2014.12 December

FGCC rides in December 2014

Saturday 1st December 08.00am ride.
RK, RT
Amberley loop with no stops and no incidents.
17 miles

Saturday 8th December
RT, RK
Arundel loop. Fantastic weather with not a cloud in the sky. Up to SDW, down to Burpham, following the bridle path parallel to the river, and to Arundel for a brek. Return via Poling, Highdown and The gallops.

A field near Poling
A field near Poling

Total 23 miles

Saturday 15th December
MA, JR. RT.
RT suggested it was time for maintenance of the Kamikaze memorial, and JR wanted to try out the latest offerings from the ancestral home, so route selected to end via Findon Valley.
Up Stable Lane, along the farm concrete road at the toons round to Buddington Bottom, with JR insisting on sticking to the muddier traditional path rather than the parallel open field. Up the hill to the top of Llama lane, RT’s new steed proving its worth. Over to Langmead, down the track and back to Cissbury car park, round the west side of Cissbury and along and down to the site of the Kamikaze memorial.
A shocking scene presented itself as the fence on which the memorial was sites had been replaced with the old post having been discarded in the undergrowth. A new memorial established was followed by the traditional recital of the FGCC ode.

Re-instated Kamikaze memorial - Mark 1993
Re-instated Kamikaze memorial – Mark 1993

Brek in the ancestral home was disappointing.
Total 11 miles

Saturday 20th December Avery trek ‘n brunch.

Riders MA, RT, Nigel, PT, ZA
MA joined for the brunch
Route up Stable Lane, over to Langmead and on the SDW to the Downslink. To Shoreham and Truffles where RT charmed the staff to the point of being threatened with being permanently banned. Joined by PT and then ZA at Truffles. We then set off over the new footbridge along the front to Sea Lane, along Ilex way through to Ferring and up to the A259. Up to Angmering and the Avery residence for an excellent lunch prepared by Julie and Clare.
Total 22.9 miles
Saturday 27th December 08.00 am ride.
JR, RT & RT (Rhys)
A fine sunny morning but with a cold northerly wind, just right for trying to burn off some of those excess calories from the Christmas celebrations. Rhys had expressed a wish to see the sea, so Shoreham route selected – straight over at Cissbury onto Steyning Rd and straight on to Coombe Farm, down the road and over the old Toll bridge to Truffles ( well ok probably not helping the calorie reduction).
Return via the new footbridge and along the seafront to the end of the cycle path at George V Avenue, over the bridge at the leisure centre and a sharp right at the roundabout in order to cycle past Melrose Close to raise the FGCC salute. Northerly twisting and turning through Salvington up to Mill Lane and all the way up to the top, then a left and right into Honeysuckle Lane, at the top of which we were treated to a tale of JR,s teenage brush with the law. Apparently he and friends at age 16 built a radio transmitter and operated Worthing’s very own pirate radio from a transmitter buried in amongst trees at the easterly edge of Clapham Woods, lugging car batteries there for the two hours they would last for transmission. The fun terminated by the farmer locating the equipment and turning it in, with JR. having to collect it from the police station and receive warnings.
Ride completed with a drop down church hill and up Steep Lane to assess one more time the proposed location for the DR memorial.
Total 24 miles