ride for something a little more, well, challenging.  It’s NOT a race and it is certainly NOT a sportive.

The below image will give you some idea of what it may look like.

We don’t mind if it’s just the 6 of our usual troupe turn up – but what we will do is produce a suggestion of what might be an AMAZING Ultra ‘Cross route in East Sussex and share the date and time through the usual mediums.  If you do choose to do this at that time you’re doing so on your own volition.

Watch this space as they say…

BOULDER ULTRA CROSS – IN THE BAG

Further Works:

1950 Cyclocross Race

Ray Charles – Hit the Road Jack

Happy in the Valley

Sunday was the hotly anticipated race day.  HappyValley, Woodingdean Cyclocross organised by Preston Park Youth Cycling Club.  It hurt like blazers, like the first time I did a town centre crit. but much more.

Our cab of men and lady supporter took the train and alighted at Falmer for a warm up ride across the Downs to Woodingdean – we were ready.  There were 189 starters.  Kris representing our contingent, leading the charge with a gliding performance finishing in a top 30 position – Marc, gutsy and giving it his all –– Adrian dancing somewhere in the midfield – Sam, solid and enduring and myself somewhat average spurred on by the heckling and scoffing from Mr Jo Burt of Brighton – it was only fair and this is what we signed up for.  An hour and 8 laps of hurt.

Many thanks to the cab of men: Kris, Marc, Sam, Adrian and our supporters: Rikki for the cow gong ringing, Mr Matt Scott of Eastbourne for his motivational vocals, and Gavin for the photographs.

We’ll be back for more soon.

Gavin Peacock’s Photographs from Happy Valley

Further works:

New Order 5 – 8 – 6 Extended Remix

Blind Date Cyclocross

Nocturne #1 in E Flat Minor

Vélo Morphē is about forms and shapes; Variations on a theme.

Things take on a different shape at night.  Night riding brings with it a whole new sensory stimulus and experience.  As the nights begin to draw in the inevitable, lonely and dreadful commute home in the darkness begins but a night ride with friends is nothing but an absolute pleasure.

18:30, Thursday evenings, outside the Tri Store is the rendezvous – an off road Cyclocross ride across the Downs with a loop through Friston Forest: riding into the dark.  Please don’t ask me to navigate.  Bright high-lumen bulbs light the way, exposing the flight of moths.  A beer stop is a necessity.

The first ride marking, almost, the Autumnal Equinox – it is uncanny.  We’ll be chasing the light for the next 90 days.

Further works

Nocturne #1 in E Flat Minor

Round Midnight

CycloCross

Along the roads, across the fields and the chalk of the bridleway, down the woodland single track and fire roads.

Rutted and steep inclines. Legs burn. Lungs burn. An hour. Sweet release.