Crawley Family Bike Ride

As ride leader I was pretty nervous about this event - an unknown number of riders with an unknown range of cycling abilities and an unknown number of helpers to marshal it. I'd tried to think of the potential problems and how I was going to deal with them but in spite of the preparation, I was still worried as we gathered outside Oriel School. However, the weather conspired against a large turnout by raining at just the right time to discourage potential riders. One thing I hadn't planned for was that one of the cyclists was on a very low-slung hand-cycle, but after a few minutes thought and discussion with him, we'd identified the potential hazard points and had a plan to deal with them.

The numbers slowly built up to 21 until it was time to go. I gave a quick introduction and description of the route, Gordon kindly did the safety briefing and then it was time for a group photo before we headed off through Maidenbower and up to The Worth Way. With the best part of fifty years age difference in the group, I took it nice and steady with frequent stops to regroup and point out things of interest. I had plenty of experienced riders to help marshal us and keep us safe - we even tried a little bit of bicycle maintenance at times as we tried to cure a squeaky disc brake on one of the bikes.


The rain had given up before we set off and the route was really quite dry, so we made steady progress with the marshals doing a good job at the few road crossings we had to negotiate. On the roads of Crawley Down we kept together fairly well and after a breather by the pond, we all carried on towards East Grinstead.


I was hoping we would arrive in time to see a steam engine run in over the viaduct but we just missed it and only the first few riders managed to see the loco whilst it was in the station. We parked the bikes in the car park where the old High-level railway station was and then walked down, past the modern station and on to the Bluebell Railway Station. Here most of the riders enjoyed refreshments in the café located in an old railway carriage. There was plenty of happy conversation and enthusiasm amongst the riders. Thanks must go to Malcolm and Anton for staying with the bikes and ensuring they would be safely there for our return trip.


Heading back from East Grinstead meant that the route was slightly downhill and everyone was enjoying themselves and travelling at a pretty good pace. We were in several small groups, each of which was chatting as they rode along and all was right with the world.


Then we had the only incident of the day as an experienced rider (no names) managed a slowmotion fall. A quick check revealed no injury  - not even a scratch or bruise and it certainly amused the rest of us!


Arriving back at Oriel School I accounted for everybody and wished them all a safe journey home before heading home myself to a nice relaxing cup of tea and slice of cake.

Jack and Jill, Clayton

Mid-June: should be nice and warm, just right for riding in shirtsleeves. Well, er, no!     Malcolm and I met up at the local shops and rode over to Horsham Pavilions in the Park where we were joined by seven others: Anne, Anton, Corinne, Ken, Michael, Norman and Pete. The cloud cover was pretty thick and even looked like it wanted to rain as we headed out past the Salvation Army HQ to Depot Road. The joy that is Hammerpond Lane then unfolded beneath our wheels. Highlights being the climbs at Roosthole and the two either side of Grouse Road (not). Regrouping/catching our breath at the Wheatsheaf crossroads, we watched a chap setting up some route indicators for the 'Etape de Sussex' which was due to pass through in a couple of hours. 

We carried on, turning South at Slaugham Pond, climbing to Warninglid where we turned left and then took the next lane heading south once more. As we ground up the hill someone queried whether the ride was actually "medium" as I had rated it. I defended my corner by pointing out that, although, yes, this was the fifth hill (who counts these things?), the mileage was actually quite short at about 18 miles with in excess of two hours to complete it. Other than the climbing aspect, the lane was very pleasant as was the next one, Jeremy's Lane, where Norman nearly fell off his bike trying to warn us that the entire width of the road was covered in potholes.

We crossed over the A23 just north of the Bolney Stage and were now onto some delightful lanes in what I shall call "Anton Country". With the glowering cloud and thick overhead vegetation, it was hard work seeing where the road went on some of these lames - I almost took my sunglasses off 😎

We crossed the A272 without any bother and soon after crossed the Burgess Hill link road just as easily. I understand some plant watering occurred at this point, but I'm too much of a gent to mention names.

