Rather than the steep very bumpy track down to Jevington we took what we call the 'grassy track'. This is a more gentle and longer decent which is much less bone shaking for those of us still on hard tails. Our progress was temporarily halted when we came across an anxious heifer waiting for her calf which had got stuck behind some bushes.Some gentle persuasion from malc managed to get the heifer moving a little, then the frightened calf thinking it was going to be left behind launched itself out from between the thorny bushes right in front of us to join its parent .
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| Malc Dares to Come Between A Mother And Her Calf! |
After a little bit of climbing there was the usual chalky descent down to Alfriston. I had forgotten just how bumpy it is on a hardtail off road and was being bashed around a great deal. It was only later I realised I had put far too much pressure in the rear tyre running 38 psi instead of 32 ,this makes a big difference.
It was actually a relief to start climbing up Kings drive and all the way up to firle beacon. Myself and Peter were behind the others but were never in any difficulty.
From firle beacon the terrain became undulating and the ground far less rocky, ideal hardtail territory with the fantastic descent of Itford Hill down to Rodmell .
We followed the SDW for another 3 miles before turning off down some steep tracks south for Rottingdean. I found these tracks really hard to get down as they were either very overgrown or badly rotted. I wasn't surprised that it was here that josef ended up with a laceration to the side wall that demanded some generous use of puncture patches inside the tyre wall.
Rottingdean was exactly half way so it was time to try out a new cafe. Being the sophisticated arty types that we are, we headed for a nice looking one on the seafront. This is not one that we would use again as the prices were high, the tea was weak and my cake took so long to arrive that the tea was cold by then. Ivan, always looking for a bargain spotted a cheaper cafe round the side and cheekily joined us with some of their ice cream. At least the conversion was entertaining, mostly revolving around Specialized Epic vs Whyte full suspension. The general consensus was that the Whyte was a copy of the epic with a slightly shorter top tube and no brain! (for those not used to mtb technobabble the 'brain' in question is a little device on the rear shock that automatically stiffens up on climbs and then softens for descents), but the whyte was better value for money (better kit for the same price). In the end we decided it was a draw.
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| Pete About To Get His 'Brain' Checked! |
We had to endure a one mile stretch on the incredibly busy A259 before turning off for Telscombe and back to the SDW. We had a slight air of laziness about us that day as when given the choice of the usual off road track back to Southease or the road parallel, everyone (apart from me) voted for the road!
Maybe they were saving themselves for what lay ahead? Itford hill may be great fun coming down but you sure do pay a high price for your 10 minutes of fun as its a b****d to get up.
I have climbed this hill at least once a year for the last twenty plus years and every year the body is a year older (and more knackered) , when I can no longer get up it without walking, that will be the time to consider giving up mtb riding and become a true roadie! I'm glad to say that despite being last man up, I managed the climb OK so mtb retirement plans have been put on hold.
Despite beating me up Itford hill, Pete was now getting seriously knackered, unlike myself who had rested on saturday (knowing what would be in store) Pete had been out with the faster BBR crew and was now paying the price. So rather than doing the next loop, we would cut the mileage down by heading straight back along the SDW. This was perhaps not the wisest choice as although shorter it would involve some really nasty climbs.
Josef, malc and Ivan parted company with myself and Pete near Alfriston to try out a new descent.
We thought we would come across them somewhere in the village but they descended so quickly they were well gone by the time we got there.
The first part of the climb up to the 'long man' is my least favourite bit of the whole SDW. The track is steep and full of tree roots, rubble, ruts and craters . Being a heavy rider I have never managed to ride up it, not because I am too weak but simply because I cannot keep the front wheel down for long. At least for the first time in two years I was back on spds having discovered that not wearing a sock and leaving the straps very loose, gave my foot bones just enough room to spread and release the pressure on my neuroma , this enabled me to walk relatively easily up the worst parts. The second part of the climb is made of brilliant white chalk. It is much more rideable but with the sunshine reflecting off the chalk Pete and I felt like we were being cooked from both sides on this endless ascent.
Our suffering wasn't quite over as we still had the 2km mile climb from jevington to Butts. Despite its difficulty I rather like this climb as it has a constant gradient which is just shallow enough to keep the front wheel down. My thigh muscles however were not enjoying it and kept telling me to 'get off and walk'.
A text from Ivan informed me the others were waiting for us at the conveniantly located Red Lion pub on Butt's brow lane. I didnt even know about this pub. What a discovery ! The mixture of endorphins, alcohol and fantastic home made chips was ecstasy. Only the inconvenient truth that some of us were driving and that all pete really wanted to do was to lie down and sleep , prevented us from staying longer and getting truly intoxicated.
As per usual , the first proper mtb ride is a painful wake up call. Months of riding on smooth tarmac really don't prepare you for the muscle strength required to haul a far heavier bike over bumpy climbs where you have lost all momentum braking on the previous downhill. All my romantic ideas of bike packing over the wilds of wales evaporated. if this was tough , imagine what a similar ride carrying all your camping gear would be like! Why put yourself through this when you can ride the lovely empty roads of La Bonne France, learn a bit of new culture and most importantly get merry in some nice restaurant every night? Its a no brainer, si longtemps camping sauvage et bonjour la france 2016!
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| This Is Why It Hurt! |
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