St Leonards: 3 Rivers Ride

Saturday 19th May saw us return to St Leonards Forest with the objective of riding the singletrack we already know and also exploring a couple of areas that we have skirted around but not dived into. Both the wide chalky fireroads and the wooded singletrack were surprisingly dry considering the rain of the past couple of weeks and shortsleeved shirts and shorts would have been the ideal riding gear. I was rather hot in trousers and long-sleeved shirts.

We followed the loop from the recent Muddy@rse ride including the first water crossing until we popped out on the main drag 100 metres north of Mick's Cross. From here we headed back into the trees and scanned the left for either route into the trees or a deertrack. We spotted something and went in. We were on an old trail that had been used by bikes as many stumps and logs etc had chainring marks on them. On we went until we found ourselves on a narrow singletrack that followed the contours around side of a hill with a stream below us on our left. We assumed this was the stream we had previously crossed and confidently followed the singletrack to emerge at a log bridge across the stream, over the bridge and uphill to the left. We were back where we started! Puzzling. After scanning the map for ages we realised that this was in fact not the stream we thought it was eg our first stream crossing of the day. Undeterred we headed back up the main chalky fireroad looking keeping our eyes open for signs of trail activity. We were starting to get our bearings and realised that there is much more good riding here than we first thought.

At the fireroad crossroads just north of Mick's Cross we headed into an area that we had not previously explored. We soon found a narrow singletrack, initially through trees but then just kissing numerous gorse bushes as we crossed an area of scrubland, across a fire-road and we continued on another twisty trail through the woods. Following this we emerged above yet another stream, over it we went and turned down an interesting looking twisty trail. After approximately 100 metres an air of recognition came over us and we realised that we were retracing the route of the Muddy@rse ride! At this stage we had been riding for 5 hours so decided to call it a day and headed back to the carpark via our newly discovered contour hugging singletrack.

A great ride, the highlight for me was discovering a new belting bit of singletrack that can easily be added to our usual route to make a trail of singletrack heaven. The highlight for my buddy was following me as I blattered along the newly discovered singletrack straight between two trees that on inspection proved to be 2 inches closer together than the width of my handlebars, my buddy arrived laughing loudly and proclaiming that it was obvious that I would not get through the gap just as I was picking myself up from a bog of leaf mulch and water. At least it was a soft landing!

St Leonards Forest & Tilgate Forest

We took advantage of the warm sunshine and dry weather to have another Recce of the Muddy@rse ride of 13 th May.

The singletrack is great fun and the bluebells were out in force. We repaired a couple of sections which we hope will enable everyone to avoid the buried barbed wire and clean some of the obstacles such as the forked fallen tree. The downhills were a blast and even the short sharp uphills were dispatched without too much pain. We explored some new sections and generally had a great day out.

If you want to know where we went join us on the Muddy@rse ride at leaving at 10-30 am on Sunday 13th May from Roosthall carpark on Hammerpot Lane on the south side of St. Leonards Forest. Check the Muddy@rse ride link for more details.

Summer Evening Trundle

No photos with this post I'm afraid we were too busy chatting and enjoying the sunshine.

A quick blast with a few deviations up and down the southside on the South Downs and we arrived at Blackcap above Lewes. One of our gang had to 'phone-home' to check the domestic situation would enable him to continue with us, it didn't and he left no doubt to the pleasures of more housework or more accurately housework that meets the standard of his girlfriend!

In the distance we could see the hill of death that climbs from Kingston up onto the South Downs Way. The chalky glint from the bright sunshine was constantly catching our eye, mocking and taunting us to 'come and have a go if you think you're hard enough'. Our ability to resist everything except temptation is well known so biting the bullet we arrived at the base of the hill after the necessary detour through Lewes and Kingston. Off with the extra jersey, eat an energy bar, lighten the weight by having a pee and we were ready. The first steep section didn't seem too bad this evening and the following grind provided time to recover before the final kick. It was a great relief to arrive at the South Downs Way and look across the hills to the ocean. These climbs kill me but my buddy just skipped up despite being in recovery from a torn leg muscle!

