Ride London to Brighton off-road - the easy way

Everyone likes to be out on the South Downs Way

Many people know of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) London to Brighton charity bike ride, a 54-mile (87km) road ride from Clapham, through country lanes in Surrey and Sussex. The BHF also organises a London-Brighton off-road ride in September.

This is a little more challenging as it's a 68-mile (110km) practically all off-road. In the past I have ridden from Guildford to Brighton via the Downs Link and the South Downs Way in the past and that took a few hours.

A full London to Brighton off-road bike ride could be quite daunting, and you can take all day to do it. If you want to get to Brighton but without doing something so onerous how about riding to this seaside town via a few mountain bike trails within two or three hours.

You can ride to Brighton if you let the train take some of the strain and travel to the edge of the South Downs. Then get onto the South Downs Way and ride from there. You can pick up refreshments at Hassocks and Falmer. There's also an ice cream van at Ditchling Beacon.

That's what I did over the Bank Holiday weekend. It was a pleasant ride which was a good bit of exercise, though was not scarily technical.

So I got on the train at East Croydon and took the 40-minute train ride to Hassocks. From there it was a short ride to the hamlet of Clayton. When I stepped out of the train station it wasn't easy to work out which way to go, and for a moment I began cycling towards London! Eventually I found the route to get towards the South Downs, which quickly came into view.

Atop the Downs were the pair of windmills known as Jack and Jill, looking quite resplendent up in the distance. What was scary was the notion that I would have to get up to those windmills which stood about 200m above me.

Jack and Jill Windmills as seen from the path from Hassocks

The means of getting up there was via a bridleway which at first sight looked innocuous. As I began to twiddle up the path some walkers coming down it wished me good luck.

Shortly afterwards, the lane rounded the bend and I very quickly understood why I needed luck. After a little preamble on a smooth chalky path, the surface became rutted and strewn with stones. More importantly the gradient shot up like a wall - well it might as well have been a wall - the slope was over 28%!

Needless to say I could not ride it. When the gradient is that steep over uneven ground I get nervous about the front wheel lifting up, and worry about losing control and falling over. My cleats were a bit sticky as well, which didn't help matters either.

So it was safer to wheel the bike. I felt no shame in having to do that. Soon, the bridleway too me onto a grassy hillside, where many people were lounging in the sun and having picnics on this warm afternoon.

By now, the pair of windmills were close by, so I took the opportunity to photograph them while having a breather.

Taking a breather after a steep steep climb up onto the South Downs

The route then continued along a narrow lane that was less steep, but I had to wheel my bike as there were a number of walkers so it wasn't practical to cycle.

Eventually, the path opened out onto a wide area and I was officially on the South Downs Way. From here onwards the gradient went from excruciatingly steep to just regular undulations - which was a relief. However, there was no room for complacency on this hot, sunny afternoon. The constant rises and falls on this grassy, and sometimes chalky terrain was still sweaty work.

From here I enjoyed beautiful views of the Sussex countryside to my left and right, with the added bonus of a lovely sea view of Hove and Brighton. When the sun shines on the Downs I really feel like this is the place to be.

The cows seemed to be happy too, as they watched me cycle by. I did note that one of the bulls did have a happy moment with one of the cows so maybe that's why they were in buoyant mood!

All the walkers I saw seemed to be in a happy mood too. They said hello as they passed me, some making comments about how it must be hard work to cycle over the moorland. They had a point, but twiddling in an easy gear was all I needed to do. There was nothing navigation to do either because the trail was clearly waymarked. Also, as the terrain was dry there was no need to worry about sliding over on the chalky surface.

My route to Brighton went from the Jack and Jill Windmills, through Ditchling Beacon and then over to an area called Black Cap, level with Plumpton. From there I left the national trail and followed a bridleway towards Falmer and the Amex Stadium to make my way towards the coast. It was a very nice descent through desolate areas and I had the trail all to myself.

MOD Festival on Brighton Promenade

Then at the end of the trails through the South Downs ended when I reached Ridge Road, where I joined the Brighton and Hove Albion football fans on the trail to get over to Woodingdean. That was probably the most challenging part of the ride as I had to ride past lots of football fans on this trail that was a 2-mile steady climb.

Given that Brighton had lost at home 2-0 to Southampton their fans were still surprisingly upbeat, and were quite obliging about giving way to me when I tried to ride through the crowds.

On reaching the racecourse it was a case of another fast descent to reach Brighton Marina, and then I knew I had arrived.

