For our regular Saturday ride this week we headed for Cocking just north of Chichester on the South Downs Way (SDW).

As part of our never ending search for single-track we set off to explore the woods immediately south west of Cocking. We made our way through tree lined avenues across the hillsides and found a couple of trails to play on for an hour or so.

One of our gang has entered the 24 hour SDW ride for the British Heart Foundation in June and was itching for a longer training ride, with plenty of time left we decided on an impromptu extended run. At the pub at Hooksway we put together a route of approximately 25 miles including a couple of choice single-track runs that we have previously enjoyed. 25 miles didn’t seem too long; however our training athlete had planned the food in / energy expended equation and was armed with 2 Ginsters pasties and 2 packets of crisps in place of nutrient balanced energy bars or electrolyte drink that the rest of us carried. Our athlete began to feel fatigued during the gravel bridleway climb past West Marden Hall and subsequent muddy trek through Robin Wood; however the climb across the three ploughed fields that link West Marden to Little Down Copse was the real energy drainer. Sustained by a pastie and some crisps the athlete adopted the ‘no gain without pain’ attitude and continued through The Harrows woodland and up the steep push to Ditcham woods where the second pastie was consumed, no doubt releasing it’s mix of both fast and slow release sugars, perfect cycling food. The ride through Oakham woods whizzed past and we emerged on the SDW at Coulters Dean Farm. A few more crisps and we were on our way east on the SDW. During the climb to Harting Down car park our colleague was rapidly wilting and completed the climb around the south side of Beacon by pushing. Just north of Buriton Farm we found an old energy bar that our athlete devoured and partially recharged he completed the steep SDW climb through Philliswood Down. From here it was a gentle trundle along the ridgeline followed by a downhill blast to the car.

A good day out, we returned home a little wiser. Our athlete has redoubled his commitment to train for the SDW 100 mile ride in June and has decided not to rely on pasties and crisps as his energy food. Good Luck to him.