Pulborough Bird Sanctuary

Today we decided on a long ride because the weather was nice :)

 We hadn't been on the South Downs yet this year. So at 7.30 am and the temperature a fabulous 20'C already, we headed off over the North Downs via Peaslake to Cranleigh.  Our aim was to reach Amberley in around four hours.

We reached Cranleigh  four minutes quicker than when we came this way three weeks earlier on our way to Southwater - the trails are much less crowded this time day :)

We pushed a bit on the Downs Link and reached Southwater at 40km in 1 hour 53, last time was a long 1.59 hurrah! I filled a bottle here and we pushed on.  

The downs link was remarkably clear of other users so we made good time with Jane on the front :)  We reached the end of the link in 2.44 . This is where it got tougher because now we turn on to the South Downs Way and encounter.........some hills!! 

We'd been pretty much in the shade until now. As we climbed up onto the Downs, the temperature climbed too, reaching 27' C in the most exposed points......lovely :)  We climbed from here over Annington hill, then up again after the level section to Chanctonbury Ring all the time enjoying the lovely heat. Next was the scary loose descent to the even scarier A24! :-o

At the top of the next climb we came across a guy with his bike upside down, emptying the bits of his broken suspension seatpost from the seat tube :) the next section across Kithurst ,Springhead and Rackham hills is great fun all a gently rolling big ring blast on hard narrow chalk paths. It was getting close to four hours so we hammered it across here and skidded down into Amberely at 3h 49m.....hurrah!  We would normally grab teacakes and coffee at the cafe in Amberely, but Jane hadn't stopped complaining about the small size of the teacakes since we were there a month ago. So we pushed on to have tea at Pulborough Brooks (Where I'd had some normal sized tea cakes a few weeks ago when I was out with the A group.)

The teacakes met with Jane's approval, meeting all of the criteria for the perfect teacake. Two weeks ago at Southwater she and Eric had worked out the formula for teacakes. Eric had had a similar teacake trauma some time before.  I don't remember all of the details but it had to be around 8cm wide, not 'capped' (sliced evenly so that the top and bottom are of even diameter), cooked in a toaster to avoid being tainted by smells of other food from the grill.......and so on....etc

After tea was a two hour hard slog into the wind to home. A great mixed six hours on the bike.

Sundayriders lsd ride

First proper wet ride of the year - well in the UK anyway :) So we had to dig out las guardabarras

Today's ride was to the tea shop at Cripplegate lake, Southwater.  JD needed some steady km and decided that hanging on to the back of me and Jane for 80km's would suit her down to the ground :)

The way it went was that me and JD failed to hang onto Jane's wheel for much of the way down. Jane is sooo strong at the moment.  Her form is coming good in time for the Ibiza race, she'll need it because la campionata del mundo -
Marga Fullana will be there!  
I don't know how they do it in Ibiza, last October they had Miguel Indurain and Abraham Olano turn up for their road sportif.

It took us 2.15 to do the 40km to the café - surprisingly quick considering it was hard going and  muddy. We were filthy. The lake was quite busy with people canoeing and others sitting outside in the now bright sunshine. 

We had a nice tailwind for the return and got home a minute faster. JD fluffed the little climb near the end "the cows looking at me put me off" And we had to hose down the bikes (and JD) for the first time this year!

Sunday ride con Dinsdale

The Mighty Dinsdale out on the bike again so soon!  Qué bien. Pero por qué?  Well the reason is that she's coming to Ibiza to race the San Josep Extreme.....hurrah!  The other reason is that she has a new recipe for wild garlic soup and most of Surrey seems to be blanketed in garlic this year :)

Off up over Leith Hill to see if we could bump into Greg and the guys on the shop ride from Moosecycles.com

As we climbed, so did the temperature warming up the woods for an olfactory smorgasbord of spring :-o The lovely pong of bluebells, the may, garlic, pine and the azaleas. To cap it all just as we reached the highest point we heard our first cuckoo of spring.......yay! :)

We did the usual singletrack stuff, all still amazingly dry. (The forecasters keep promising us a bit of rain, but it keeps moving on.) On the way to the tower we went via 'impossible climb' - a loose very steep climb that takes you up to 'summer lightning' Jane led the way up the left side then scrabbled across the loose marbles in the middle to the  right side. She eased a bit on the grippy bit near the top so I attacked on the left, but she pipped me to the top :)  - her first ever clearance of this climb.......well done Jane :)

None of the guys were at the tower so we rode over to Peaslake via Belmont - at Belmont we went through the school grounds and through the rhododendron woods, which have grown over to form a tunnel. Me and julie got under it but Jane was too tall :)

Next was over Holmbury through the singletrack to Peaslake, where we'd missed them again...doh

We did see Eric, his bro, clive and Dave Fignon out for an mtb ride though.

On the way back we had to go to get some garlic for Julie's recipe. We rode back through the vineyard to the stepping stones where Julie stuffed her backpack full.

Sundayriders Monday ride - up the Downs

Paul turned up early today!

We decided to do a few steady hills on today's ride in preparation for the San Josep Ibiza Extrem 

We have a little route that traverses the North Downs escarpment- up Clag, down Cold Kitchen, up the one next to Cold Kitchen, down Netley Heath, up Juniper Hill, down Halfpenny Lane,up to St Martha's Church, down the back and loop around to come up the south side of the church, up Water Lane.  We were now on the way back across the escarpment, but this time we rode down the climbs and up the descents :)

We did our usual head banging 'line out' across the Roughs to round out the day......fabulous :)

Steady ride to Amberley

Jane is getting excited about being fit for the Sant Josep Extreme, so she is eager to be out on the bike once again :)

Amberley is one of our favourite tea stops, with it's view of the South Downs.  It's also been our salvation in times of foul weather when riding the South Downs Way.

It's a road ride  but on winding, rolling lanes. So we often do it on the mountain bikes because the relaxed position allows us to enjoy the views :)

Nature has suddenly bloomed this last week  and almost everything is in full growth, including the St Mark's flies! We run into great swarms of these things this time of year. They're hopeless at flying and have big scary dangling legs that brush against your face, I always try to hold my breath until we're through the swarm :)

It's a very jolly area an has a number of roads named Gadd  and Gay.

Sundayriders Friday Ride by Jane

The weather is fantastic and Julie has  a rare day off so she's joined Paul and I on our regular Friday ride. The countryside is heavy with blooms and foliage and we roll out through fluorescent fields of yellow rape and take in the climb of Clag to wade through acres of bluebells. Despite the fabulously dry weather we manage to find some muddy rutted tracks to descend to the woodyard, then climb back to the North Downs Way and head for Newlands. A fast descent down water lane follows and we take in the long drag up Pond's lane - remarkably dry - through the Silent Wood and follow the gnarly track up to Jelley's Hollow. After descending into Peaslake we climb through Hurtwood, blast down telegraph and head back over Paddington Farm. A classic SundayRiders Friday ride! and the best day of the year so far:) Paul was back on his old bike as, having done two whole rides, he's already worn his new baby's race tyres down to the carcass and wants to save the remaining noblets to race the second round of the National Points Series next weekend in Dalby.  Julie was on fine form and will soon have the miles in her legs ready for the upcoming Ibiza Xtreme, she has threatened to come out both Friday and Sunday next week too.......................the Mighty Dinsdale is back!!!

Jane