Eddie and his tunes

Down on the promenade there was a MOD festival going on, though it looked like I had missed the main event. At least DJ Eddie Lovebus was still out, happily spinning some tunes. What a treat!

Here's the route I recorded on Strava.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2647758040


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More running on the South Downs

One day one photo - 24: More running in the South Downs

I am just over a month out from a running challenge I have signed myself up for, the Beachy Head Marathon.

Earlier this year I as supposed to run the Paris Marathon. I did all the preparation, and then a couple of days before I as due to go things went wrong. My orthotics that I had sent in to be reposted arrived back to me late, and the podiatrist had messed up the settings so that they were unusable. So I as left without any orthotics and couldn't do the race.

It was very frustrating. I had toyed with doing New York, but bottled out of signing up for fear that because the money would be a lot to lose if something went wrong again. So I plumped for doing something in the UK. Initially I thought of doing a mountain marathon, but in the end I plumped for Beachy Head - which, being in Eastbourne is comparatively local for me.

It consists of running a marathon - 26 miles (or 42 km) but with loads of hills of the South Downs thrown in, meaning 1200m of climbing. That is not something I have done before, and would be a real challenge.



But thankfully, using the fitness from my Paris Marathon training I have been building on that, but just adding loads of hills. Near to me is of course Crystal Palace, but I have also been running around the North Downs. The real hills are done in the South Downs though.

So that's where I went today. Normally I cycle around these chalky hills, but running them really gives a different perspective, and also the time to notice things that you don't necessarily see when you are focused on bike handling and not falling down!

When running along the trails there's a monument near Ditchling Beacon. It's known as the Chattri Memorial, to commemorate Indians who died during the first World War. Many of them were treated in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, which served as a hospital, and the site of the Chattri Memorial is where the dead soldiers were cremated. The memorial now has Grade II listed status. It looks great in the middle of Downs, though I have to say it does look a bit random.

Today's run went nearer to Trudleigh Hill and Edburton Hill and Devil's Dyke. That was a pretty long run, and by the time I got back to my car at Portslade and Southwick 15 miles later, my legs were like jelly! I like to think it's all miles in the bank, and hopefully it will make me stronger.


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One day one photo - 2: Brighton

Bike sharing in Brighton (photo: @slc79) 

I spent this weekend around Brighton and the South Downs. Saturday was spent running around Ditchling Beacon and Stanmer Park, taking in the South Downs Way and the Sussex Border Path. It's lovely being up high on this ridge of rolling hills, with the frenetic fans of the Amex football stadium below, and of course the Eye 360 tower, the rooftops of Brighton, and the sea in the distance.

Sunday was the first day of the cyclocross season, with the opening race taking place at Stanmer Park. As ever, it was tough for me, having not ridden off-road for a while. But I  always love racing at this venue.  The sun always shines there, and the clement conditions under-wheel make this a pleasant start to the cyclocross season before the assault from the mud comes. Then afterwards, it's a good excuse to go down to Brighton seafront and lounge with the masses. While there I noticed these bikes. Brighton now has a bike-sharing scheme, which was launched last Autumn. It looks pretty popular, with lots of folks using them anywhere between the Marina and Hove, then up towards Kemp Town and the race course. Though I guess you would need strong legs for that uphill part of the city!

My fellow Penge Cycling Club mate, Shingi Chingwaro rode arounď Brighton on one of the bikes and she was quite impressed. Like with these schemes it costs a nominal amount. She spent to do the ride from the Marina to the pier and back. I was too shattered to ride a bike myself,  but I hope to ride one the next time I'm in Brighton.

One day one photo - 1: Running in the South Downs

Chattri Indian War memorial in the middle of the South Downs

It's the first day of meteorological autumn. Gee, where did the time go? September 1st also represents the first day of my annual one day one photo snapshot. Basically I publish a photo of the day for every day of the month of September.

Today's photo is of the Chattri Indian War memorial, built in 1920 to commemorate the lives of the Indians who fought for Britain in the first world war.

I was out on a trail run in the South Downs, and mapped out a route to get back to my car, which was parked in Ditchling Beacon. The easiest way back from Stanmer Park was to run along the bridleway parallel to the main road, and then up the Sussex Border path to reach the South Downs Way.

As soon as I made the right hand turn to head north, I saw this structure - which wouldn't have looked out of place in India - in the middle of the South Downs? Really? I thought I was hallucinating. But no I wasn't. This makes quite a change from farmhouses and sheep!

I have a secret ambition to run a trail marathon this autumn, and so have been doing long off-road runs. Sometimes the scenery can get a little monotonous. If my route were peppered with a few more monuments like this that would certainly jazz things up.