At Goddards Green, Anton pointed out that this was the area where he'd had his icy road induced memory loss incident a few years back - I determined that we'd visit the actual scene on the return journey. After misreading my route instructions but fortunately being corrected by Anton, we arrived at Hurstpierpoint College - amazingly enough this was the first time I'd ever seen it! It's big and it's flintnapped, how could I miss it? Not far to go now and with a right then left we headed down past The Danny (a big house that I believe hosted some important meeting either during or after the Second World War. This lane looks like it's about to head straight up the scarp of the South Downs, but no, it turns east and takes us to the pub!


We were a little bit early so I used the time up by showing everyone the castellated Clayton railway tunnel entrance. We waited there, watching for a train to come out of the tunnel, but none came - well not until we'd got fed up and had turned our backs on it!! I suggested we could pop over the road and have a quick look at Clayton Church but everyone had headed off along the wrong road before I could cross the road to join them and I had to chase them down over the next mile - that was the fastest any of them had ridden all morning! Anyway, we had a quick look at the church but as a service was in full swing we decided not to go in for some sightseeing - besides which, the pub was now open.


All the tables inside the pub seemed to be reserved so we sat outside and enjoyed some fine ale and food. We were then joined by the Bognor Chichester riders who had been sat inside.


Edwin and co. joined us for the first few miles of the return journey as we headed back past Hurstpierpoint College and down the lane where Anton had his icy accident a few years back. The lanes were very nice and, having crossed over the A23 we soon arrived at Wineham where the Bognor/Chichester crew headed south and we headed north.


We had a couple of climbs as we passed Bolney went through Warninglid and carried on to Slaugham Pond. Here Ken took the short route back to Crawley to get home to see his son who'd fallen of his bike earlier. The rest of us retraced the morning route as far as Grouse Road where the Crawley trio turned right and the Horsham quintet carried on west.


I still reckon todays ride was "Medium" - it had quite a few hills but was only a mere 36 miles or so.....


Our next ride is on Saturday 20th June and is the Family Bike Ride starting from Oriel School in Maidenbower. I would appreciate as many members turning up as possible so that you can help marshal this ride along the Worth Way to East Grinstead. If you don't want to marshal, take part anyway, just to impart your experience into the body of riders.

Christmas Party

This year, our Christmas Party was held at The Dragon in Colgate.

We organised/arranged that anyone wanting to ride would use their own route and meet up at Rusper by 11:15, so I set off from home at about 11:00 hrs. I was taking it very easy as I wasn't feeling too good - I seemed to have a cold developing - but I arrived at Rusper with time to spare. As I stood waiting, I was bemused by just how poor the average motorist is at driving. Perhaps we should stop using the term "motorist" as that implies some level of ability at the task in hand! The most classic example was a person who approached from the Ifield direction and swept around the sharp corner on the wrong side of the road in order to pull up by the right hand kerb outside the shop. The only trouble was, the wrong side of the road is the right side of the road for traffic moving in the other direction and, yes, there was a car coming in that opposite direction - fortunately he was awake and managed to avoid the collision!

Shortly after, Barbara and Pete could be seen climbing the last few yards up to the junction. After a brief chat whilst we waited to see if any other rider would materialise, we set off. We headed down towards Ifield then bore right and down past the Lambs Green turning before the climb up to Dowlands Lane. From here it was down, past what looks like a large housing development, over the railway and through Faygate to the roundabout on the A264. We got across without incident and met up with Sandra.

Now we had to work for our dinner as we tackled the one mile climb that is Tower Hill. With perseverence (and a lot of inconsequential chatter from me), we soon crested and could get our breath back as we rolled the final 100 yards to the pub.

Although we were early, having locked the bikes up in the garden, we were allowed into the pub and could divest ourselves of our outerwear - look at the state of Pete's jacket:

All that spattering was the result of a rather muddy road surface and a rear mudguard that failed the trades description act!

