MVP do le Tour in the French Alps

The Grand Master of the MVP (Duncan F) decided that he need some serious Alpine action along with his faithful domestiques Patrick & Peter. When the organisers of le Tour found out they also decided the same & said they would meet us there

Patrick pops into the pharmacy

The MVP set off to Geneva, bike boxes packed, Patrick in his bright orange distinctive £400 box, Peter in his Canyon boring black £170 box and the Grand Master in his £60 gumtree held together by duct tape. We were met by the nice people from Cycle Hame who run a catered chalet in Les Allues in the Meribel valley google them & check them out). Bikes unpacked reassembled and ready for action the next day. We checked out the fellow guests (competition) and held secret discussions about whether we were going to be the slowest.

Grand master trouphing

Next day dawned and the competition seemed most impressed by our Assos and Castelli kit. After sumptuous breakfast we descended as a group down the valley to Brides-les-Bains and started to climb to Montagny, found ourselves in Bozel a couple of times. Had quick lunch at a patisserie in Champagny-en Vanoise just before it closed for lunch, pressed on to La Tania where they have the ski jump thing. Drank water out of troughs & then drank beer out of a glass in Meribel before hurtling down the hill overtaking pesky cars before arriver back a la chalet for more beer, wine and food. Grand master declared stage winner. Only 44.3 miles and 6000 ft of climbing (and it was very hot) but we were knacked but happy that the blue train of Hastings dominated the first stage.

Stage 2. Next day we tackled the col de petit St. Bernard 56 miles 5000 ft and still hot. This time the jocks in the party claimed a stage victory but the Hastings train were not far behind and still in the hunt, although Patrick was a trifle warm and started to make cruel accusations about me being on something or having foreign blood as I wasn’t hot (at least that what I told him). Popped to Italy for a coffee (as you do). Back a la chalet to top up with foreign blood transfusion.

Cole de la Madeleine

Stage 3. Madders sorts out the people on something from the boys. Cole de la Madeleine 51.6 miles and 5,800 ft of sheer hell. Stage victory for yours truly and team honours to Hastings. Hastings 2 Scotland 1. I celebrated by ordering une assiette de fritte. Patrick told the waitress that he wanted the same but could he have chips with his.

Some chap called Froome was also riding in the area

Stage 4. Met up with the other minor cycle event and undertook a pootle to Switzerland (as you do). Other event didn’t struggle quite so much as us climbing Emosson with some Froome chappy in garish yellow creating a fuss. Beat the jocks again in spite of Patrick being a trifle warm. 46 mils and just over 5000 ft climbing.

Stage 5. We have moved chalets to Les Houches in the Chamonix Valley and set off up to St Gervais to do the Col de Aravis. At the top Patrick decided to eat raw meat to deal with the trifle hot situation. Grand Master and I just had burger and chips. Descended and did a bit of up to Megeve to watch the other race who had decided to go one at a time because I assume they thought riding together was too scary. Saw the Froome chap again who appeared to have a helmet bigger than Pete Buss’s. Endeared ourselves to the locals and the Belgians by telling them how to pronounce the names of the foreigners in the other race. Stage win Hastings. Now unassailable lead – Jocks demoralised although the other guests were enjoying our rendition of the Sound of Music whilst riding. Grand Master took it too far with Nazi outfit at supper.64 miles 6,400 ft climbing.

Patrick eats raw meat 

Stage 6 Grand master in more tasteful Heidi outfit. The other race was again in St Gervais so left us a bit of time to pop to Switzerland for coffee (as you do). Patrick had to stop at pharmacy as raw meat was coming out too fast. Eventually gave up and retuned to chalet whist Grand Master and myself did the Col de Montet and then high tailed to St Gervais to see the other race. Delighted by the caravanne giving us free gifts and ended up fighting some 75 year old French woman for some free washing liquid and Bostick lizard tattoos. 47 miles 3,660 ft.

King of the mountains

Stage 6. Sprint up le Col de Colombiere. Pesky Scot got there first, suspicion of motor or simply taking the day before off. Nearly got him. But didn’t need to as we already had it in the bag. Cycled back to Megeve in torrential rain. Patrick not feeling hot anymore so considerably wetter but more cheerful. 44.3 miles 6,400 ft.