At this point the breeze from the ocean had a cutting edge so it was on with the windproof layers before a race home against the clock of the rapidly setting sun. We did not have any lights but fortunately the last mile across the South Downs to the car-park in total darkness passed without incident.

Directions
Join us on the Muddy@rse ride 29th April and all will be revealed.

Good Friday 6th April South Downs Way Trundle.

Good Friday, a national holiday accompanied by a relaxing ride out on the South Downs. As a break from our usual riding we opted for a steady trundle along the Downs in the bright sunshine. My buddy was on the bike for the first time in two weeks nursing sore knees and suffering jet-lag after skiing in Canada and one day previous I had twisted my ankle. Invalids on bikes. It was a steady / slow pace with enough time to take in the views and do a little exploring of some trails we last visited about 4 years ago!

The weather conditions were perfect 20 deg C, bright sunshine and not a breeze in the air the trails were bone dry even the dreaded SD climbs were not as energy sapping as they can be. As usual when the weather is good the SD immediately around Brighton were a mass of people hang gliding, parascending, flying kites as well as generally shuffling about on the trails. We headed east to some less well know areas in an effort to avoid constantly steering around the throng and braking to avoid toddlers and the elderly.

A couple of highlights were myself thundering down towards Mill Hill Farm from Rodmell Cottage, over a blind lip at 30 mph to be faced with 2 whopping great 'holes', using my skill and dexterity (together with a huge dose of good luck) I negotiated the obstacles but ended up almost tangled in an electric fence reinforced with barbed wire. The descent from Pickers Hill into Balsdean Valley was better than we remembered although we had to be careful not to hit a couple who were walking up the hill in the middle of the trail without any desire to move even slightly in order to let other users have a little bit of the trail. Finally the climb out of Falmer Bottom was longer and tougher than either of us remembered.

Directions. Refer to OS Explorer Map 122
From Ditchling Beacon we headed east on the South Downs Way to Mill Hill farmsouth east of Rodmell. At Mill Hill Farm we took the bridleway directly south through the farm, at the first bridleway junction turn left into Cricketing Bottom and follow the track around and up the side of the hill towards Telscombe Village. When you come out on the road turn south and go through Telscombe Village, at the top of the hill near Cross Dyke take the bridleway west towards Telscombe Tye, Highdole Hill and Pickers Hill. At Pickers Hill the trail forks (the right hand route leads around Pickers Hill to meet the SDW at Swanborough Hill), take the left fork. The trail appears to curve left but in fact turns sharp right after a couple of thorny bushes, go through the gate for the descent into Balsdean Valley. At the bottom of the hill turn right and ride through Falmer Bottom (take care not to go into Standean Bottom). Follow the trail past the disused buildings. The trail ends at a gate and a climb up to Juggs Road (track), this is a drag of a climb that gets steeper and more rocky the further you go. At the top go through the gate and turn right on Juggs Road for about 100 metres, then turn left to take the South Downs Way back to Ditchling Beacon.

Lazy Saturday Ride

Saturday 31st March 3 of us had a relaxed ride from Whiteways, our intention was to seek some singletrack that we had been told about during the Muddy@rse ride at Leith Hill.

After the climb to Rewell Wood we decided not to seek singletrack but to ride a couple of newly designated 'open access' areas to see if there was anything worth exploring. Low and behold we found singletrack, and one very nice descent through some trees dropping across a large root and into a quite swampy area that thankfully was dry enough to ride through. A tree was newly fallen across the singletrack in Houghton Forest - lift the front wheel- kick the back and we were over.

In total we had covered approximately 18 miles, not too far but we had to cut short to meet wives, girlfriends and children etc. A steady relaxed ride and the search for the singletrack is justification to return another day.