Soon the four of us were joined by John V and John C with their partners, followed by Pete, Marian, Pat and Frank.

Dinner was served and was piping hot with monster portions and we all manfully strove to get outside it all!! Then it was time for Barbara to make a small speech to sum up the clubs year.

Barbara finished off her piece with the award of the Mick Horley trophy.

In recent years we have awarded the trophy to the club member that turned out on the most rides but this year the committee felt that it should be awarded to the person that had done the most work in promoting the club (and cycling in general). So, for his sterling efforts in creating and running the Family Bike Ride, Crawley Cycle Forum and his Right-to-Ride work, this years winner of The Mick Horley Trophy is......
Pete Smith:

Special mention must also be made of Anton who completed the VERY tough Paris-Brest-Paris ride(PBP) back in the (wet) summer. His achievement is even more remarkable because he was suffering from a severe stomach problem for two of the four days of riding!

Other mentions go out to John V who managed a couple of continental cycling "jaunts" - joined by John C on one I believe - and to me (Bob) for completing my own version of the Coast to Coast (I rode from St Davids Head to Hemsby).

Here are a few pictures of us enjoying the meal:

Merry Christmas everybody.

Forest Row and back

We were pleased to welcome a new rider from Horsham to our beginners ride start at Three Bridges Station – welcome Sandra! We had slightly overcast but pleasantly warm weather as we headed off down the Worth Way. Normally we can’t ride the tandem on to the Worth Way at the Three Bridges end, but due to some moderate reworking of the wooden chicane (someone has broken them down!) we are now able to ride up the slope to gain access to the shaded path of the NCR21 going east. We took a gentle ride up to East Grinstead where we were delighted to see Ros back on her bike and looking well and fitter than ever. She had been out on her bike for a short ride during the previous week and was now keen to get back in to regular cycling, without overdoing it. So we decided to head through the lovely old town centre of East Grinstead and then south east (descending) along the Forest Way to Forest Row. In Forest Row we observed the extravagance of two sets of lights to cross the A22 – one set for pedestrians/cyclists and another set immediately adjacent for horses. Turning right we headed up to Future Cycles and turned left in to the quiet back road through the village – a road that some of our regular riders had not visited before. We then looped left up to the tip and past our usual café, run by our Dutch friends, as we had a rare treat in store. Climbing quickly on the Forest Way back to East Grinstead we turned off to visit Ros at her new house for coffee and home-made cake! Thank you Ros for your hospitality. Ros then lead us through diverse ways (!) back to the centre of East Grinstead and then along a sequence of minor roads and bridleways to arrive back on the Worth Way by Gulledge. We noticed as we passed that this house, although having a fine stone front when viewed from the Worth Way, is in fact a much older timber framed building at the back – a building practice that I believe was quite common among rich landowners at one time (?Georgian period). Here we said au revoir to Ros as we freewheeled through Crawley Down and back in to Crawley. Slightly longer than our usual two hours, but very pleasant and relaxed in nice weather and company. And a total of 25 easy miles on this occasion (again a little more than usual for a beginners ride).

Next week we are all looking forward to visiting an airshow to be viewed from the South Downs. So bring a picnic for a 09.30 start at Horsham Park Pavilion (swimming centre) – go on, you know you want to!

Leith Hill

Typical: Sunny weather during the week when I'm stuck at work, wet and windy over the weekend when I've actually got some time to myself!

Although the rain wasn't hard, just spending three minutes in the back garden feeding my fish was enough to get wet, so I decided to wear waterproofs for the ride. Once out on the road, the wind made its presence known and kept slapping me round the face with the result that I was a couple of minutes late getting to Horsham Park Pavilions. No matter, no-one was there (well not on the cycling front anyway).

I hung around as I knew that Anton was on his way and sure enough he soon arrived having cycled the 15 miles or so from Haywards Heath. He was feeling a bit tired as he'd been on a 130 mile Audax yesterday, but I reckoned todays ride would be a nice little wind-down for him.

