Boxing Day Ride

I'd eaten too much, drank just a little and stayed up late watching The Bourne Ultimatum - do you feel an excuse coming on? Well you're dead right - I had severe trouble getting up and consequently only gave myself 25 minutes to do a 40 minute journey. Manfully I rode into the wind, trying not to overdo it as I've only just recovered from my cold (actually the remnants are still on my chest). As I rode past K2 (which was closed), a couple of Crows tried to fly out of my way and both of them flew straight into a chain-link fence! How weird?

I thought I was making good time as I crested Pease Pottage Hill and the clock still looked good as approached Colgate but that tiny little hill there took minutes off me and somehow the road seemed longer from there to Roffey. I kept the power on down through Roffey but it was 10:15 before I arrived at the (closed) Pavilions in the Park. I hung around, looking to see if there were any recent tyre tracks visible (none were), but after 10 minutes and barely having seen a soul, I concluded that either no-one else fancied a Boxing-Day ride or that they'd got fed up waiting for me and gone off.

I decided I would head out towards Doomsday Green, so took Depot Road. At the end, realising that I was on my own and my bike was fitted with knobblies, I decided to use the bridleway route along Hampers Lane and then down to Hammerpond Road. This was quiet and pleasant although the second part was definitely not suitable for any of the more delicate, close clearance bikes (my Kona did it with it's eyes shut and both hands tied behind its back!!).

Hammerpond Road was up and down as usual but seemed easier than usual today and I was soon on Grouse Road. I'd put my rear light on at the start of todays ride and it was noticeable that (almost) all the traffic was giving me plenty of space - even on the narrow part of Grouse Road, a car actually had the good manners to stay behind me until the road widened out! I think there's a lot to be said for having a bright red flashing led on the back of your bike.

At Pease Pottage I had a decision to make - stay on the road or go off-road through Tilgate Forest? I'm afraid I wimped out - feeling too lazy to have to clean all my gear after doing an off-road ride, I stayed on the road and belted down Pease Pottage Hill. Then, as I cut through the deserted K2, at exactly the same spot as the Crow incident, I disturbed a Green Woodpecker. That's the first time I've seen one and it was on the ground! (until it flew into the tree that is).

Arriving home, I'd only ridden 19 miles but they'd been enjoyable enough and I'm sure the exercise had done me good.

Our next ride is on New Years Day, Sunday 1st January. Starting from Horsham Pavilions in the Park at 09:30 hrs, we will head south to The Black Horse at Amberley where we will meet up with riders from the other two West Sussex groups for lunch. I reckon it's a Medium rated ride of about 40 miles. There will be a couple of hills but nothing too hard. Let's hope the weather is kind to us.