From Whiteways carpark we headed directly into the woods and down across the rooty singletrack followed by the climb up through Rewell Wood to Yew Tree gate. From here we took the singletrack that heads directly south east to the dissused quarry at Slindon. Across Slindon common and into Eartham woods via a detour past 'The Folly'. The slog of a climb up onto the South Downs Way carpark on Bignor Hill was ended with a sudden strong wind straight into our faces. From here it was back to Whiteways carpark taking in the Houghton Forest singletrack and the rooty section that emerges immediately behind the cafe.

Making the Most of it..

A quick weather check showed Wednesday 21st as the only gap in what seems like weeks of interminable rain this was handy as it coincided with a ‘working at home’ day. All in all, an opportunity for a ride that could not be spurned.

The ground remains waterlogged so we chose to stay on the high South Downs Way (SDW) ridge in order to try and avoid the deep sticky mud. In the main this plan was successful however the section immediately east of Ditchling Beacon was an absolute mud bath. For almost 100 yards there was 4 inch deep mud mixed with cow poo and pools of standing water, it was no use trying to go around this as it covered the full width of the ridge so there was nothing else for it other than full speed ahead.

Inevitably the ride lasted way longer than we had planned but we did have a blast with the wind behind us on the outward leg and then straight into our faces on the return. On the return journey I managed to get stuck in a deep narrow rut and ended up jack-knifing in the wet mud and narrowly (and comically) avoided going down sideways. The large deep puddles provided plenty of opportunity for play with the added benefit of washing the wettest runny mud off the bike.

We returned covered in mud to the first ‘undress on the doorstep’ instruction of 2007.

Whiteways 17th Feb, Dry Suprise!

The heavy rainfall of the past week has turned many trails into impassable swamps, so our plan for this ride was to stay on high ground and avoid the mud.

We began on the South Downs Way and headed from Whiteways to Cocking; however at this point our curiosity and nose for singletrack overcame our best intentions. The fire-roads were relatively dry but surprisingly so were the twisty sections of singletrack. Due to the winter die-back of greenery we were able to spot a number of singletrack trails disappearing through the trees. We marked them on GPS and continued on our way. In fact we found so many new trails that we have already planned the return visit to ride and link them together into what will be a great singletrack blast. A little off-piste riding through Eartham Wood and we were then heading back. We arrived just as it began to rain and slurped down hot coffee from the cafe while relating to each other our trail heroics.

A couple of my personal highlights: 1) the drop down from Tegleaze wood into the Droke carpark which was very greasy and I had a couple of heart in mouth moments on the wet chalk, although it must be said that the others had no problems at all!, and 2) the climb up through Selhurstpark woods which was steeper and longer than we remembered, we were all panting by the time we reached the top.

A great 22 miles that has set us up for a return trip to link the narrow twisty bits together.

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.

What's that coming over the hill....

Tuesday and Thursday of this week saw us make the most of the dry, warm and windless evenings with a couple of 3 hour rides. We rode at a slow pace enjoying the views and the calm warm evening. The weather was truly perfect and even the South Downs mud was drying out surprisingly quickly resulting in a very relaxed ride without the need to spend ages cleaning the bike afterwards. We included a healthy dose of singletrack leading to and around Offham quarries. The trail leading directly to the quarry edge was a little scary as a wheel 2 feet out of line would mean a fall over the edge into the inky blackness of a 50 foot vertical drop. My buddy was trying out his new helmet mounted HID light and it was very effective, he didn't fall off!

Riding at night with a set of lights is great fun but we would recommend sticking with trails you know and take a buddy with you just in case!

