Mile High Club Postponed as we Head for the Coast – Drome to Drome

It was -2½ºC at 09:00 and following Saturday's G5 shocker (we wish you a speedy recovery, Peter) the only reasonable prospect of a safe ride was to take Walter’s wise counsel and stick to gritted roads. Thus abandoning all thoughts of criss-crossing the Surrey Hills we six struck out down the Balcombe Road for Shoreham Airport. Icy fingers, icy toes, frozen nose, sangfroid and lock jaw: such fun! 18 miles saw us into a frosty but enduringly beautiful Cuckfield not before however pilot error gave Philip the gentlest of ‘offs’ and the friendliest of slo-mo landings into the soft embrace of the verdant and crystalline grass verge plumped up as it was by the morning’s ice.

 

Bruce informed us as we took off down the A272 that Andy was missing - too much Wattbiking is bad for the concentration - but happily our short search and rescue mission was successful. Cowfold done, and on to Henfield where after 31 miles Howard decided to pause and munch something to top up his tank. The rest of us carried on only to find some four miles later he hadn’t shown. Not a great move Howard!  It transpired his bike had taken full advantage and made a sharp navigational correction during his customary, mounted glove-putting-on trick throwing him unceremoniously to the ground – more practice required. At that stage lesser mortals would have hurled the offending machine in the hedge but undaunted our hero gained Shoreham Airport in short order where he was propelled into enquiring after the first flight out (see pic.), thus redefining Drome to Drome. We know the return flight was successful as, pressed for time, he left the tea stop early and according to Strava achieved an average for the day of 164mph (or was that 16.4?) proving that apart from a nasty-looking but superficial graze, pride was the chief casualty.

 

Onwards and upwards on copious nicely-served high octane fuel in the Hummingbird Café we took off northwards through the lanes via Steyning, Partridge Green, Maplehurst and Nuthurst before hitting the familiar territory of Mannings Heath, Grouse Road and Colgate etc. arriving at the Drome by 15:15.

... and so to bed. 79 miles, 15 mph.

 

Philip Gibson

Event / Article Type
Sunday Steady 25-01-2014
Sunday Steady 25-01-2015