Jon Ditches it at Ditchham

Present: Jon; Julie; Scott

The ride kicked off at Julie and AD’s with Scott as keen as beans, turning up on his bike from Petersfield. Jon arrived late after a mad dash back to Chichester to pick up his helmet and Campelpak. We set off up toward the Harting Store before turning right and taking the track that would lead us to the bottom of Torberry Hill.

Scott – the new recruit and keen local biker guided the ride and led us on a similar route to that which AD took us previously. We climbed to the top of the hill and then, after a brief photo stop, raced down the track, passing some very startled (terrified more like!) mountain bikers in yellow who watched in trepidation as we careered over the numerous speed bumps and up the other side.

The next part of the ride saw us biking through arable crops with wonderful views toward Ditcham. We followed tramlines along the downs for awhile enjoying the sunshine, peace and quiet when the next thing Jon had toppled head over heels over his handle bars after hitting a deep rut (above, left) at reasonable speed (off-spot pictured!) – go the veteran TCA member! Jon picked himself up and dusted himself off ready for the next downhill stretch.

The remainder of the ride to the Victoria Pub in West Marden was relatively un-eventful except for the numerous run-ins with stinging nettles and brambles gradually overtaking the narrow tracks, all par for the course. We stopped at the pub for a pint (Julie still on fizzy lager!) and crisps before starting off again up the hill toward the back of Uppark.

We biked along the top of the downs until arriving at West Harting Down (above, right) and the most challenging part of the ride – the Devil’s Toilet. Once again with our hearts in our mouths we tackled this demanding stretch of down hill and reached the bottom with relief. Then it was plain sailing home to the ‘Caravan’ and Julie’s basil, lemon and feta chicken with greek salad and strawberries and ice-cream to finish. The ride was completed in record time, attributed in part, to Julie’s improving fitness (now only 1 mile behind the boys instead of 2!).

(Posted by: Julie)