Shortly before 10:00hrs we set off - out of Horsham over the Golf Course and Robin Hood Lane, then across to Rowhook hill. I'd like to say I found the hill easy, but with the wind and the drag of my waterproofs on my legs, it was hard work. We turned North and then, opposite the brickworks, took the right fork along a slightly undulating road all the way to Forest Green - in the narrow parts we had to stop a couple of times to let some of the thirty or so MG cars pass that we saw going the other way. A right, a left and another right brought us on to a narrow lane that decided to do the ascent of Leith Hill in one go - it was marked as 12% up but felt a lot steeper to me. In spite of his "tiredness" Anton left me standing (well, grinding along in Granny gear) but had the decency to wait at the top. After a 50 yard breather we then had to do a sharp left and head upward for another 400 yards or so, although I had to shout to get Anton to stop as he'd shot past the car park from where I intended we could get across to Leith Hill Tower. At this point the rain started falling heavier and that, coupled with the time and terrain meant that I decided to forego the visit to the Tower and head straight to the lunch halt instead.

We sheltered under a tree as the worst of the rain passed over and watched as a policeman pulled up in a car and proceeded to walk around checking the Vehicle Tax Discs of the assembled parked cars. "Hello Lads," he said, "having a good ride?" We grinned and told him we were about to head to the pub - I'm sure I saw a brief flash of envy pass across his face....

We flashed back down the short climb we'd just done and then headed over to and through Coldharbour on the face of the slope before turning right and having a fast, if slightly sketchy, run down the narrow Henhurst Cross Lane to come out on the A29. Next we crossed over the A24 and rolled into Capel. Turning east, the wind was now behind us and we soon reached Newdigate via Trig Street.

As we locked our bikes up under the covered patio area, the heavens absolutely opened! I was most impressed by the canvas canopy - waterproof and measuring something like 8 by 6 metres it easily dealt with the rain and the strong, gusting wind. At this point I realised I'd just received a text from John V asking if we were riding - I replied we were, but by this time he'd succumbed to the (dry) delights of staying in to watch the Tour De France. We were joined for lunch by Shirley although we made the mistake of sitting in front of the large screen TV which had first the golf and then motorbike racing on - it's very distracting trying to have a conversation with a television just a few feet away, right in your line of sight.

When we were ready to leave, the sun was shining but, even before we'd unlocked the bikes, the heavens opened again! We got togged up with waterproofs and waited 10 minutes for the worst of the weather to blow over before heading off, south towards Rusper. Taking it in turns to lead, we made good progress and were soon whistling down into Ifield. We used the subway into West Green and then, just as we crossed the railway the rain came back with a vengeance. Mind you, there was so much that it felt quite cleansing. I lead us through Southgate and then as we reached Furnace Green Anton decided he would catch the train from Three Bridges rather than ride all the way back to Haywards Heath. I pointed him in the right direction and then scuttled back home to give my bike an all over spray of light oil before putting it away - I must remember to rub it down and check it out in the next day or so. I'm also curious to see how my (relatively) new Brooks saddle has coped with the wet.

Although there was a very tough climb in the middle of it, todays ride wasn't actually that hard (I'd rate it as easy to be honest) and I think I only covered just under 40 miles in total - Anton probably managed just over 45.

Next weeks ride is The Horsham Hundred. We have two 50 mile loops starting and finishing from Horsham. The morning one starts from Horsham Park Pavilions at 07:00 hrs and heads south with a tea Break at Dove's Barn Garden Centre(09:30). Arriving back in Horsham at about 12:30, we will have lunch at the Horsham Conservatory Cafe (in the Park). The afternoon loop heads north with a tea break at Capel Church (16:00) and finishes back at Horsham at about 18:30 hrs.

I (Bob) will be leading the morning loop but I'm unable to lead the afternoon one - I can however provide a map and route instructions to anyone that turns up. If you don't fancy riding all 100 miles then why not ride just the morning or just the afternoon loop?