We left the carpark at Jack & Jill Windmills and headed east on the South Downs Way (SDW) turning off to continue directly east to the trig-point at Black Cap. From the Trig-point we headed for the beacon burner holder on Mt Harry passing it 10 metres on our right. This trail leads to a gate through a field and stay on the trail straight through the gorse bush patch, when you emerge from the gorse bushes turn sharp right through some trees to another gate. At this point take the trail on the left which points towards the corner of a fence protruding into the field and follow it around the edge of the fence. Where the trail meets the tree line turn immediate left to drop down over roots and fallen branches onto a singletrack bridleway and follow this east to a gate at the end. Go through the gate and turn right, pedal uphill for about 50 metres and turn left into the obvious singletrack, follow this all the way to the quarry edge. Take great care along here as this trail emerges perpendicular to and about 3 feet from the unfenced quarry edge. At the quarry edge turn right and go through the gates as you come to them, after the last gate you are at the top of a field, go diagonally across the field to emerge in Lewes on the Offham road. From here pedal up the bridleway that runs parallel to the tarmac road leading to the riding school at the Training Gallop. Keep on this trail to the riding school and turn right to head back towards Black Cap and an easy ride back to the carpark on the SDW.

Muddy@rse Reconnaissance: Whiteways

My buddy riding over one of the trees at Whiteways. He made it!


A quick blast around our intended route for the Muddy@rse Ride 21st Jan.

The singletrack was dry and a blast, the leaf cover made it a little slippery in places especially on the corners but apart from that no problems.

The far end of the ride was muddy so we may use a detour that will not detract too much. The route is approximately 12 miles but the last couple of climbs on the Monarch's Way drain the legs!

7th January 07: Character Building Ride

My buddy stayed up until 2am on Sunday 7^th January to finish rebuilding his bike with new wheels, brakes and gears. All that was required was a ride to christen the baby.

We headed up to the South Downs Way from Sussex University sports centre via Waterpit Hill (the name should have given us a clue) and Buckland Bank. Within 20 yards we were covered in mud and ploughing through thick viscous mud 4 inches deep, these conditions prevailed until we reached Blackcap on the SDW, the section through the trees just south west of Blackcap was most memorable as it was a pond about 12 inches deep from trees to fence. The first casualty was my buddy’s gears with the rear mech giving up the will to live and the ability to change gear. We stopped a couple of times to clean the mud off the bike but this was a futile exercise as within 5 yards it was as if we had not bothered. The next disaster was when my buddy’s chain snapped; we repaired it with an SRAM speed-link but got covered in mud. As we were repairing the chain on the windswept ridge the rain started. Determinedly we continued along the SDW to Ditchling Beacon and wanting to get back we cut short down the road to Stanmer woods. Neither of us had the desire for the single-track so we just headed straight back to the car.

The bike was well and truly christened and we returned a lot wiser. On the up-side my Nicolai with Rohloff Speedhub never missed a beat and changed gear perfectly the whole way round. Money well spent.

First Ride of 2007: Pitch Hill & Holmbury Hill

As a perfect start to 2007 a couple of us headed up to Pitch Hill in the North Downs for a wizz around some of our favourite trails.

Pitch Hill was very muddy, the peaty soil was holding water like a sponge making the trails pretty hard going in many places. The trails above Ewhurst were not too bad but the one with the split tree was tough going as was the subsequent dash through the pine trees. It seemed to us as if some of the trails had been deliberately blocked with fallen trees and branches, this didn't spoil the fun but someone had gone to a degree of trouble.

The sandstone of Holmbury Hill always drains well and despite all the recent rain the trails were fantastic, just damp enough to give loads of grip but not too dry to coat the moving parts with the usual abrasive paste. The reservoir trail is a favourite especially if you stay on it to the steep downhill at the end. From here it was up to the viewpoint above Holmbury St Mary to drop down via the trail on the right with all the bombholes and then straight into the Telegraph trail to the carpark. The climb back to reservoir included a couple of little gems that were very tough. A descent into Peaslake via the Golden Birdies trail was followed by the climb across Pitch hill to the carpark. We covered about 20 miles but it felt much more due mainly to the chewy mud on Pitch Hill.