Stage 7. Pootle back up to Col de Montet (25 miles 1,700ft) and bike packing and fond farewells back to Geneva. Man with identical orange bike box standing next to Patrick (who choose said colour because it would stand out). Grand master wet himself laughing. Off home (445 miles 40,000ft – forgot to turn garmin off).

 Great week, great company. Cycle Hame great people check them out.

Peter Baker

24/7 SDW Linear Ride

Paul has been suffering a lack of confidence lately plus he does get worried about getting lost but by telling him we would do the ‘linear ride’ which involves following the SDW for 15 miles before telling round and going back I managed to persuade him to come out with myself and Jamie S

This ride starts at Butts brow car park. This is really convenient for Jamie as he only lives round the corner but myself and Paul had to drive to Butts lane. Being too tight to pay the car park fee, we had to park up the bottom and ride all the way up what must be the hardest hill in the whole of Sussex?
Without Malc there, nobody argued with my choice of the smooth grassy slope down to Jevington rather than the bone breaking rocky descent.

Safely over the firing range before the shooting starts

After climbing up and over the long man we arrived at Alfriston. Alfriston is the ‘hub’ for many rides on the Eastern Downs. There is a choice of four routes to proceed West from here. Today we opted for the hardest route of all which is to head directly up to the downs over a wide track passing through a firing range. We were alarmed to see a sign on the gate warning people that shooting was taking place today but fortunately some people carrying guns turned up and informed as the shooting would not commence for another 30 mins, so we should be OK! With that thought in our heads we processed on with a bit more vigor. Up to this point I had felt a bit jaded but knew if I lost momentum on this climb I would have great difficulty clipping back into my look road pedals and would then have to resort to walking up on road cleats. Much to my satisfaction I made it up there first and had plenty of time to photograph Jamie coming up the climb.

Perfect undulating riding on the SDW took us to our furthest western point of Swanborough hill. To make the ride feel like more of a circular I had plotted a route directly off the downs and on the road around Itford. I had no idea what the track off the SDW would be like and was imagining a tricky rubbly decent. With great delight the track turned out to be fully paved so even someone with my terrible bike handling skills could enjoy this supper steep descent. My brakes pads were not enjoying  it though and Jamie ended up inhaling a cloud of burning brake pad fumes at the bottom.

Before facing the notorious climb of Itford hill we had time for food and coffee at the rather lovely NT tea rooms .
Suitably refreshed we tackled the notorious Itford climb with renewed strength and I didn’t find it too bad although our joy was tempered by the knowledge that there was a lot more serious climbing to get through before we were back at Butts brow.

Jamie's legs pay the price of his SDW radonee epic

I don’t know why Paul suffers a lack of confidence as he was clearly the strongest of us and led us all the way back taking us over the longman by a shorter more direct route which I preferred over the chalky rubble strewn path we normally use. Still in recovery mode from his epic 100 mile SDW in a day  last weekend, Jamie was struggling by now and had to walk up part of this new route and decided to break away on the road once we got to jevington.

One of the best things about Butts brow is the pub at the bottom. They make the best chips I have ever tasted and provide a generous bowlful for just £2. As usual Paul was itching to get home but as the driver I insisted on getting some. Having woofed his down in a couple of minutes I then had to keep mine on my lap to avoid those ending up in Pauls belly as well.


It just goes to show that sometime a simple route provides just as much enjoyment as a more complicated ride (plus there is the promise of those chips!)

Steve C

26/7 Tubbies Gain A New Recruit?

A warm welcome from the Tubbies  to newbie club member Kim. Kim joined the club a couple of months ago but so far has only done a few BBRs, how would he fair on a Tubby Tuesday? We were also treated to a rare appearance from veteran rider Terry who after checking the weather forecast for Wednesday decided that this ride was a better option than the Wednesday Wheeler's ride.

Its been a while since Terry and Zac rode down battery hill and they were both a bit taken aback at the condition of the road and surprised that we rode down it all through the winter in the dark. This was a particularly difficult descent for Kim so we hung back a little for him to catch up at the bottom.

With a good tail wind behind us we were hitting 25mph+ on the flat road to Winchelsea, giving me and Steve D personal bests.

Float lane was as lovely as ever and we all rode at our own pace up the Broad Oak drag. Being on holiday I had indulged in a two hour nap in the afternoon and expected this to give me a boost. However my legs felt a bit wooden, probably due to too much riding at the weekend.Ricky is normally a good training match for me but today he was on top form and I had no choice but to watch him disappear in the distance. Kim was also going well and only a little behind me.