Please get in touch with me if you need any further information - if you don't know my e-mail address or phone number, just leave a comment on this blog.

Redhill Aerodrome

In a change from our usual programming, I present not one but two blogs for this weeks ride!

The first is from Pete, the second is one I prepared earlier (to use a phrase from Blue Peter). We both report on the same things but it's interesting to see the different ways we present it.

Petes Blog:
A warm sunny day greeted us as we welcomed five new riders to our group at Three Bridges station. After some introductions we set off for Redhill Aerodrome using the NCR 21 for most of the way. This took us via North Road, Three Bridges in to Manor Royal – some of the riders were not aware of the existence of the tunnel in to Manor Royal and so it was good to share that information. Through Manor Royal to the tarmac path by the landing lights for the runway and Gatwick and a short break. And to stand under a landing aircraft! Another first for some people and quite spectacular if you have not done it before. Shortly after this we passed under the terminal building to emerge in to our second county for the day – Surrey. Under the subway in Horley and we reached the open countryside via the Langshott estate. The off-road route through to Salfords (all on the NCR21) was dry and very pleasant, with one short sharp kick-up and we soon arrived in Salfords for the right then left up to the top of the hill overlooking Redhill aerodrome (about a mile short of the East Surrey hospital).

We arrived for coffee and cakes about 11.00 (just over 10 miles at an average speed of about 8 mph) and sat outside in the sunshine solving matters of world-wide import and watching the light aircraft movements before heading back via the same route. The idea was to see if everyone had remembered the way. It seemed as if there were less uphill’s on the return journey and we soon made good time to the Three Bridges junction of NCR20 and 21 where we headed south towards Brighton on the route 20. Barbara left us for her train while we continued along Tilgate Drive to Furnace Green and then in to Maidenbower past Oriel School. Total distance 23 miles. Well done to all riders and thank you for joining us. We hope to see some of you at our regular Sunday rides. Our next beginners ride is on Sunday 14th August at 10.00 from Three Bridges Station. We’ll see who turns up, and what the weather is like but potentially we will follow the Worth Way/Forest Way eastwards – going to either East Grinstead, Forest Row or Groombridge. And back!

In the meantime – Happy Cycling!

Peter S

P.S. For those needing help with route-planning in Crawley try this site: http://www.cyclestreets.net/ – Crawley CTC are going to be maintaining the local information for Crawley, so please report any suggestions or ideas using: crawshamctc@hotmail.co.uk Anybody needing help or advice regarding route finding and the best way to get around Crawley on a bike please contact us via the same email address.

And now Blog version 2 from Bob:

A nice, bright morning found four club members joined by 5 other riders for one of our "Introductory Rides" - we hold these on the second Sunday of each month with the intention of alerting people to just how easy it is to have an easy yet interesting bike ride from Crawley (or Horsham).

Todays destination was Redhill Aerodrome and, starting from Three Bridges station, we soon had the hardest part of the ride behind us - crossing Haslett Avenue! After that, the quiet back roads of Three Bridges and then Northgate are the setting for National Cycle Network (NCN) route 21. This route uses an underpass to get into the Industrial Estate without crossing Crawley Avenue. The Industrial estate itself is traversed using a combination of very quiet roads and dedicated cyclepaths. Then, using a couple of sets of traffic lights we arrived at The Beehive before gaining the tarmac path between the Railway and The Gatwick Stream. We stopped for a breather (and a photo) directly under the flightpath and in amongst the landing lights:


As we went past the Airport terminal building, we pointed out the various ways to get into the terminal (stairs and lifts) and the bicyle storage facilities lining the path. Those riders unfamiliar with the route were amazed to see the lake that swims into view just after the tunnel under the motorway link - they'd lived in the area for years but never knew it existed!

