26/8 Back To Uni

The Magnificent Seven!

Our best turnout of the year for an off road ride with seven riders that included Malcolm who had put aside his TT bike for one day. Weather forecasts all said it was going to be a hot day but as we struggled up the road climb to the top of Firle beacon it was cool and overcast. Before long we were dropping down the side of Rodmell hill taking it easier than normal because of the grass being a little wet. By the time we got to the university the sun was beginning to burn off the cloud cover which persuaded us to stop at the excellent Stanmer tea shop for refreshments before the long haul up to the top of Ditchling Beacon. At this point Paul got a puncture but his tubeless system worked well and within a few seconds the sealant inside had automatically fixed the leak (I am still not convinced of this system myself). From here it is downhill for about 3 miles as we dropped down to Lewes past the prison. Being a nervous rider I wasn't pushing my luck down this bumpy trail but Tom had trouble keeping up with me, that's the difference 29er wheels make to this sort of bumpy decent. What goes down must go up and I new that we would pay for this fabulous decent with the formidable 'white' climb near kingston back up to the downs. Tom had never done this before and did extremely well to make it up there with out having to get off, for me it was too much and I had to walk the steepest bottom third before remounting . Only one large obstacle stood between us and the end of the route, that was Rodmell hill. Ivan held the gate open in front of the railway tracks for us as we all started this long tough but rideable 2 mile climb. When we got to the top we realised somehow we had lost Ivan, was he in front or behind?Eventually he turned up a bit peeved that no one had waited for him as none of us noticed that when he opened the gate for us his bike was upside down for a puncture repair. Once he had fixed it he told us he could see us all spread out as a long line bobbing our way up Rodmell hill, not understanding why no one had waited for him! On arrival at Firle we decided to treat ourselves to cold beers at the pub, there was some sort of exhibition going on and an outside bar, we spent an enjoyable half hour watching the pandemonium caused by all the car drivers trying to squeeze past each other down the narrow road and desperately trying to find somewhere to park.This route is one of our oldest classics and is a particular favourite of Paul B who awarded it five stars out of five, although I would drop it one point due to the nasty road section you have take to get down to the uni. A great day!