A couple of weeks ago Mick had spotted some workmen on cottage lane . Having reported the potholes to the council we were hoping that they were going to start repairs. Our optimism was dashed, all the usual potholes were there and as usual we had to ride mainly in the middle of the road.

First ascent for Kim

Our climb from Sedlescombe to Westfield has now defaulted to cottage lane rather than Harts lane. This lane is a bit more scenic and is pothole free and a most enjoyable climb.

Ricky showed no sign of burning himself out and went on to achieve a PB on Stonestile. Despite riding it for the first time, Kim also rode the hill very well and held on to kerry's wheel all the way up, so hopefully the Tubbies have gained a new regular?

PS- The new pub (The Conquerors March)  at the top of Stonestile is now open for business. Its surprisingly large and impressively fitted out inside, lots of gleaming chrome and polished woodwork . They were certainly doing a good trade and we sat on some nice comfy chairs outside. However, I feel a bit sorry for the good old Robert De Mortain , how much trade are they going to lose? Will they survive? Perhaps we should support them by making them our default post ride drinking venue?

Steve C

17/7 Cissbury Stretch MTB

We have two versions of the Cissbury stretch mtb route. One plots a route through the dark and Gloomy Angmering forest while the other avoids the forest completly by heading through the Angmering estate instead. Derek really likes the forest whereas I prefer the estate. Due to all the early summer rain, I thought it best to stick to the estate this year.

The ride begins at the beautiful little village of Bramber which is just outside Steyning. Very conveniently the free car park is right opposite the village pub.

To get from Bramber up to the South Downs Way involved a two mile climb on tarmac. With the gradient being so steep, this took us so long that Derek began to wonder if this was a road ride rather than an MTB ride. Eventually we reached the SDW and were soon riding past the atmospheric Chanctonbury Ring (second highest point on the Downs)

We stuck to the SDW for the next four miles before taking a very long southerly decent down to the little hamlet of Burpham. I expected to get bashed up a bit on this descent but my decision to reduce the pre load on my suspension post made a massive difference to rear end comfort and I was able to keep up with Derek and Malc on their full sussers.

By now, the sun had come out and it was warming up nicely. Sadly there is no tea shop in Burpham and the pub was not open for another hour, so we had no choice but to press on towards Angmering. I must admit to being someone who loves riding mtb on tarmac so I loved the 3 mile crossing of the estate whereas Derek found it rather boring.

To get from here to Findon there is only one dead straight bridleway across a 1.5 mile field. The path was clear  but also rather narrow. It felt strange to be riding through a field of yellow three foot high wheat that came up almost to the top of the riders wheels.

Malc and Derek with just one last climb left

By now we were gasping for some tea/coffee. Rather than pay a ridiculously high price in the official Findon tea room we made our own drinks at a local corner shop and sat down on the plastic chairs outside.

Fully refreshed we set off for the final leg of our journey , around the Cissbury iron age fort and back up the SDW. All day we had no navigation errors so I was a bit disappointed when we appeared to get lost around the fort. This was not a fault with the garmin but was due to a tree blocking the path . Without people using the path it had rapidly become overgrown and so almost unrecognisable from a year ago. Soon we broke out of the undergrowth and emerged into the very warm sunshine and the final leg back up to the downs.

There was steep and sustained climbing need to reach the SDW. I don’t know why but I am still feeling stronger than normal and loved this final effort to the top.

All that was left was a very long concrete path through a farm leading back down to Bramber. A few horses were spotted ascending the path so we had to scrub off a lot of speed. With the high ambient temperature our brakes were squealing like mad and I was really worried that we would spook the horses and they would throw off their riders. My brakes were so hot that derek said he could smell them burning!

Arriving back at Bramber I reflected that on a non technical mtb route like this, there is no need for full suspension, indeed a hard tail might actually give the rider an advantage?

Steve C

Mille Pennines Audax 1002km

Mille Pennines Audax 1002km

Or to sum up our experience: ' they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain'

Here is a trailer of what it was like!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xT5qhPoRS9g

This ride was the first Steve and I booked up last year, still with thoughts of PBP and faith in our ability to ride the distance, we wanted another big ride. What we failed to properly appreciate was the elevation of over 11000m, up some of the steepest climbs the North has to offer. Not only was this a serious amount of climbing it had a time limit of 75hrs. So more climbing than PBP and 15 hrs less time to finish. What could possibly go wrong?