We worked our way through Horley using a couple of quiet residential roads, the underpass under the railway and out on the Smallfield Road before turning north to follow NCN21 through the Langshott estate on a shared use path. Now we were on a farm track called Lake lane and we stopped for another breather and photo:


At the end of this farm track, Pete (the ride leader), gave us a choice for the next part of the route: either we could climb the hill using a quiet country lane or we could climb the same hill on a smooth bridleway - we opted for the bridleway. It was an easy climb (middle cogs front and back) and very pleasant under the trees, especially once we crested and could enjoy the smooth downhill:

Just before reaching Honeycrock Lane we noticed a Dog Show in progress on the left of our route - two facilities there amused us somewhat - one was a tent advertising itself as a place for "Dog Portraits" and the other was a what looked like a swimming pool but with dogs being encouraged to jump in and out of it.

Here was the second climb of the ride, but everyone managed it with no fuss at all. then we turned right onto Kings Mill Lane and I could point out where the Old Crawley Clock seems to be spending its days. No one other than me seemed to remember it, but to jog peoples memories, I've included this picture which I found on the Crawley Borough Council website:

To find the picture I did a search on the internet and came up with very few relevant hits.

One of the hits seems to be an extract from the minutes of the now defunct New Towns Commission (the organisation charged with developing the various New Towns around London that emerged after the Second World war). It had this to say:

"Genevieve" Clock
92. The Commission have provided a clock in Queens Square featuring the annual London-Brighton Veteran Car Run. When the hour is struck models of the cars emerge and move around the clock, and bells chime a tune based on the theme music of the "Genevieve" film.
93. The clock was unveiled on the eve of the 1965 Veteran Car Run by Sir Thomas Bennett, the first chairman of Crawley Development Corporation, and handed over to the Urban District Council.

I'd love to see the clock back in Crawley I think it would be a great addition to Queens Square (where it was originally installed) or even on the High Street - it would certainly be VERY popular on the day of the Old Crocks Race.

Arriving at Redhill Aerodrome we found a lot of people enjoying the sunshine outside the cafe but it didn't take us long to get served and find tables to sit at. Light refreshments were the order of the day and it was very pleasant sitting in the sun, eating, drinking, chatting and watching the movements of several light aircraft. A party of boy Scouts were being shown around and several of them boarded a plane for a flight. Barbara also told us that she had been on a helicopter flight from here took her on a sightseeing trip over London.

Looking to the southwest we could see dark clouds bearing down on us and decided we ought to head back for home. We decided to use exactly the same return route so that everyone would get the chance to memorise the route for themselves and, as one of the riders commented, the return journey seemed far quicker. Once we got back to Three Bridges we said goodbye to Barbara who was heading for the Station whilst the rest of use followed NCN 20 as it passed Three Bridges Football Club and used Tilgate Drive to cross the railway into Furnace Green. I peeled off our little 'Peleton' as we passed my street and Pete led veryone else on, under the railway and into Maidenbower by Oriel School where everyone finally dispersed.

Thankyou to everyone who turned up - please come on another ride with us sometime - the second Sunday of each month will generally be comparably family friendly and a big thankyou to club members Pete (and Marian) for leading the ride and Barbara for helping keep everyone safe.

Next Sundays ride (July 17th) will be led by me (Bob) and starts from Horsham Pavilions in the Park (car parking is free on Sundays) at 09:30 hrs. It will head north to Leith Hill where I hope to visit the Tower (National Trust, light refreshments available) and then we'll head for Newdigate to stop for lunch at The Six Bells. From there it will be a simple ride back to Horsham. Although the vast bulk of this ride will be on tarmac roads, to get to the Tower will involve a few hundred yards of hardpacked offroad and though I believe the ride will be suitable for all types of bikes why not bring your mountain bike and have some fun on the tracks near Leith Hill Tower whilst we're there? The golden rules are that no-one will get left behind and everyone will enjoy themselves (I'll be monitoring the smiles).

