The View From Here - a blog

The short and long of it – 14/10/2024

Having chosen the short route for last week’s Dulwich Paragon-hosted Ride of the Falling Leaves, I really wanted to do the long route for this week’s Ride of the Falling Leaves. This week Spoke Cycles in Codicote were the hosts, offering frites, beer and a screening of Il Lombardia – the last Monument race of the season - back at base.

Orange we lucky to have two falling leaves events? (Sorry, typical dad joke from me)

I planned to take the 07:52 train from New Southgate which arrives at Welwyn Garden City at 08:17. Just a 5-6 miles ride to Spoke, so plenty of time for the 09:00 depart. All well and good until the noticeboard at New Southgate announces that the 07:52 is cancelled. The next train is at 08:22 and I estimate I’ll be there at 09:20. And I was. But by the time I’ve signed in, been to the loo and loaded the route, all the groups have set off.

Arriving at Spoke Cycles as the last groups sets off

OK. What now?

I feel a bit deflated. 100km solo doesn’t really appeal to me. I figure the 100km groups will be faster, will have set off first and be harder to catch. Maybe I could catch some of the shorter route riders, who might be a bit slower. Maybe catch them at the rest stop. It’s 09:40 and I set out. I ask Mark, one of the Spoke mechanics, if the route goes left or right out of the entrance. “Left, I think,” he says. I head left and at the bottom of the hill in Codicote it’s clear I am doing the route in reverse and head back up the hill to start “properly.”

I accept I’m never going to catch up with anyone and resolve to enjoy the view and then the beer and chips. Once I’m over the annoyance of being late – tardiness is something that goes against every bone in my body - I’m feeling alright. In fact, I feel quite reasonable on the bike and overtake two riders with tell-tale orange Spoke RoTFL race numbers on their bars. I was chatting to someone last week at the other RoTFL and they said their son calls it a kill when they overtake someone. In my head I say: “two kills.” Which actually isn’t weird at all.

Not really a race number, more a way for the photographer to ID riders

On I go. It’s 30 mins before my next kill. Three. I’m a serial killer now. I am not hammering it, but I am going at a fair pace and feeling that it is sustainable. I’m on my gravel bike with 35mm slick tyres and mudguards. I have toe warmers, a semi waterproof winter jacket and bib tights. I’m build for comfort, I ain’t built for speed, as Howlin’ Wolf sang. Nonetheless, I crack on as best I can.

Cruising down a typical country lane - there are one or two fallen leaves

I’m almost killed by an MTB rider. He goes past me at one point with a sweet cadence. I haul him in on a climb and he fades off. The rest stop arrives. It’s at Church Farm in Ardeley, which I’ve visited many times before. Spoke have organised their snacks and drinks and set up this u in the Garden Room, a summer house-cum-shed that is normally rented out for kids parties. From the number of bikes with orange race numbers, it looks like there are a dozen RoTFL riders. All it seems are at the café. One is leaving at the same time as me. I almost repeat my trick at the depart and. Head out in the wrong direction. Well, I did actually, but only for 5m. The other rider catches me. I see if we are the same pace, but we’re not. Another kill? Maybe. (I did get thoroughly killed myself at one point by someone in purple who went screaming past me).

This area of south Herts is among my favourites for cycling and the route does not disappoint. It’s all pretty villages, farms and winding lanes and then more pretty villages, farms and winding lanes. I’m glad of my 35mm tyres and when it starts raining on the last quarter of the ride, I’m glad of the mudguards and all the clobber I’m wearing. Looking at today as a training ride, I’m fairly satisfied. I’ve kept an even tempo at a fair lick. I felt the edge of cramp on one of the latter climbs, but it didn’t pop, so to speak.

Lashings of butter and cheese in my toastie

Back at Spoke I’m quickly into the celebratory frites and a cold bottle of Vedett. Then tempted by a toastie, I settle in and watch the race and review my ride data. I’ve managed +20w on my power from last week’s RoTFL, when I didn’t feel so great, which is progress. When I count all the rides - to the station, from the station to Spoke, RoTFL (short version), then back to the station, then station to home – it’s close to 100km. Short or long, I call that a decent day out.

Here's Spoke's gallery of the event.

Short route:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3274664563588393126

Long route:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3274665623621002406