The ride started at 10am on Friday 1st July from a community centre in Bispham just next to Blackpool. Arriving early there were just a handful of riders having a pre ride breakfast and the organiser was looking pensive. There had been a lot of talk on the ride forum about people abandoning due to the weather forecast. I knew that it was going to be wet at some point and wind from the west, but had put that to the back of my mind. Being so far North there were a lot of new faces on this ride. The hall slowly began to fill and soon there were bikes everywhere with an air of nervous anticipation building.

Time for some last minute kit checks and a bit of faffing and then it was almost time. As with all Audax rides the whole event is understated and without ceremony. Riders massed outside and as the hour struck the adventure began. Day one was 284km through the Lakes and across the Yorkshire Dales to Askrigg. The bunch soon stretched out as the hills approached. The weather seemed promising with some sun and cloud but I knew rain was coming. Jovial banter fell away and riders got into their rhythm. At Ambleside the hills soon came thick and fast. The rain began and the winds picked up. Steve was going for a lightweight approach leaving most of the essentials behind. After all who needs a proper jacket and a baselayer in the hills, and shoe covers and mudguards are for commuters right? His whole kit was squeezed into a bumbag for maximum aero efficiency. I had gone for the extra weight of jacket and mudguards but still got wet.

What I had not counted on was his push for an in ride marginal gain. In reality this meant leaving his bag behind at a pee stop and continuing over a steep pass and then 10km into the eye of the storm! The realisation of where the bag must have been left was crushing but as it had all his kit and the car keys we had to go back. It was at this moment that we had animals stampeding for a small boat as the rain turned the road to a river and the wind whipped into us. That was an extra 40 mins we did not need but we continued and the downpour passed over. We are in this together/bastard/f....it/bo...lks/yes my feet are wet too.

We pushed on through various controls collecting receipts for proof of route and saw other riders dotted along the way. The hand dryer was used to great effect to dry out the bib shorts at one control . When all said and done it's the simple pleasures in life.

Between the heavy showers the roads steamed and the views were stunning. The biggest climbs awaited us at Hardknott Pass and Wrynose. At 30% Hardknott was a monster. Like a Gruffalo on acid waiting to kick our arses. From the bottom it was daunting and the added wet surface made it near impossible. Steve nearly lost it at the start falling into a cattle grid as his wheel slipped. We tried and were defeated on a couple of the steepest sections. This is the only hill I have walked and have no shame in being beaten by this one. Some riders did manage it but they had huge gears. Descending at any speed was not possible with tight turns, gravel, and steep drops. It was wild and rugged and the light began to fail adding to the challenge giving it a magical feel. Onwards we pushed and eventually left the Lakes behind and entered the Dales. It was just after 2am when we reached the sleep control at an outdoors centre in Askrigg.

There were bikes littered everywhere and inside riders were eating and sleeping. It was carnage already. We took two bowls of pasta and mugs of tea before looking for a space to sleep. Too late for a bed it was the floor for us. I had put a couple of sleeping mats in my bag drop and these gave a small comfort. It's basic survival mode at this point and no room for niceties. By now riders were looking jaded and had the thousand yard stare. Only just under 800km to go!

Day 2 began in the rain at 6am after only a couple of hours rest. Fuelled on cereal and tea we departed for the longest day. This was a 362km loop over the Pennines up to Kielder, into Scotland and to Lockerbie, across to Gretna, down through Carlisle, and back via Penrith to Askrigg again. This was the day that beat us.

On the outward leg to Kielder the weather turned with gale force winds and heavy rain. I was almost blown over as I walked one steep hill. Sheep were hiding it was that bad. This sucked the energy from our already tired legs and put us behind time. Somewhere in a town I got separated from Steve as he followed diversion signs and I used a pedestrian path over a closed bridge. This separation was to continue for several hours. I did not have a phone signal and could not be sure if he was ahead or behind. I had no choice but to ride on. I like the periods of lone riding to feel it's just you against the bike and the elements. The downside is that you probably go slower.

I was against the clock for the next checkpoint and miscalculated at Kielder thinking I had missed a turn. I checked the GPS and it showed me on course but tiredness was playing tricks on me. I then thought I found the control but the shop was shut so I went bin diving for a receipt. Feeling pleased with myself I rolled on only to find the real control in a couple of miles. By now it too was shut and there were no receipts in their bin! I took a photo of the shop with a date and time stamp as a backup.

