Unlike the main part of the club who head to its regular destinations in Newdigate and Charlwood each week, the Alternatives group rotates its routes and destinations. The group alternates between a dozen or so popular destinations, varying the routes to experience as many of the more notable and quieter sections of Surrey, Kent, and Sussex countryside road network as possible.
Being spoilt with the North Downs, the Greensand Ridge, and The Weald, all in easy reach, the Alternatives routes often include some of the more challenging ascents in the area. To the west we have the Surrey Hills, with many well known climbs such as Box Hill, Leith Hill, and Ranmore, plus many more in this “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” on the Greensand Ridge. Heading east into Kent we have Toys Hill, Ide Hill, and York Hill, plus the hills around Chartwell, again on the Greensand Ridge. Heading south takes us over many lumpy undulations into further beautiful countryside such as the Ashdown Forest on top of The Weald.
Ultimately, the club run is a social ride, so a refreshment stop at a popular cyclist-friendly cafe or tea room is mandatory, an opportunity to catch up on whatever is worth talking about.
The club run is a morning activity where people on the whole aim to be home for lunch, so we aim to respect this time constraint and limit the distance of our rides. Our pace is average for the club, roughly equivalent to the 17mph group, but in reality it is more like 14mph due to the many ascents we cover. We find that a typical route of around 50 miles will get you back to Coulsdon South Station for around 2:00pm. There are longer rides that we occasionally do, but try and reserve these for the finer days during the Summer months and will be well advertised as being a long ride beforehand.
We also participate in the club’s Brighton-and-back rides during the summer months, but living up to our name we will be alternative. Traditionally the club heads down east of Crawley via Turners Hill with a climb up Ditchling Beacon, and the return is typically over Devil’s Dyke, or via Shoreham, and up between Horsham and Crawley and through familiar club run territory. The Alternatives will either head off the beaten track a bit more, or follow the traditional routes in reverse.
Phil Lambert
Vice Captain (The Alternatives)