All in all a fantastic day, my buddy had the first 'off' of 2007, the out the rain held back and it was not too cold or windy. If the rest of the riding in 2007 is as rewarding as today we are looking forward to a great year.

Muddy@rse Ride 30th Dec 2006

Today witnessed another 'Muddy@rse' ride. We started at Bo Peep carpar on the South Downs Way and took in the South Downs just north of Seaford. As usual the ride was a sociable event rather than a race (either formal or informal) there were plenty of rest times for both faster and slower riders and no one was left behind.

The ground was very muddy and wet in some places which added to the sense of adventure. Highlights included the singletrack descent between 'The Comp' and 'Blackstone Bottom' which was muddy, slippery, rooty and next to a barbed wire fence, the following climb up to 'Cross Dyke' will live in the memory due to the slippery mud, rocks and gusting sidewinds. The rain held off until the final 100 metres back to the carpark although we suspect that the Ollie and Sally got a little damp on their ride back to Newhaven.

As with previous Muddy@rse rides this was a great day out riding at a relaxed pace with likeminded people. If you fancy a relaxed ride with a group of friendly people come along to the next ride which will be 21st January 2007 at Whiteways carpark, West Sussex. Thanks to Lisa for organising and Rick for leading.

Dry Trails at Whiteways

Today saw us ride from Whiteways carpark (just north of Arundel) through Houghton Forest and Rewell Wood to Slindon returning via the Monarch’s way. Despite the recent heavy rainfall the trails were at worst slightly damp and in the most part were bone dry, excellent. Riding over the fallen trees on the singletrack across the top of Rewell Wood was great fun as was the descent down to Slindon which was blasted and jumped at every opportunity. We did a little exploring but nothing that disturbed the rhythm of the ride.

Directions. OS Explorer Map 121

From Whiteways carpark take the gap in the trees just to the left of the main track into the woods. Follow this as it twists a little bit and turn left down a rooty trial for 30 yards until it meets a trail running east west and turn right (west). Turn south where the trail crosses a narrow north/south route (difficult to see) and continues in more or less a straight line through the trees across loads of half buried roots and out onto a fireroad via a small but steep drop-off. Head uphill on a fire road and take a hidden left turn into some very narrow and twisty singletrack, follow this to where it rejoins the fireroad and then turn right onto more single track that eventually crosses the A29 running from Whiteways down to Slindon. Climb through the trees up into Rewell Wood and turn right at the top (this is a tough climb in winter). At the Gate take the singletrack on the right then immediate left (this is very twisty and rooty with a couple of fallen trees that are ride-able as well as alternatives via a couple of small but steep drop-offs). Follow this all the way down and where it comes out take the right again to cut back towards West Stubbs copse just east of Slindon (this is a great singletrack descent for about 800 yards). Where the bridleways meet stop and turn right for 20 yards and then left down another narrow bridleway descent with a couple of drops and jumpy bits. At the bottom turn sharpe right to head through Madehurst Wood and on to Chichester Lodge. Up this point there is a lot of singletrack and even the bridleways are single-file and a real blast.

Cross the A29 and go straight across the road and turn left uphill for approximately 50 yards to a bridleway sign on the right pointing through Baycombe Wood and climbs up to the Monarch’s Way via Northwood cottages and through The Plain to meet the Monarch’s Way at the large trail intersection with the big signpost. Turn right (signposted Bignor Hill) to take the Monarch’s Way south east and back to Whiteways taking in the singletrack in Houghton Forest.

