Sunday CR 2 June

[Del]

09:30 at CSS.

Weather looks ok, so may go for a slightly longer ride...... but can't make up my mind!

Current thoughts are either a loop through the Kent hills, a blast down to Ditchling or a shorter southern loop through Handcross and Pease Pottage.

So many decisions! We'll take a vote on the day unless people want to state a preference here?

[HSam]

Thanks for today...put my normal solo mileage/av speeds to shame...even after giving in to my legs at Redhill (and hopping on a train back to Norwood Junction).

Also, thanks for waiting on the couple of times I dropped off, much appreciated...although it was a nice relief to let you guys head off when I finally admitted defeat!

See you on a weekend soon.

Cheers,

Sam

[Del]

Glad you got back ok, Sam.

You were looking pretty shot at Newdigate. I got back home with 78 miles at 16.7mph - probably more than 17mph from CSS as I had a fairly leisurely 10 mile ride up from Horley before we got under way.

As I said, we don't normally stay out so long or get so spectacularly lost!

Hope to see you out again soon!

[Del]

So, that was eventful!

Got to CSS at 09:30 and still hadn't decided on the destination. Mentioned the options of Ditchling, Kent or Handcross.......... and we decided to go to Sumner Ponds, Barns Green, just south of Horsham. Alan Malarkey's suggestion, but it's a nice spot. The Over the Hill Gang use it a lot.

The only problem with Barns Green is it's the one place i seem to manage to get lost whenever I go there. I know generally where it is and I can get fairly close, but the last few miles are a mystery...... well to me anyway. But this time, with me and the OTHG veteran Alan, things would surely be different?

Er...... no!

No real problems as far as the route went as we reached Rudgwick without any problems, apart from a series of minor comedy incidents on the way down, as Paul's mudguard fell apart and Colin's tyre started to pop off the rim. Oh and Ben was riding his new Canyon for the first time and it was remarkably clean!

So we left Rudgwick, recognised the road and were sure we were on the right track, until we approached the left turn for Drungewick. "It's this, isn't it?' I shouted without any conviction. 'I don't recognise it' replied Alan, with hardly any more conviction!

So, we rode on......... and on............ and on, buoyed all the time by a supreme confidence that Barns Green was 'over there on the left'. Until we finally gave up, and tried to locate it on our mobiles in an area with more or less no mobile coverage. So, we rode about a quarter of a mile to Fishers Farm, where there is a resident pianist belting out stuff from Phantom of the Opera and other such stuff.

Ben then got enough coverage on his phone while to confirm that Barns Green was indeed over there on the left........ about 6 miles away on the other side of Billingshurst!

Anyhow, back on the bikes, through Billingshurst and we took the Haywards Heath road, and then a miracle........ a signpost for Barns Green!

So, we turned left and passed close by Barns Green, but kept heading north through Broadbridge Heath, where Scott turned into Bicycle Repair Man, using only his bare hands and a multi-tool to re-align Alan's front derailleur, which had worked loose. Then it was on via Horsham and Rusper, where Colin wrapped his chain round his Garmin cadence sensor and Sam started his slow descent into exhaustion.

From Rusper, it was reverse club run stuff, with a stop at Newdigate for Sam to jump back on. I turned off at Flanchford Road for home, I know Sam jumped on a train at Redhill, and I'm guessing everyone else got back ok.

Actually a good ride! Maybe about 20 miles and 90 to 120 minutes longer than we meant, once we added time for aimless staring at mobile phone maps and various roadside repairs.

Thanks to all for a wonderful mystery tour, with last minute road directions decided by our 9 man rolling committee: Andy, Ben, Ant, Scott, Paul, Colin, Alan, Sam and me!

[HSam]

Starting at South Norwood and finishing at Redhill I clocked 75miles at 16.3mph, which is my longest ride to date. Good to know that a bowl of museli, 1 banana and 3 gels will get me to about 70 miles before my legs starting crying out for home...

Good fun...and looking forward to more over the summer...and I might be a bit more vague when letting my family know when I'll be home!

Cheers,

Sam

[Phil H]

[quote="HSam"]Good fun...and looking forward to more over the summer...and I might be a bit more vague when letting my family know when I'll be home!

[Andrew G]

You can't get lost Del, you are either trying a different route or checking out some new roads .

Re maps, regardless of smart phones and the useful mapping on them you can't beat a piece of paper on a bike. I have various sections of map photocopied on to A4. You can fold it a variety of ways to see quite a lot of roads from either side of the folded paper which is no bigger once folded than a quarter if its original size. Stick it in a sandwich bag to stop it getting sweaty in your pocket. It's simple and works beautifully and you can take it out and check it whilst on the move so you don't have to keep stopping, you can even just do a bit of no hands to adjust the folds when you move to the next bit of map.

[Phil H]

[quote="Andrew G"]You can't get lost Del, you are either trying a different route or checking out some new roads .

Re maps, regardless of smart phones and the useful mapping on them you can't beat a piece of paper on a bike. I have various sections of map photocopied on to A4. You can fold it a variety of ways to see quite a lot of roads from either side of the folded paper which is no bigger once folded than a quarter if its original size. Stick it in a sandwich bag to stop it getting sweaty in your pocket. It's simple and works beautifully and you can take it out and check it whilst on the move so you don't have to keep stopping, you can even just do a bit of no hands to adjust the folds when you move to the next bit of map.

[Jon H]

[quote="Andrew G"]You can fold it a variety of ways to see quite a lot of roads from either side of the folded paper which is no bigger once folded than a quarter if its original size. [quote]
Stay tuned for Andrew's next origami lesson...