The Findon Gentlemen's Cycling Club

These are the rides of the Findon Gentlemen’s Cycling Club.

Saturday 4th February 08.00am ride.
JR, RT.
We were expecting Mr Kersley to join us as he had emailed his intent the night before. It was raining. Quite heavily. No Mr Kersley!
Up Stable lane and the concrete road to the farm, then round the north side of Findon Park house, left at the top and fork right onto the SDW. A very short stop at Langmead due to the continuing rain, then down the track and right towards Cissbury car park. Just before the end of this section RT suffered a blasteet in his rear end. Again due to the rain a replacement of the tube rather than a repair was opted for. JR removed a massive bramble thorn from the tyre, but then suggested that
RT check the tyre before replacement of the tube with two further thorns being discovered. At the “check your tyres” moment JR discovered a large thorn in his rear also. Decided to chance it and ride home as the tyre hadn’t gone down(when he got home removal of the thorn resulted in instant tyre deflation).
Total 8 miles

Saturday 11th February 08.00am ride and Tolmere brek.
KBS, JR, PT, RT, RK, MA, TK (AM joined for the brek driving a Fiat 500).
Snow. A debate at the start about the route with KBS wanting to take the “west” path down the east side of Cissbury. So up to Cissbury car park and round the east side of the hill and down the goat trail, doubling back with a right at the end and left into Canada bottom and no man’s land. Steep climb back up to the top of Stable lane at which point PT and MA returned to the village to deliver summonses for not-gala night to various gentlemen’s houses. The remaining peleton headed on up to Chanctonbury which was lightly covered in snow, then straight down to and across the A24 and into the woods below the crematorium, up to the southerly end of Collarbone alley and left to Tolmere where we were treated to a superb breakfast including a full cooked breakfast and Danish rye bread and pastry.
Total 8 miles

Saturday 18th February 08.00am ride (post not-gala night).
CB, KBS, RT
Only the “BDN’ers” were out following yet another most enjoyable not-gala night. The Flying Dane was looking more like a crawling Dane, so RT suggested a reverse four peaks ride which includes the “north face” climb up to Chanctonbury from Washington. Unfortunately RT’s bluff was called and the FD agreed to this route. Church hill was surprisingly dry and passable, as was Collarbone Alley. Up to the high barn and down to the A24 at which point RT made some spurious excuse about going out to lunch and returned to Findon via Windlesham. The others continued up the north face to Chanctonbury round to Cissbury car park and back to Findon, with CB arriving shortly after RT had finished cleaning his bike!
Total aprox 8 miles.

Saturday 25th February 08.00am ride
TK, PT, CB, ZA, RT, NW (+SW)
After a debate about which way the strong winds were blowing and general disdain for apps, an unusual route was decided with brek in Shoreham included.

Up and round the east side of Cissbury to follow a Budd running route all the way down to the A27 just to the west side of Lions Farm. Through Sompting village and a diagonal route down through the houses to the coast road, passing Mr Kruger’s house just to check that he wasn’t having a lie in. We were blown along the seafront towards Shoreham by the exceptionally high winds with a late and excellent decision to take a brek at the Airport, at which point ZA parted from the peloton.
An excellent brek in spite of RT forgetting to order a veggie brek for TK and teas for the Wilsons – and comments about a medal being in there somewhere leading to the suggestion that the blog should contain a “There’s a medal in there somewhere” (TAMITS?).
After brek round the airport to the toll bridge and along the Downslink and up the SDW, inevitably ending up cycling into the wind. Decision to leave the SDW and go left down the Steying Road and then right along the route eventually leading up to Cissbury car park mostly being sheltered from the wind.
Total 22 miles.