Devil's Dyke , Newtimber Hill and Wolstonbury Hill

Today was our first ride since the end of November. We decided on a local loop from Devil's Dyke around the bottom of Newtimber Hill and then over Wolstonbury Hill. Every year we do the same thing, a local ride following one of our summer routes that inevitably turns into a mud hell during the winter. Yet again the familier pattern was repeated, the memories of dry dusty single track tempting us onto trails that at this time of year are miles of uninterrupted mud of the worst kind. The deep chewy mud and fine slurry are not too bad; however the South Downs produces a viscous mud made from chalk with just a touch of clay and leaf detritus. This stuff is a killer. At the point the photo was taken the wheels of the bike would no longer rotate due to the tyre width 'growing' to approximately 4.5 inches with the extra mud. The Rohloff hub was fautless and was changing gear smoothly bang on the button everytime long after my buddie's LX/XT set-up had been strangled to death by the mud.

Directions: (OS Explorer Map 122)
From Devil's Dyke carpark we headed down the dyke itself using the narrow twisty bridleway that clings to the southside of the hill. The deep mud made this more than a little scary and caution over speed saw us get down without any mishaps. From the bottom of the dyke we headed to Saddlescombe farm. At Saddlescombe Farm take the gate immediately on the left where the South Downs Way heads up hill through the trees. Stay on this for a slog of a climb across and to the top of Newtimber Hill. At the top of Newtimber Hill find the bridleway that runs east/west, turn left to head west through a gate a down a belter of a descent to emerge on the A281 just west of Pyecombe. Turn right towards Pycombe and cross the A23 via the footbridge. Over the A23 keep going east past houses on your left to climb the chalky track and take the first bridleway on the left. Continue along here until you reach the first gate on the right, go through the gate to come out onto the north side of Wolstonbury Hill. This section is narrow, very muddy and badly rutted, get stuck in. Turn right to go straight over Wolstonbury Hill (hellishly muddy) to the bridleway intersection just west of Rockrose riding school. Take the brildeway on the right for a excellent blast down to Pycombe. Turn right in front of the church and go down the tarmac descent to cross the A23 on the fly-over bridge. Follow the bridleway that runs down the side of the A23 towards Brighton. After crossing the railway line on the old bridge climb to the tarmaced road and turn left to loop around the edge of the playing fields and rugby club at Waterhall. At the small carpark close to the clubhouse take the trail around the edge of the gate and climb up through the golf course. At the road turn left for 400 metres and then right to take the bridleway parallel to the road all the way back to Devil's Dyke.

Muddy@rse Ride 18th November 06

Today saw the second Muddy@rse MTB ride, this one taking place in Friston Forest and the surrounding South Downs hills. Great fun was had by all on a very relaxed and sociable event.

We started from the main carpark near the visitor centre and headed north along the main track parallel to the road towards Alfriston, this was an ideal muscle-warmer. The road turns right into the forest, we regrouped at the bottom of the large chute and turned left for the slog of a climb up to the bomb holes. This climb was a taster of what was to come, thick gloppy mud that stuck to all bike parts and covered everyone in a veneer of trail. From the bomb hole we followed the 'Technical Trail' back down the hill via a short section of sweet slippery singletrack. Emerging on the main track we turned right and then left to drop down, cross the gravel road and climb up the other side. It was during this section we 'lost' half the group, a couple of scouts were dispatched and after a short delay we all linked up further down the gravel road. The climb through the forest to the A259 above East Dean was very muddy and slippery; however instead of worried looks and tentative riding everyone was enjoying the relaxed pace and sliding off the trail into the undergrowth held no fear just a source of more laughs. A quick zip past the carpark on the road to Crowlink and then over Went Hill brought us to the Tea Rooms at Birling Gap, the perfect setting for replenishing food and drink. At this point we had to cut short due to 'home' commitments and headed back through the forest. No doubt the others enjoyed their extened run.

An excellent day out riding with a group of people who were sociable and relaxed. The riding was steady but in no way too fast, and there were no heros out to impress. If you fancy a ride (not a race) at a steady pace where no-one will get left behind and eveyone is relaxed and friendly we highly recommend the next Muddy@arse Ride. Many thanks to Lisa for arranging and Grant for leading.

