DA Event - the I-Spy Ride

After all the preparation Pete had put in to create this event, it was a little disappointing that with the wet weather and lack of entrants we decided to just have a short ride rather than run the Treasure Hunt.


The ride was enjoyable and the rain mainly held off as we made our way to Smock Alley for lunch at the Five Bells.  This was my first visit to the Five Bells and I found it to be a lovely pub.


The return ride was very pleasant and Pete will keep all his route and questions to use in next years I-Spy.

Chiddingstone Castle

Worth way to East Grinstead.


Coffee at Ros's.


A very enjoyable route on some lovely lanes.


A smashing lunch at Chiddingstone.


A pleasant return ride.

Let me take you down (copyright The Fab Four)

Today’s ride started at HPP at 9:00. It was a dual start so Pete,  Norman,  Mike and l headed off to Pease Pottage to meet Pete and Marian, Frank Tinsley,  John Veitch, John Clark, Corinne and Ann.
We headed off south towards Handcross and used the new cycle route alongside the A23. At the Staplefield turning Mike decided to cut the ride short as he had just recovered from illness. 
The rest of us headed further south with several hills (the ride was defined as hard), over the A272 and on to Hickstead. It was then a nice level ride towards Twineham. It was here we started to meet a Sportif.
Heading north we re-crossed the A272. More hills!
The Sportif riders started to come thick and fast here.  Their road sense left a lot to be desired. Overtaking with traffic approaching!
The route then headed towards Hammerponds and Grouse Road.
John Clark and the Smiths headed for home here so only seven made it to lunch. Mike meet us there. 
There were no takers for the afternoon ride so l headed along (up) Wimlands to allow Crawley members an easier way home. 
I clocked 46 miles and 2500' of climbing.

Beginners Ride

This month I decided to use the Beginners Ride as a run-through for the Family Bike Ride along the Worth Way that we are running as part of National Bike Week in June. Seventeen riders turned up at the start although one was on foot and just wishing us well, two were on close tolerance road bikes and didn't want to risk the Worth Way, and two others popped home and came back on their offroad bikes.

Firstly I took us to Oriel School to determine how best to negotiate the roads/roundabout there and then we made our way up through the woods to join the Worth Way at the Bower. It was all working well and we'd soon negotiated Church Road, passed Worth Church and crossed over the M23. A quick regroup at the farm and we carried on through the woods, heavy with the scent of bluebells, until we came to the road crossing by Keepers Cottage. Here a couple of members marshalled us safely across and then it was on past Rowfant and along the long straight to Crawley Down. This is the next potentially awkward bit but once again my fellow club members kept us together and on the right route.

We stopped by the pond for a breather and to check out it's suitability as a rest point, before carrying on and engaging the slight climb that the rest of the rout does up to East Grinstead. Here we all walked over the footbridge and down to the Bluebell Railway cafe. It's only a small light refreshments operation but coped very well with our numbers and we think will be able to cope (when combined with the Costa Cafe over the road) with the family bike ride - especially as we intend getting everyone to leave their bikes in the top carpark and we will provide a couple of bods to look after them there.

After enjoying our refreshments, a chat and the sights, sounds and smell of a steam engine arriving and departing, we headed back whence we came. The journey back was enjoyable (and slightly easier because it's slightly downhill) although Javier had a puncture just after the farm. Pete and Marian helped sort it out and, having all regrouped by Worth Church, we started to head off home in our various directions.

The group I was with headed back past Oriel School and then up through Tilgate Park over the golf course and along a great woodland track to the top of Pease Pottage Hill. From here it was just a short ride to Gordon and Jacqui's for lunch and the Runslist Meeting.

The draft Q3 runslist has just been emailed to members. Once I've dealt with the responses and finalised it, it will republished on our website.

Next weeks ride is a Horsham Park Pavilions start at 09:00 hrs.  Mick has prepared a lovely ride called The Three Counties Ride. It's only 35 miles and I believe is rated as Medium (although Mick tells me that he can add a 22 mile Hard option for the afternoon if you really want!!  Lunch will be at the Strawberry Fields Cafe on the Old Horsham Road near Roffey.

Fun and frolics at Deers Leap

May bank holiday weekend - three days off work, let's have a couple of days out on our bikes.  I thought a bit of off-road fun at Dears Leap would appeal to a few people. In the end there were just four of us - Corinne, Carol, Narinder and myself, Bob.

Deers Leap is basically an area of fields and woodland with farm tracks around the fields and single track through the woodland. The single track isn't difficult as it winds through the various patches of woodland but it does help improve ones bike handling skills. There are rooty sections, ups and downs and rickety wooden bridges to negotiate.

Facial expressions ranged from worried frowns, through tongue out concentration to big broad smiles as we twisted and turned through the woodland trails. 

Having explored the southern section of the park, we headed back to the cafe for some refreshments and a chat about what we'd been doing and what we were learning. Then it was back out and climbing through the woods to tackle the northern section of the park.

Here there were some new sections of track and a couple of nice swoopy descents before we headed through the woods again, redid the first couple of southern tracks and finally did the first one in reverse before we called it a day and headed back to the cafe. Carol and Narinder went off to visit Standen whilst Corinne and I decided another snack at the cafe was in order.

Getting back home from Deers Leap is quite easy - I just road north, over the crossroads into Imberhorne Lane and then picked up the Worth Way all the way back to Crawley.

We may schedule another Deers Leap visit sometime soon - keep you eyes peeled, or better still let me know date(s) that suit you.