Two Weald Ride

This weekend saw the fourth DA event of the year and the second organised by Horsham and Crawley, The Two Weald Ride. The basic format is that there are a selection of four 25 mile routes starting and finishing at Wisborough Green and riders decide which one(s) they want to do and we provide tea/coffee and home made cakes for refreshment. We opened the control at 10:00 hrs by which time there were already half a dozen people ready to set off. Once again, Pat and Frank brought their camper van and did sterling work keeping the drinks flowing and the cakes portioned out. The weather was sunny and warm and it took a while before anyone actually started riding! This photo shows a selection of Bognor and Chichester and Arun and Adur riders enjoying the sunshine with the camper van in the background.

I decided I wanted to ride the Western route (it's my favourite) and I was joined by Pete E and Pat. We set off towards and through Kirdford and then I missed a right turn (it was over the fold in my route instructions) but a mile or so later we came across a small group of cyclists repairing a puncture near a road junction and whilst chatting with them we looked at their map - my error was obvious and easily rectified and we just had to turn north and follow a lane I've never cycled before. It was actually quite a pleasant road and after a mile or so we turned left and were back on the proper route. Although the sun was now high in the sky and beating down ferociously, most of the lanes offered plenty of shade and the riding was extremely pleasant. Turning right onto the A283 we had a mile of full sun before turning left and after a short open stretch through Lurgashall (a cricket match was on the go here), we once more gained the shelter of the woodland around Lickfold and then River. Just before taking these pictures, as I had freewheeled down the hill at about 30 something mph, I disturbed a large brown bird of prey - probably a Buzzard - it shot off through the trees too quick for me to notice anything other than its size and colour.

Here's Pete.

And here's Pat (notice Pete in the background getting ready for a second photo!!)


and this is it......

After River, we came to a T-junction where the official route goes down the hill and onto the A272, however, I prefer to turn left and stay on the lane (but going up hill) before turning right and enjoying a nice fast descent through Tillington.
Here's Pat just reaching the top of that hill.

and here's the view of Tillington church taken as I approached it at about 30 mph.

At the bottom of the hill we turned left onto the A272 and passed the deer park belonging to Petworth House. At Petworth we turned right, heading south, then turned east and took the second left - a quiet lane through Byworth - before a short spell on the A283 as far as the Welldiggers Arms. This was followed by the worst part of the Western Loop, the long drag of a climb up Kingspit Lane. But it didn't last too long and we knew we only had a few more miles to go. Once we'd crossed the A272 it was mainly downhill or level all the way to Kirdford from whence Wisborough Green was but 3 miles.

After a well-earned pint and some lunch at the pub, Pete joined Barbara on the Northern loop and then a few minutes later Frank set off in pursuit. I decided to stay at the control and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon chatting with various members of the club about a variety of topics.

Looking at the register I could see that we had had 22 riders out with just three of them doing more than one loop. Normally we have more "multi-loopers" but I think the hot weather had made everyone take it a little easier this year - or maybe it was the lure of the homemade cakes??

Anyway, by 15:30 Frank had returned having not managed to catch Pete and Barbara but having had an enjoyable solo ride, and then just after 16:00 hrs Pete and Barbara finished and everyone was accounted for.

Thanks everyone for taking part but extra big thanks to Barbara and Pete for organising things, and Pat and Frank for not just the use of their mobile home but all the hard work they'd put in serving the food and drinks.

Our next ride is on Sunday 10th July starting from Three Bridges Station at 10:00 hrs. It will be an easy ride suitable for practically anyone with a bike and will demonstrate how easy and safe it is to visit Redhill Aerodrome from Crawley. There is a cafe at the airfield and there's always something to see there.

Crawley Family Bike Ride 2011

The weather forecasters were predicting a hot, sunny day (for a change) and this news seems to have encouraged people to get out on their bikes for a grand total of 52 people turned up at Oriel School for the Crawley Family Bike Ride 2011.

"Suitable for riders of all ages and abilities" was how the ride had been advertised and the Crawley public certainly lived up to that declaration.

