Sussex-MTB

In order to equalise the effect of the usual overindulgent Christmas bingeing I’ve been riding and running a fair bit over the holiday period, culminating today in a 2hour hack on the north downs this morning.

 I couldn’t resist the minus 3 frost and frozen ground, so set off from home on my Ellsworth Truth and straight onto the north downs way below Reigate Hill, my mission to get to Box hill along the NDW as fast as I could, eat cake and return the same route. This path is usually very muddy through the winter, but today it was frozen and fast. I completed the long bridleway climb up to the top of Reigate hill in good time and got nice and warm, then set off along the ridge towards Colley Hill.

From Colley hill the NDW suddenly veers off and steeply down the scarp slope, with a sign at the top advising cyclists to dismount due to the steepness.

Yeah, right. Not too fast (always take more care when riding alone!), and ensuring I was on the right line to rail the berm near the bottom I completed the descent and continued on the frozen singletrack fun for a few miles, crossing the road at Pebble hill and then started the long climb back up onto the ridge line. This is a tough narrow and steep granny climb, often impassable because of slippery chalky mud, but today it was rock hard, rideable and had beautiful views south.

The truth was working awesomely and I made the climb with only a couple of dabs, up onto the ridge and along the part singletrack, part fireroad path all the way to Box hill Café. After a short stop for essential cake refuelling, I turned tail and headed back the way I’d come. By now some of the more open trails were starting to thaw so it was more difficult to predict which bits were slippery and which were still frozen solid, only making the ride more fun!

I was really into the ride now and feeling good, so I kept the pace high. It’s always interesting how the same path is so different when ridden in the opposite direction, and that steep technical climb was now a brilliant sketchy and fast descent back to the road.

From here it was back along the lower part of the hills taking in beautiful frosty scenery all the way

Next, it was up the steep climb onto Colley Hill. I’ve never cleaned this before – around the switchback it gets so steep that it’s barely possible to ride, and it’s slippery, but today the frost meant that, despite maxing out the heart rate for the whole 3 minute climb I made it. Well chuffed with that!

From there it was a very quick blast along the ridge, then down off Reigate hill and home. I completed the 18 miles in 2 hours 10minutes with a huge smile and absolutely loving the Truth. Riding’s Good…

Big Daddy