Sussex - Beautiful South Downs and London-by-the-Sea
Life got in the way of this ride being ridden at the end of January but a break in the weather on the first weekend in February was too good an opportunity to miss for what would hopefully not be the unlucky 13th county ride.
With the best part of a 3 hour drive to the start point at Chichester a 4:30am alarm was essential to make the most of the short daylight hours available.
With a dry day forecast but a frosty start likely with a windchill making the “feels like” predicted temperature range a miserly 0-4 Degrees C it was a no brainer to choose the Stolen Goat Climb and Conquer jersey, Orkaan bib tights and the toasty Belgian Cap for a long day in the saddle at “tourist” pace.
My concerns about a frosty start were unfortunately realised resulting in a tentative first 10 miles permanently on alert for black ice. The clear skies and crisp morning did however, have that spirit lifting effect you certainly don’t get with a typical drab and drizzly February morning in the UK.
My search for sculptures on my travels was quickly rewarded with the Centurions on Centurion way heading into Lavant. Unfortunately my reactions weren’t quick enough to capture the friendly little Robin who perched alongside my lucky mascot “Soli Nik” as soon as I placed him amongst the centurions but it was a lovely sight so early in the day.
Shortly after leaving the Centurions I was aware of a sensation that all of a sudden I had outgrown my bike! The seatpost had gradually slipped down about 75mm. This was of mild concern as the seatpost retainer on the Scott Foil had previously given me the opposite trouble of locking absolutely fast even when the retaining bolt was removed, historically needing a bespoke tool I had knocked up to release the clamp which of course I didn’t have with me! No dramas today though, this wasn’t the bad luck I was half expecting due to this being county number thirteen, the seatpost moved freely back to my desired height and locked up without difficulty so other than freezing fingers I was on my way without a problem.
Entering the South Downs National Park I was soon heading upwards on marvellous quiet roads, up passed Goodwood Racecourse home to the Glorious Goodwood Festival, five days of flat horse racing in July. “Flat” I can confirm refers to the lack of fences for the horses to jump not the general terrain. The viewpoint at the top of Duncton Hill provided panoramic views across the South Downs.
The road running along the ridge with views over Selhurst Park, not to be confused with the home ground of Crystal Palace FC provided near perfect cycling conditions, the great views, smooth tarmac and friendly tail wind of 50km/h coupled with the near zero temperature almost froze the grin to my face.
There’s something about bridges, especially old ones that appeal to me and the Grade 1 listed arched stone bridge over the river Arun didn’t disappoint aesthetically, its location amongst the quiet stone villages like Fittleworth, Stopham and Pulborough in the South Downs National Park and the adjacent pub would make this a fantastic place to visit on a summer hike or ride.
St Botolphs in the small village of Hardham is renowned for its’ medieval wall paintings believed to be the oldest complete wall paintings in the country unfortunately these were not viewable at my time of passing.
Ditchling Beacon now stood between me and the South coast. This climb rates a 6/10 in Simon Warrens best 100 climbs book and is infamous for being the climb that has forced more riders off their bikes for the walk of shame than an any other in the UK. Predominantly the reason for this is the annual London-Brighton charity ride which sees many less experienced riders defeated by this winding climb but also provides thousands every year with a great sense of achievement and relief at the thought that the finish line and no doubt a celebratory drink in London-by-the-sea is all downhill once Ditchling Beacon is crested.
The toughest part of the climb is undoubtedly the first third and I was glad I had brought my lightweight Scott Foil out for the ride instead of my more “robust” cross bike but it is never ridiculously steep and ridden at a steady pace is an enjoyable climb. Racing up it as part of the national hill climb or one of the many road races that take to its slopes from time to time would however be a far more painful experience I’m sure!
Descending into Brighton it quickly became clear that the wind that had been my friend all morning was going to make the final 60km back to Chichester a bit of a slog. The hazardous cross winds which made the descent a tricky affair requiring concentration would soon be a block headwind for the remainder of the ride.
The street art AKA graffiti was certainly a colourful introduction to Brighton and although not somewhere I would be rushing back to for my holidays the street vibe for a cold windy February afternoon was animated, lively and cosmopolitan living up to its’ London-by-the-Sea moniker.
Disappointingly London attitude to cyclists seem to have been adopted as I was berated by a passer-by for riding down the street shown below despite the fact I wasn’t actually riding my bike but pushing it whilst clip clopping along with my cleated soles, quite how I posed a hazard to him I’m not sure!
The seafront at Brighton left me cold and that wasn’t just the windchill, I’m sure it is full of life and a bit of a giggle in the summer but not for me I’m afraid. It does however have good provision for cyclists along the front with plenty of room for pedestrians and cyclists alike on the marked cyclepaths.
The West Pier was twice consumed by fire in 2003 and subsequently its silhouetted structure is a sad sight against the choppy seas..
As predicted the 60km return back along the coast and up though the South Downs was a slog and with the light fading there was little or no time for stops other than to snap the old stone church at Bramber close to Steyning and a trip into Budgens in Steyning itself for a Lucozade and a Rocky Road to stave off the bonk and a couple of bottles of still water to top up my bottles that had been empty for far too long.
My bid to get back to the van before dark was hindered by the gates to Wiston House being locked (Komoot did warn me to check access times!) and despite my pleading over the voicecom at the gate I was told the grounds were not open to the public.
So I backtracked along the worst road surface I had encountered all day and the komoot app on my Garmin plotted my diversion to pick up the original route.
Houghton Hill with its 5% average and max 13% over 1.7km provided the final climb to get over and a bit of short lived company from a far better climber than me, I didn’t even get time to tell him I’d got 140km in my legs as he cheerily said “keep going mate, nearly there” and disappeared over the crest. The top of this hill would have given more wide vistas of the South Downs but unfortunately the light was fading and with a little drizzle in the air it was time to press on rather than stop for photos.
The final 10km were undertaken at a very slow pace along the cycle way leading in to Chichester which was mainly unlit, the pitch dark route coupled with my Cycliq front light running out of charge left me with a “be seen” front light rather than a “see where your going” front light so a get home safe trundle was adopted, it was strangely entertaining constantly being on alert for obstacles on the path or undesirables jumping out of the undergrowth that never actually materialised!
Sussex and the South Downs in particular was a great place to ride and deserves a return one sunny summer day.
The planned route from komoot can be found here
https://www.komoot.com/tour/623001188
The ride in numbers
170.36km Distance
1988m Elevation gain
8hrs 23 min moving time (20.3 km/h)
4 SIS Tropical Fruit gels
1 Rocky Road
1 Flapjack
0 coffee stops
4 bottles of water
0 beer – watch this space if anybody can recommend a Sussex Ale
0 punctures
4 categorised climbs
Finally if you got a spare quid in your pocket my justgiving page to raise vital funds for the Midlands Air Ambulance is now live Keith Jones is fundraising for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (justgiving.com)
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