Friston Forest: Twist & Shout

Today saw an eventful ride at Friston Forest. We did our usual route following the marked ‘Technical Trail’ from the visitor centre over the south side of the forest, dropping down the chute to the road followed by the uphill slog to the two bomb holes. The going was tough as the mixture of slippery mud and leaf mulch made every pedal turn an effort.

We rode the route over the tree stump half way up the edge of the first bomb hole and headed for the second where after multiple slips and falls the climb around the tree was conquered. After this we had the straight run back to the car-park on the sneaky singletrack section that leads down from the dew pond. This is my favourite type of riding, singletrack with roots and lots of logs and deep depressions and all the while we were trying to ignore the nettles that were caressing our legs. Before picking up the final blast down the stump strewn section we visited the North Shore area where unfortunately most of it had been knocked down and broken up.

It was on this final section that two events occurred 1) our leading rider had a glorious ‘off’ and 2) we laughed ourselves silly. The tumble was a marvellous gymnastic display, those of us in the following group heard a shout and looked up to see the victim going over the bars while turning the front wheel perpendicular to the bike frame. The rider was undamaged but then we looked at the bike. The front wheel was so badly buckled and twisted that it was jammed against the fork leg and would not rotate at all, in addition a number of the spokes were badly bent and broken. A log 2 inches in diameter was freshly broken into 4 pieces. We deduced that the log had passed through the spokes of the front wheel, hitting the fork and instantly locking the wheel thus sending the rider over the bars. How lucky is that?

We were able to straighten the wheel sufficiently (by standing on the rim) so that it would rotate through the fork legs and the bike could be slowly ridden (without front brakes) back to the car.

Ditchling Beacon to Lewes loop. Mud Riding Technique

The South Downs exhibit a remarkable 'Jekyll & Hyde' transformation with the change in the seasons. What were beautiful sections of sinuous flowing singletrack turn into deep baths of viscous sticky mud that can easily trap the unwary. Instead of avoiding these sections get stuck in and challenge yourself to ride them without dabbing a foot. In our experience this is great fun and causes as much if not more enjoyment than blasting the trails when they are dry and dusty. The ride below contains some cracking mud bath singletrack that is also badly rutted (significantly increasing the difficulty) due to overuse of horses.

The key to successful mud riding is to have the appropriate technique at your disposal and as always when learning a new technique practice makes perfect. Get into the 'attack' position (pedals horizontally level and supporting your weight with relaxed arms, shoulders and legs), lean slightly forward to put some of your weight onto the fork. Gear selection is critical, spinning the pedals is no good (you will spin out), leg torque is needed. Select a gear that is one or two gears harder than you think is necessary and use leg power to get rolling, once you are moving keep the pedals turning and do not change gear. Stay relaxed and do not try to freewheel a section, it is essential to keep pedalling and maintain momentum. Your weight slightly over the fork will provide adequate steering control but the front wheel will slip sideways very easily so avoid any sudden changes in direction. Look 10-15 metres down the trail and make your steering choice early and smoothly. If the bike begins to stall unweight the front slightly and give a hard couple of pedal kicks, or bounce your weight onto the pedals and give a hard couple of kicks, both of these techniques are usually successful in preventing stalling. Using this approach it is possible to ride lengthy sections (a couple of hundered metres) of thick sticky mud that is 2-3 inches deep.

Mud riding is tiring and does require strength, not only of the legs but also the arms and upper body in order to both maintain balance and react to the inevitable sliding. Any uphill sections no matter how gentle the gradient will immediately be noticable, conversly any section where gravity is on your side will make life much easier. Always use specific 'mud tyres', they retain a clean tread pattern and will find grip in the most unlikely places. Mud riding is great fun with the added benefit that if you fall there will be a soft landing!