This is the route I took.

One day one photo - 5: Bike testing

Raleigh Mustang Comp

I am currently testing a Raleigh Mustang Comp gravel bike. It's the next one up in the family of Mustang bikes. Last year I had the Raleigh Mustang Sport, which I enjoyed riding. This year I am hoping the Mustang Comp is just as good, if not better. On paper it should be a better ride given the spec. The Mustang Comp is lighter than the Sport, and this 2018 model is lighter than the 2017 model. The main thing that I am getting used to is the gear set-up. There is only one chain ring, meaning that the cassette has A LOT of sprockets, with the largest ones being proper dinner plates! It's great that all the shifting is being done with my right hand, and just using the one small shifter (with it having a SRAM Groupset) but it still feels like there's something missing. Also I am not sure how this affects the chain or the indexing of the gears.

Maybe it is all okay and I have nothing to worry about. After all, the bike has been riding well. I rode the bike over the trails of the South Downs, and on the roads of  Northern France, including the cobbles in Central Paris. With the rack and mudguards supplied this has made it a handy touring bike and a commuting bike, which I have also been using it for when going to work. I must say I do like the colour scheme, with the green, yellow and white flourishes - something that people have commented on when they see it.
I look forward to enjoying a few more miles with the Mustang Comp.


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Ride from London to London-by-sea (aka Brighton!) off-road

Here we go to Brighton!

Every year on a Sunday in mid-June thousands of people make the famous pilgrimage by bike from London to Brighton as part of a charity fundraising event. It's a great day out, and a chance for almost 30,000 riders of various abilities to challenge themselves on the 60-mile route from Clapham Common to Brighton seafront along country lanes and over the steep climb at Ditchling Beacon.

Many club riders, as part of a wider training plan to ride cyclosportives challenge themselves to riding to Brighton and back in a day.

So, the route to Brighton is a well travelled, and somewhat crowded road!

For those who want to ride off-road there is a way too. It doesn't start right in the heart of London, but rest assured you won't be cheated out of your 60 miles! It is also traffic-free, and very scenic.







Head for the Downs Link...

In search of getting in some beach action over the Spring Bank Holiday I set out on my gravel bike on the off-road route to Brighton. I cheated a little by not starting in London, but instead took the train to Shalford, just outside Guildford and started my ride there. Within a mile of leaving the station I was on the Downs Link, a disused railway line that runs down to the coast at Shoreham-by-Sea.

The route is generally well signposted, and goes through woodland, and many pretty villages where you can stop and go to a country pub or tea shop along the way.

As well as that, there are picnic sites and benches for a little breather. One particularly nice place to stop is the disused railway station at West Grinstead where there are picnic benches and tables, plus an information centre set inside a disused train.

Just like Bramley-and-Wonersh station earlier, West Grinstead also has the old platform, station house and signal box on show.

Further along, a cycle cafe at Partridge Green, Stan's Bike Shack is a great meeting point for off-road rider and roadie. It seems like every biker in Sussex turns up at this hang-out and swaps tales of their rides down to the coast so far.

For those on the Downs Link it is mainly a tale of pretty flowers, beautiful views, woodland birds and no steep climbs (apart from a short sharp shock at Rudgwick).

Some, particularly those out on family rides (of which there are many) may find this route a dream as it is scenic and has no technical challenges. Whereas those who have turned up on full suspension mountain bikes may find they are a little overequipped for this route which lacks any steep climbs, descents or technical single track to get into. Starting the Downs Link at St Martha's Hill, with it's steep climb and a tricky descent through sand may address the issue of a lack of anything testing.


...then into the hills

After that, it's a case of hang on until Bramber, three-quarters of the way along the Downs Link. At this point the Downs Link crosses the South Downs Way, and there, a world of technical challenges opens up!

Keen to throw in a bit of something technical, I decided to treat myself to a bit of South Downs Way. It would have been rude not to include some of this beautiful chalky ridge into my ride, even if I was just on my rigid gravel bike.

Beforehand, I stopped off to get some sustenance at Bramber, a very pretty village with picturesque castle ruins and olde worlde cottages.

Soon afterwards, I was at the foot of the first serious climb onto the South Downs, grinding my way up to Trudleigh Hill along with a few guys on mountain bikes who started the climb at the same time as me.

