PVT Ride to Shoreham - Monday 3rd May

[Andrew G]

Paul's leading a ride from Coulsdon to Shoreham and back on Bank Holiday Monday - 3rd May.

9.30am at CSS.

CSS to Shoreham, returning via Horsham , we can pick our route back from there once PVT has turned off for his homestead.
[quote="PVT"]All welcome and pace will be that of the slowest (me probably), but please bear in mind that you need to be prepared for a longer than clubrun ride - not a good idea if you have not done at least one 100 mile ride before.
Don't forget the usual necessities - spare tubes, levers, pump, bottles, food (sunscreen if you want)

[Brian Nolan]

I might be on for this one Monday looks the best day of the long w/end according to Met Office...

[Andrew G]

Bounce.

[higg]

Thanks Paul for organising today's ride. My first 100 of the year. It was definitely a ride of two halves, fast and cruising to get there and blown to pieces on the way back. Thanks to Paul and Andrew for doing most of the work into the wind.

And what about the big feed at Shoeham Airport cafe (including the biggest plate of bangers and mash you've ever seen).


Aodan.


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At the top of the South Downs

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Shoreham Airport

[Andrew G]

Cheers for the pics Aodan, we're going to have to sort ourselves out next time as you never end up in any of them.

I was happy to spend a lot of the time up front, good training. As Aodan says a ride of two halves although the wind must have picked up a lot as if it had been that strong on the way out we could have free-wheeled all the way there!

We took in the first of the Brighton Mitre hill climbs on the way down which is in Steyning. It's a real nasty one but now a few more have done a recce perhaps I'll have some company there this year .

The cafe at Shoreham Airport is a belter, really nice food (sausage bap and chips for me with a slab of bread pudding for puds) and a quality cup of tea, a proper strong one rather than the weak and reedy stuff you sometimes get given.

Coming out of the airport and yowza that wind's picked up to comedy proportions. Riding out through the airfield was almost a lean in at 45 degrees affair in places but I thought once we were clear of the exposed airport it wouldn't be that bad. I was wrong and the strong head wind stayed with us most of the way home apart from a couple of places where we were a bit sheltered.

On the way back Paul took us via a section of what's likely to be the night circuit of next year's 24 hour TT Championships so we could have a shufty. First impressions were it's a bit long and a bit lumpier than I'd like to be doing with 13-16 hours in my legs.

Various folk turned off at various stages on the way and we climbed up the hill to Rusper and through the closed road for the Mayday fair. We resisted the urge to stop to see if we could beat the current welly throwing leader's distance and carried on. Once Del had turned off there was just 4 of us left. Ben's legs, which had been falling off for a while, told us at Newdigate to carry on. Even an offer to open my salty nuts for him didn't work...actually they were Nobby's not mine. Not full of sympathy though as I suspect there's a fair of amount of self infliction celebrating Palace's survival .

A good 115 miles for me today and my legs still felt good when I got home, my eyelids are a bit droopy though. Thanks for today's ride Paul.

[Del]

Excellent ride today.

Almost exactly 100 miles for me and Andrew's post sums up everything pretty well.

Thanks to Andrew and Paul for dragging us all along into the wind and thanks to Aodan for the pictures!

[Sylv]

Yes cheers guys for the ride, some nice new lanes along the way there, 70 miles were more than enough for me yesterday. The solo 10 miles to Brighton to catch a train were hard work with the wind all over the place, and the thought of a burger and chips at the station (which i eat about twice a year) was what kept me going. Too bad the McDonalds there has been replaced by a M&S. Ride back looked like an unpleasant few hours.

[Nick W]

Thanks for this Paul. yes, some great new lanes.

Good work from Paul, Andrew and indeed Sylv on the front, toothache for Sylv notwithstanding.

My bailing at Shoreham also saw a blustery ride along the coast road to Brighton, albeit that I managed to jump straight on a train which was fast to Purley. Marvellous.

[Andy K]

Just to add my thanks to Paul and Andrew for an enjoyable run out...

...and thanks to all for waiting for me to catch-up every time I dropped off the back on the climbs.

Lost the group early on just out of Shoreham on the return but had a pleasant (if anything can be described as pleasant against that headwind) run back successfully guided by the Garmin to make it home with just over 100 miles on the clock.

...finally - thanks to Aodan for the pics.

[Snoop Doug]

well done folks, glad you had such fun on a v windy day [size=50](nutters)[/size]

[Paul on the Pearson]

Another great PVT Production! A great ride, great lanes, good company, sunshine and luckily hardly any rain and a hill I've never been up before...a little bit of something for everytone...... oh yeah and a brutal head wind on the way home...thanks Paul and thanks Andrew for the tow back through Merstam I was well and truely cream crackered by then...125 mile door to door.

[Brian Nolan]

well done Paul for leading another great ride... Paul took us down some great little lanes which were mostly free of traffic.. He could have organised a gale free day though
I left the rest of the group soon after Paul turned for home.. I slogged it back up the A24 to Dorking where I had another comedy incident as I tried to bump up a dropped kerb at 2mph whilst holding a cappucino - luckily no one saw me fall over and I did not spill that much ! Went up Box Hill and club route back to Coulsdon S and home with 114 miles on the clock.. Very nice day out with plenty of Agreeble company

[Nicolas]

Thanks Paul for leading us (quite often literally) on this great ride. The first proper long one of the season for me. The cafe at Shoreham Airport is definitively to be recommended too!
Unfortunately I had to leave you guys at Shoreham due to lack of time, so I only did the easiest bit (with the tailwind). The solo ride along the coast to Brighton was indeed a comedy moment at times with 30+ mph of wind gusting from the sea. Still a good 75 miles and a great day with you guys!