Still no signal and no sign of Steve. The midges were out and hungry so I left quickly and was soon crossing the border. If nothing else I has made it to Scotland. This lifted me and my legs found energy to push on. By now I was thinking that I was not going to be able to complete the third day/the whole ride in the time. This soon had me thinking should I ride all night or find somewhere to sleep. In the next village (Newcastleton) it was festival time with a marching band blocking the road. This and the burger van were real and not a mirage thank goodness. I drew strange looks from the locals as I devoured a burger and chips like a Tasmanian devil. The hotels were full and turned me away so it was onward into the night.

I climbed up onto the moors and started looking at sleeping options. I came so close to stopping in a sheep shelter but carried on. I was cursing my decision not to bring my bivvy bag and was mentally getting ready for a cold night. It was now a case of how to survive the night. Then my phone came to life and I got hold of Steve who was back in the village having no luck at the same hotels. I told him to head for Carlisle and we would hopefully meet en route and try for a hotel.

As I descended into Langholm I decided to try for a hotel again. There was a man in dressed as a pantomime horse outside a pub and I thought I was hallucinating. It was a wedding of course! No room there but at the next one they had another wedding, but a cancellation left a room free. I took it and phoned Steve to get him to divert. Just in time it transpired as he was at the junction to turn for Carlisle. We were properly looked after being given plates of sandwiches from the wedding. That was the best £40 I have ever spent. The call went in to say we had scratched.

Rested we decided to continue on the route and make it back to Askrigg in our own time. The pressure of the controls lifted we really enjoyed some incredible scenery and yes more heavy showers and strong winds. The border area is stunning and the roads almost car free and smooth.
The turn South brought a shift in wind direction only to the side but no let up in the showers. The temperature did improve making it bearable. We had cafe stops and petrol stations to re fuel and kept pedalling. As the evening came the weather lifted and the decision was made to find a pub. At Kirkby Stephen we sunk into soft chairs and supped on ale and Guinness. The locals thought we we mad when the story of our ride was told. Leaving was tough but necessary and onwards we pushed. It was out over the Yorkshire Dales again and into the night. Talk turned to beer again and Steve got excited at a light 'Pub! no phone box' Laughing we came to a junction and found a real life pub still open. Well it would have been rude not to. One customer and the barman and and his mate. This was a local pub for local people. They were very friendly and the beer was good. Lights now on and jackets zipped it was the final push to Askrigg.

This time there were very few bikes outside. We told people of our story and how our day 2 had stretched into day 3. That's alright said a strong rider from day 1 I have missed out days 2,3and 4! Inside there were bed spaces and after food it was a relief to sleep again. Those still on for the time were up early and this woke us up at 5am. Someone asked me if there was Weetabix and I said yes pointing to the last three in my bowl! It was everyman for himself at that point. He settled for cornflakes and grumbled.

So for us the loop across to Whitby and over the North York moors did not happen and whilst there is regret at being 'beaten' by the North as my brother in law from near York kindly put it, this was not the lasting memory. We finished the last day with other riders and enjoyed no rain and moderate winds. Leaving the Dales behind it was a fairly flattish run of 101km to the end. For Steve this was a fast ride baiting other riders to chase him, but for me it was a solo effort chasing down a few but also stopping for a bacon and sausage bap and a mug of tea. We discovered that only 37 out of 90 riders finished the whole ride in time. There were many who scratched and some like us who continued at their own pace.

There is unfinished business here and whilst brutal if the weather turns, this is a ride of epic proportions and one to test even the most seasoned Audax rider. I have total respect for anyone who finished. For us it was an adventure that threw up many challenges both physical and mental and left some wonderful memories. Perhaps the pub crawl Audax is a category that could take off. Time to repair the body and leave the bike alone for a few days.

738km was our final mileage. Not too shabby in the circumstances.

Thanks Steve for a great ride once again.

Jon Stainsby

Guildford MTB Epic 9 july

 Guildford MTB Epic

A while back Malc D said that he always wanted to ride the Downs link . This is a supremely non technical converted railway track from Guildford to Bramber. After studying the maps Steve worked out a route from Godalming to Bramber followed by the south downs to Firle where a train could be taken back to Hastings . This would make an epic 65 mtb ride.