OS Explorer Map 122. Pick up the South Downs Way directly north of Brighton at any point between Jack & Jill Windmills and Ditchling Beacon. Take the SDW east towards Lewes but leave it just north of Ashcombe Bottom and continue directly east past the Trig Point at Black Cap. Follow the bridleway that leads to the Training Gallop and riding school (this trail ultimately passes Lewes Prison), ten metres after going through the first gate after Black Cap there is a narrow bridleway signposted on the right, follow this for 200 metres of excellent mud riding singletrack. Go through the first gate on the right and across the field in a SW direction. Stay on this trail going through the gates until the trail begins to drop parallel to a patch of trees, after 100 metres take the sharpe right turn and descend down the narrow singletrack to the gate at the bottom. This descent is steep, usually muddy, rock strewn and very slippery, take care. Go through the gate and climb up the trail across the field towards the trees. The trail continues to climb through the trees where it is muddy, slippery with rooty sections that are trecherous. The trail emerges from the trees and continues to climb around the edge of two fields to rejoin the SDW just north of Balmer Down. Turn right to climb (almost at the top!) on the SDW. At the 'T' junction go through the gate and turn right to follow the SDW back to the high ridge between Plumpton Plain and Black Cap. There is another fantastic mud challange where the trail passes through a tree lined section. There is lots of mud, many hub-deep water filled holes and steep ridges, go for it! Follow the SDW way back towards Ditchling Beacon. In the current conditions this is a 2 hour ride from Ditchling Beacon compared to 75 minutes in the summer.

Devil's Dyke: Ride or Paddle?

This evening we had the first ride of winter 06 in the rain. It was raining when we set off, raining while we were riding and raining when we got back!

After a couple of days away from riding a quick blast to clear the cobwebs from the mind was in order. We were fully prepared with water proof jackets, gloves, trousers and boots so at least we were dry. There was a strong wind that was blowing from the sea when we started out heading west along the South Downs Way. We knew it was going to be tough when we rode behind the brick building to ride the drops on the far side, as soon as we were out of the shelter of the building we were literally blown sideways back down the hill! The ususal pattern developed, it didn't matter what direction we rode in the wind was always blowing directly into our faces.

Due to time constraints it was a short ride. From Devils Dyke pub we headed west on the SDW, immediately through the first gate take the bridleway diagonally to the left across the field, you are going south west. This path comes to a gate, straight through and down the narrow bridleway next to the barbed wire fence, keep stright ahead over Mount Zion to the bridge across the A27 at Fordown Tower, this section was very muddy, ride on the left but not to far over as there is a fallen barbed wire fence buried in the grass. Do not cross this bridge, double back down the hill on the left and go through the riding school at New Barn. Climb up to the Monarch's Way and follow this to the Golf Clubhouse at Skeleton Hovel, then take the bridleway parallel to Dyke Road back to Devil's Dyke.

Monarch's Way

Sunday 15th October Dave (who featured in our 15 minutes of fame on 8th October) and myself had an enjoyable ride from Shoreham to Ford along the Monarch's way. The pace was relaxed, it was nice and sunny and we righted all the wrongs of the world during a conversation that meandered across many subjects.

We left from Shoreham airport, crossed the A27 and climbed past Lancing Ring up to the Monarch's Way. On reaching the Monarch's Way we turned left (west) and just stayed on it! It is not that well signposted and we referred to the map at a couple of places despite having ridden these bridleways previously. The section through Angmering Park was particulalry badly signed. Use OS Explorer maps 121 &122.

The two highlights for me were the climb up from Michelgrove into Michelgrove Park, this was full of tennis ball sized rocks at the bottom that were tough on a hardtail but about 1/4 of the way up I crossed to the ridge on the left. I cleaned it. At the top turn right, the singletrack on the left side of the muddy main track was good fun. The second highlight was the descent from Upper Wepham Wood to The Knell. This was rocky at the top and then horse rutted and rooty half way down followed by a section through chewy mud towards the bottom, it could have gone on for ever as far as I was concerned.

From Ford we got the train back to Shorham. I forgot to take any photo's on the ride until we got to Ford station, so that is what we have!