After eight months of training the 2007 Etape du Tour had finally arrived with a 03.30 alarm call for breakfast and a one hour coach journey to the start. In fact the coach dropped us off about 5km away from the start as the town of Foix was totally closed off to traffic.

The weather was predicted to be pretty warm maybe hitting the mid thirties although at 6am in the Decathlon carpark near Foix it felt chilly. I shivered in my gillet when riding the 5km to the start, as some of the local riders blasted past as if the race had already started.

It was a very enjoyable ride with no drama and only the usual puncture stops. We used NCR21 to the tea stop at Warlingham and then Lee took us on an imaginative mystery tour incorperating some good training climbs and a boys playground. We circled around Woldingham and returned to the Inn on Pond via Godstone.



Many thanks to Lee.

Many mountain bikers challenge themselves to ride South Downs Way from Winchester to Eastbourne. The 100 miles is usually completed in two or three days but Garry Hall and Richard Sterry from Redhill Cycling Club set out to accomplish the whole route in just one day.



The ride was organised by the British Heart Foundation, ‘for only the very experienced mountain bikers’. The 100 miles is virtually all off road and has 10,000 feet of hill climbing. This is equivalent to riding up the chalky path on Box Hill near Dorking 26 times.

Highways-Byways and Dave’s ways!



This Saturday’s club ride on July 21st had Peaslake as its tea stop destination and a distance of about 20 miles.



The sun was shining as 16 of us gathered at Westcott, and then headed west towards Wotton. As some of you will know, the Leith Hill area can be technically testing at the best of times, but after Fridays down pour which resembled a monsoon, the tracks were wet and loose, ready to punish the unwary.

The rain from the previous weeks had eased and the sun was trying to come out to dry the trails. A healthy 20 riders gathered at Reigate Hill for a familiar ride to Bocketts farm, or was it for their Mars Bar cake?



A new rider, Sam joined us and John returned from a long break. Also Jon Linscott was back in the saddle having recovered from a broken collar bone when he led a ride from Guildford in May. He misjudged a jump just yards from the finish point at Reigate. We have now named this jump at the top of Fort Lane as “Linscott’s Leap” (see Pic).

The view if the Tour from Tonbridge

A 'Gareth Calssic' ride from Reigate Hill to Box Hill.

It is with deep regret that that Tony Rogers passed away on Saturday 23rd June 2007. He was on the MTB ride and suffered a heart attack whilst riding. Everything possible was done for him but his chances of recovery were minimal.



Tony was a cheerful member of the club and with his wit added to the humour on the rides. He was kind and considerate, often helping others with puncture repairs. He had cycled all his life both on road and off road, and loved being out on two wheels.

David Motton was winner of Round 8 this evening at Horsham. He takes 10 points to add to his scratch score for the series, and also 10 points for best improver in the handicap compeition.

The consensus seemed to be that it was a fairly decent evening, with the wind earlier in the day having died down somewhat.

Reigate to Epsom



The heavens opened as I set out at 7.30am for the Early Morning ride. I wasn’t surprised to see the car park empty as I sheltered by the coffee shop waiting for someone to join me. When 8.00 arrived, I set out on my own towards Epsom. The rain eased but the mud across Banstead Common splattered me from head to toe, where I was glad of my waterproof socks. Heading towards Epsom and through Epson Common the sun came out and the ground was dry.