Six riders were up for this but three pulled out, leaving just Steve Derek and Malc  up for the challenge. This was disappointing at the time but with all our train problems it turned out to be fortuitous.

The easiest train to get for Godalming was from Hastings to Clapham common and then just one change to Godalming.

Arriving at the platform in good time, we started to load the bikes into the carriage, only to realise they wouldn’t all fit. We quickly disembarked and found the wider carriage space (marked by a red stripe) and pressed the button to open the door. Despite jabbing at it, nothing was happening and then to our horror the train started to pull away and left without us, great!

After speaking to the guy at the ticket office and then a ticket inspector, Derek worked out an alternative train route via Brighton and Gatwick, although this would take us to Guildford rather than Godalming.  Despite involving two train changes and a ride in a lift this worked out really well and we arrived at Guildford in good time.

Easy riding on the Down's Link

If Steve was navigating, we would then have had a good hour of getting lost before picking up the planned gps route. Fortunately Malc was with us and after a couple of minutes studying a map outside the station , Malc superbly directed us through Guildford straight to the Down link (how does he do this?).

Now we were on the trial we could relax. In many ways the downs Link is similar to the cuckoo trail but much better as the trail is wider and not plagued by all the dog walkers. We soon got into a steady rhythm and with no rush to get home , we had two tea stops on the way . Both of these were velo cafes, these seem to be springing up everywhere. They were both very good although the second one named Stan’s Bike Shack was our favourite as it was directly on the trail at Partridge green. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1821840-d7021354-Reviews-Stan_s_Bike_Shack-Partridge_Green_West_Sussex_England.html

Its quicker to push this train home that wait for another crew

Thinking that we could do with the extra calories, both Steve and Derek indulged in very sugary cakes at both cafes. A couple of miles down the trail they both started to feel weak. Being a science teacher, Steve realised that the cakes were to blame. When the body has a sudden intake of sugar, the pancreas pumps out insulin to lower the blood glucose but sometimes it over compensates (especially when exercising) resulting in a subsequent low. After a few miles Steve began to feel better but Derek was still feeling shaky. Gradually he began to feel better but by now we were moving onto the South Downs way and things were going to get much tougher.

A young French rider on an old specialised hard tail asked us about how to reach a particular hill on the South Downs. We were going that way and suggested he rode with us, so our company had now grown to four. Felix is a bike courier in Lyon so despite riding an ancient bike with a broken pedal he was easily able to outride us .

Steve was  feeling strong and felt no tiredness at all. Maybe this was because his leg wound had forced him to take three weeks off the bike (so plenty of recuperation) or perhaps its because his doctor has recently increased his blood pressure medication?
Derek however was feeling the opposite and was now really tired so we decided that rather than ride to Firle we would settle for lewes instead. This also had the advantage of plenty of excellent pubs.

Two of Steve's favourite things: trains and bikes!

Bienvenue Felix

It was mainly climbing up to Devils Dyke where we said goodbye to Felix. From here it was mainly downhill to lewes. Some of the descents were in very poor condition due to all the horses that had used the paths during the poor weather. Even on full suspension bikes Malc and Derek were getting bumped around on the final decent past lewes prison, but things were far worse for Steve on his hard tail who had to ride standing out the pedals for around three miles before daring to sit down. This has made him seriously consider purchasing a full suspension Whyte!

The Anne of Cleeves house where we normally buy sandwiches was shut but we found a friendly pub where we gulped down three pints of beer and a very nice bowl of cheesy chips. Malc choosing a fish finger burger !!

Feeling the buzz from the food and alcohol all we had to do now was get home on the train . This should have been easy but with the on going industrial action this was anything but. One train was cancelled so the next one was absolutely rammed with people. To get our bikes on board we had to hold them up vertically for the entire journey. Derek got told off when his bike clipped a child in a buggy and we were squashed up against a disabled man in a wheel chair. Then at Eastbourne all the passengers were told to disembark as there was no crew to complete the journey to Hastings. After a half hour wait another train rammed with passengers turned up but fortunately most of them disembarked so it wasn’t too bad getting the bikes on board for the final leg home.

This was a really enjoyable day, we would love to do this ride again in a couple of years time but the hassle with the trains has put us off ( As you will see however we decided to commandeer a train which should get us there quicker than the railway company )
The best we can hope for is a circular ride that incorporates the south part of the link which will give us another chance to visit the excellent Stans Bike shack

Steve C/ Derek