There we all were, honking our way up the trail which was dry, rutted, full of stones and bumps, and with an unspeakable gradient! One guy in front of me dismounted for a breather. As he was in my way, I had to do the same - but frankly, it was a welcome breather! I waited for him to get his breath back and restart the climb, so we both climbed up together - except that he ended up dismounting again, a few yards later. This time I wasn't going to stop, and so continued on, huffing and panting so loudly it made him jump when he turned around and saw me. Thankfully, he ducked out of the way to let me pass through, as I didn't have the breath to say "on your right".

I really had to wrestle my bike into a straight line and keep up the momentum on this relentlessly steep path, which at times made my back wheel spin. With my nose on the handlebars, I was determined to keep going and not put my foot to the ground until the summit.

The mountain biker's friend, who was further ahead, was also determined to keep going as he twiddled his way up the climb with his low mountain bike gears - also panting and huffing. I caught him, and hung onto his wheel, hoping he wouldn't bail out and cause me to stop.

Luckily he carried on to the summit, and the road went from excruciatingly tough to manageably steep, allowing us both to heave a big sigh as we got the worst part of the climb out of the way. Then I waved goodbye to him as he stopped to wait for his friends.

I felt thankful that this guy had kept me going on this challenge, and felt quietly impressed with myself that I had managed it on my gravel bike. When I had initially seen these mountain bikers at the water point at the foot of the Trudleigh climb they greeted me, though looked at me almost quizzically on my gravel bike as if to say "Are you sure you want to ride the South Downs Way on that? The Downs Link is back the other way, you know!" So it was ironic that I managed to outride these fully kitted up mountain biker blokes with gears a lot lower than mine.

Having successfully crested Trudleigh Hill on my gravel bike I felt emboldened about riding other climbs along the South Downs Way - as long as they didn't come too rapidly in succession! So I got through Edburton Hill and onwards to Devil's Dyke, which were slightly easier hills to do.

The vast majority of riders out on the South Downs Way were on mountain bikes, though I did see three or four people on cyclo cross bikes and we acknowledged each other like we were special kindred hardy spirits in a world of wussy full sussers!

I must say the vistas across the South Downs were beautiful, and it's always lovely to be up on the peacefulness of the hills while having a view of the sea way over in the distance.


Long way down

My trip across the South Downs was limited in the end, as I was keen to get down to the seaside and soak in some Sunday afternoon sunshine. I therefore turned off the South Downs Way after the Fulking climb and dropped down to Southwick via the Sussex Border Path, another rather scenic trail.

The hardest part of riding the South Downs Way on a rigid bike is all the bumps, particularly when going downhill. It's better to go down with minimal braking, as the bike floats along the tops of the bumps. However, too much speed would cause me to lose control and either crash, or I would hit a hole and cause the bike to break a spoke. So I had to brake a little bit - the problem then is even fractionally too much braking would mean a massive lot of jolting and a "headbanging" experience!

Sea at last!

Once on the seafront I had a big smile on my face as I got tantalisingly close to Brighton, rejoining the riders who had just come off the Downs Link. We rode along National Cycle Network route 2 via Shoreham Harbour to reach Brighton Pier, feeling pleased with our respective rides, and finally knowing that we had made it to that place in the sun.

It was great to be at my favourite weekend hang-out, Brighton. It has such a trendy feel about it just like the cool parts of London, except that you have this lovely coastline to go with it and there is laid-back relaxed atmosphere. In fact, a lot of people who work in London actually live in Brighton. I know, because I see them whenever I catch the packed Thameslink train into work! And then there are folks like me who live in London and like to go to Brighton at every spare moment. I look forward to meeting a genuine Brighton person who lives and works in Brighton!

An off-road bike-ride down to the coast is highly recommended. You can make it as easy or as tough as you like. The Downs Link would earn you a plate of chips, adding in one climb of the South Downs Way earns you fish and chips, but getting as far as Plumpton, especially on a cyclo cross/gravel bike definitely deserves the Full Monty! I hope to do that next time.

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Where I want to ride in 2016

I have seen lots of folks talking about their goals and objectives for 2016. I guess that's the thing you do at the start of each year. OK, so we are into February now - better late than never!

My recovery from an operation I had in November last year has meant that doing sport has been off limits and therefore completely out of mind.

A couple of days ago was the first day I did any physical activity of any shape or form, when I jogged almost 1km and had a go on a few machines at the nearby outdoor gym for a 10 minutes. It's very much a case of baby steps right now, but hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to attempt a 5km run or do my 10-mile cycle commute once I am back at work.

So, I am only just getting slowly out of the starting blocks, but at least I am in a position to think about some of the things I aim to do this year.

