Beckley 35- Early Bird 29/9

Derek And Chris Near Beckley

Beautiful weather for the first early bird road ride of the season, so myself and Derek were surprised that there were just the two of us. As we set off along the Ridge we heard a shout and saw the familiar figure of Chris Parker resplendent in full HStL CC kit, Chris was going on a grasshopper identification workshop (in case he ever wants to keep any as pets and wants to name them individually) but that was cancelled and he had just made it in time for the early bird start. The first steep ascent we had to negotiate was Stubb's lane but this was soon followed by a slightly less steep but longer climb up to Beckley. After this the riding was easy and fast, so before long we had arrived in Battle. Chris couldn't resist the smell of coffee wafting down the high street so we made an early stop for breakfast in the Coffe Lounge, even though we still had 15 miles to go. Sitting outside in the sun looking at a perfect blue sky was a big bonus for us at this time of year. Chris and Derek had to get back home by 11:00 so decided to cycle straight back along the Ridge while I went off on my own to complete the full route. In the end they needn't have worried because when I looked down at my watch having got back to Stamco it was only 11:00!

Coffee At Battle

Distance 35 miles
Av speed- 14.2 mph