Several members of Horsham and Crawley CTC were on hand to assist ride leader Pete keep the ride under control and safe for everybody.

First step was for everyone to register for the ride and thereby gain the protection of the ‘Team Green Bike Week’ insurance scheme.

Various freebies and leaflets were also available in order to publicise the various cycling facilities and organisations in Crawley.

Then everyone gathered together for a brief briefing from Pete.

The emphasis was very much on safety but also on enjoyment.

After posing for group photos for the Crawley News photographer.....

Look how many riders there are......

We set off. Firstly using the cycle path from Maidenbower into Furnace Green and then following Weald Drive into Tilgate. Pete led us on a quiet route using smaller residential roads and a cycle path to arrive at K2 leisure centre.

From there, the underpass at Broadfield roundabout enabled a safe crossing of the A23 and we followed NCN20 as it went up Woodmans Hill, Tollgate Hill, Hollingbourne Crescent and Wye Close to emerge at the top of Pease Pottage Hill - this was the hardest part of the ride as it involved something like a 40 metre climb in just under a mile.

The Horsham link road has not yet had the pedestrian controlled lights installed, but with some adept marshalling from the riders in flourescent yellow jackets and with the goodwill of several motorists, we were all soon safely across.

For the next mile or so the route followed the old A23 until we used a footbridge to cross over the new A23 at Tilgate Forest Row and gain the Handcross Road. Normally this road is almost devoid of traffic but today it was absolutely jam-packed with cars. It seems that there had been an incident on the A23 and lots of traffic was trying to find an alternative route via the Handcross Road. The volume of traffic was initially very worrying, especially bearing in mind the number of very young riders we had, but the traffic volume actually had the effect of reducing the traffic speed to one barely faster than our sub 10mph pace and we were soon at our destination, Nymans Gardens.

We received a warm welcome from the National Trust staff and not only did our event flyers give us free access to the garden but we were also issued with a voucher for a free drink from the cafe. Thanks Nymans.

As people enjoyed the gardens, had lunch or just sat in the shade, I repaired a puncture for a young lady - it's amazing how clumsy I become when people are watching me work on a bike, but once I relaxed I quickly got it done. Thanks for the use of your pump, John.

Soon it was time for the return journey, but not before another group photo:

Come on everyone, wave...

..... just one more .....

.... I lied .......

Within seconds everyone was back on the road and riding past a near stationery queue of traffic heading in the opposite direction.

On reaching Pease Pottage we headed east on Parish Lane before turning left into Tilgate Forest for a fast ride down the firebreak trail.

I think everyone really enjoyed this stretch - after all, this was basically the same hill they'd climbed up earlier in the day!

Here you can see Anton performing his usual "sweeper" role as, assisted by John, he looks after the youngest rider Angelo.

Having crossed over the M23 we then had a fast descent through the golf course before a short wooded section gave us some refreshing shade.

Minutes later we were back at Oriel School having ridden a total of just over 10 miles and without losing anyone! We received lots of positive comments and we're already trying to think of ways to improve the event for next year - avoiding any hills would seem to be high on the ideas list!

Thankyou to everyone who set up, organised, advertised, assisted, donated to the event but an extra BIG thankyou to everyone who turned up and took part in the ride. Hopefully it revealed some aspect of the cycle facilities in Crawley of which you weren't previously aware and it would be lovely to see you on any of the Horsham and Crawley CTC rides in the future. n.b. there is an easy ride either along the Worth Way or to Redhill Aerodrome on Sunday 10th July, come along, you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to get to places by bike.

For club members (and those of you who fancy one or more 25 mile rides along some wonderful lanes) this Sunday (3rd July) sees us hold our annual Two Weald Ride. Make your own way to Wisborough Green for 10:00hrs and set off either by yourself or with a variety of other riders on any of the four circular routes that we have maps and route instructions for. Light refreshments will be available from Pat and Franks camper van and all the routes have convenient pubs for when you want a lunch break.