First, a quick recap of 2015:

This was quite an eventful year which came hot on the heels of a very black 2014 (in which my mum died suddenly). My move from Macclesfield back to London, and then a further move when I sold my flat in Crystal Palace to buy a house made things fairly busy. I started a new job in London while juggling this with being an executor of my mum's estate (not a job I would recommend), dealt with a relationship break-up and finished the year with a major operation. Things were a little busy in 2015!

But I rode my bike - I managed a bit of cyclo cross racing, and I even had a go at a downhill race. The rest of the time was spent doing pleasant cycle rides around Cheshire (while I was in Macclesfield) and then off-road and on-road rides on the Kent and Surrey lanes and trails. 

Cycle road racing was out of the question as my head was already too full! No space to deal with competition!

I still managed to contribute some magazine articles to Cycling Weekly Cycling Active and Sportsister.com, do a journalism exam and get in a couple of local running races (including a fell race and some orienteering) for fun. 

Hopefully, 2016 will be more straightforward than 2015, without it being boring.

So, here's what I want to do in 2016:

A couple of Sea to Sea rides

It turns out there are a few waymarked routes to get from the west coast to the east coast of the north of England. The classic Whitehaven to Newcastle (Tynemouth) route is on my list, but I would also like to do at least one of the others: Southport to Hornsea (Transpennine Trail); Morecambe to Bridlington (Way of the Roses); Walney to Whitby (W to W). The Transpennine trail is the easiest one, and is local to where my family is. So I would like to get that in. I will see how the time goes, so time-permitting I would then try the W to W.

Long distance off-road rides

This will be a choice between the Pennine Bridleway or the South Downs Way. I have done different sections of this, but have never done the full length as one trip. This would represent a slightly easier and less daunting challenge than the Pennine Bridleway as I am already familiar with the South Downs, and I know there will always be a train station not too far away that'll get me back to London if I bail out! However, the Pennine Bridleway sounds like an exciting ride.

Organised rides

I will do an Evans Ride-it off-road ride. These are nice and local. After that there are the Cycling Weekly Adventure Cross races. The Moors and Shores one looks interesting as it goes through Dalby Forest and the North York Moors as well as passing near the seaside towns of Scarborough and Whitby. 


A couple of cyclosportives. There are so many to choose from that I can't say which one right now!


Racing

Cyclo cross - I only did one 'cross race at the start of the 2015 season, so hope to get a bit more use out of my cyclo cross bike this year. As well as using it during the organised rides I plan to do at least one race more than last season. The good news is I don't have to wait until the summer or autumn to pin on a number. There is a cyclo cross series up in Hull (East Yorkshire) during the month of March, sponsored by cycle shop Vive le Velo. 


Track cycling - I have a track bike that I haven't seen for about four years when it was left at the Herne Hill Velodrome before I went to work in Milan. I was worried that the people who run the velodrome may have sold it off. In fact I was recently told that it's probably been making a little kid very happy as they have had the use of the bike during the training sessions. At least it wasn't taking up space in their lock-up for nothing then! Well, this year I will want it back so I can relaunch my track cycling career! The plan is to do the Saturday morning training sessions and then take part in some women's races. 

Foreign rides - I have been known to ride my bike abroad over the years so you might think I would include at least one cyclosportive in France, Italy or Spain on the list, or even just a smidgen of a tryst with my beloved Alps or Dolomites! The answer is that a ride in foreign parts is neither on nor off the agenda. I just want to see how I feel on the day. I went on one overseas trip with my bike last year and enjoyed it. (Actually, I didn't take my bike but hired one while there - much less hassle.) Part of the fun was the fact that it was a spontaneous decision to go to Lake Como. Going abroad to ride or race is not really an aim as this is would not be a new challenge for me. It'll be more a case of just go if or when the mood takes me. The UK rides in the North of England mentioned above will be more of a challenge for me as they are set in rugged terrain. Also, being up North I will probably have to deal with my fair share of considerably more rugged weather and more isolated areas than the popular, iconic climbs in a sunnier European destination!   

Needless to say I will do some running races too - something which has always given me lots of pleasure. Parkruns are a definite yes, and it would be nice to do well in my age group category at some local races. Having recently joined South London Harriers, which is quite a strong running club, their training sessions are likely to sort out my (lack of) form! 

The rest of my anticipated activities for this year are dabbling in the odd novelty event - a bit of orienteering, some mountain bike orienteering and even some fell running. That does exist even in the London area! 

I just want to have fun when doing sport in 2016. But before I can do any of the above I will have to stretch my physical capability a bit further than just being able to run 1km!


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