Dave Rickets account of his 'solo' ride at the weekend's South Downs Way ride. It begins like this..."I decided to ride unassisted to minimise the organising. A large bowl of porridge followed by beans on toast is not my idea of a relaxed breakfast, especially at 4 in the morning. Drive to Winchester through pouring rain, drinking ½ litre energy drink and arrive at 5.30am. Assemble my bike and load it with all the things I will need for a days riding. I am carrying 2.5 litres of water, 7 bananas, sandwiches, dried fruit, energy bars and gels, spare tube, pump and tools to repair most potential problems. As I sit on the bike for the first time it sinks to the bottom of its suspension !
The first 22 miles to Queen Elizabeth Park were ridden in wet conditions over very slippery chalky mud, water coming from the sky and dripping from the trees. It would have made a challenging club ride on its own that would have been talked about for days after! My feet were soaking and eyewear was so misted up, I stopped using them. I thought about turning round at this stage. I ate and drank some of the weight I had been carrying, and felt I could carry on a little further. Cycling down hills that should have been ridden at 30mph were being negotiated at 6mph, picking the safest line, on chalk that felt like ice.
At the top of Truleigh Hill I stop at an outside tap, refilled with water and washed some of the mud from my eyes and face. On to Ditchling Beacon where the terrain changes, more open, more hilly. The Downs were covered in a thick sea mist which was blowing from the south, visibility was down to 200 metres in places, glad I had a satnav, it saved several navigating errors throughout the day.
Cold damp air followed me for the rest of the ride. Relentless chalk paths and torturous damp grassy slopes made the final 10 miles to Eastbourne as hard as any ride in the South of England. 13 ½hours of riding gets me to Eastbourne railway station. The journeys not finished.
I catch a train to Gatwick, and change platforms to Redhill. 1 ½ hours of standing, holding my bike on the train, looking like I’ve been sprayed in liquid mud, and smelling as bad. Being glared at by holidaymakers with suitcases, doing their best not to touch me, I smile to myself, they don’t know what it’s like to ride the South Downs Way in a day .
Dave Rickets.