4 riders turned up for the start of the Bury ride including new member Simon. The temperature was ever increasing so we set off quickly getting the first major hill out the way up to masts at Bignor Hill. After a quick stop we decended into the trees towards Duncton down. This decent is always tricky due to the large ruts in the ground which were ever more difficult to see due to the sunlight. At this point i needed to get the group across to A285 to make the next climb up to Woolavington down. The bridleway was marked to go straight through a corn field although the farmer had not made this very easy for us. (See photos). Half way round we decided to have another longer stop at this point.
It was then time for the best decent of the day down to idles barn. I hadnt tried this bridleway before so was hoping it wasnt taking us any further west. Thankfully all went as planned although the dust kicked up on my back wheel did make visabilty difficult for the riders behind me. It was here that Simon got the first flesh wound of the day when hitting a branch he didnt know was there!!.
The final climb of the day was up to Selhurst park clearing with excellent views of the coastline. It was then a quick sprint down Monarchs way to the finish back at Bury. All back by 12:15 we all had a well deserved pint in Amberley.
Lee Todman
