Ride report: Sunday 06 March – Three (or maybe Five) Hills
Elliott on Pitch Hill
Like all the best plans, this one was hatched in the pub after a few beers on a Friday night. In the cold light of a Saturday afternoon, no-one could come up with anything better, so we met at Peaslake at 08.30 for D-Dub’s take on a ‘Dave Bus Classic’ route.
As well as D-Dub and myself; James, Elliot, Lloyd and Dom eagerly started the ascent of Pitch Hill from the Walking Bottom car park in a bid to combat the chilling effects of the freezing temperature. By the time we reached the top, our objective had been achieved and Lloyd was no longer regretting leaving his arm warmers in the car.
James wheelies his fat bike
The descent off Pitch was via the first couple of ‘T trails’ and then ‘Death Star’, a trail I haven’t ridden in a long time. Apart from shaking out a few fillings (yet again I was on the rigid-forked single-speed), we all got down without mishap. Though before we got to the road James promptly shoved his fat-tyred Canyon into a deep wheel rut and found himself lying on the grass verge … much to our amusement.
Muddymoles at Holmbury
At the top of Holmbury Hill, we descended into the village via Yoghurt Pots and Crack Pipe, and then the brick-strewn bridleway through Moosley Copse (according to Strava). From here we tackled the worst (or best, if you’re JR) climb of the day, from Upfold Farm to Starveall Corner. I don’t think I was alone in getting off and pushing up some of the steeper sections.
DDub on Leith Hill
After a very welcome coffee and cake at Leith Hill tower, we took in most of Summer Lightning before heading down through Simons Copse to Broadmoor, and climbing Leith Hill once again.
We eventually found our way back to High Ashes Farm and the rapid ‘Mother’ downhill back to Holmbury. From here I had the pleasure of taking my single-speed up past the cricket pitch and up Holmbury Hill once again, before we took a final descent down BKB and back through Peaslake to the car park. According to Strava we’d packed in about 800m of climbing into a 28km ride. I spent most of Sunday afternoon dozing on the sofa.
About the author
Having been mountain biking since 1996, you might have expected Dandy to have learnt to ride a bike by now. Several broken bones in the last few years prove the maxim that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
In between hospital visits, Dandy rides a brace of much-blinged Pace RCs, the 'green themed' 405 and the silver & gold 506. His winter hack is the Moles' favourite, an On-One 456 hardtail, now converted to an Alfine hub He also dabbles in 'the dark arts', keeping 2 road bikes in one of his seven sheds.
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Elliot says:
I had the pleasure of ascending from Upfold Farm to Starveal on a singlespeed once. Even at peak summer fitness it required terminal force. Today I’d have been walking for sure. Instead I was left desperately searching for a lower gear!
Death Star was fun. Think I’ve always taken the left line down there before, rather than the super gnarly straight on rockieness 🙂
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Posted on March 7, 2016 at 1:31 am
JR says:
I am gutted to have missed the Upfold Farm climb.
There must be a route that combines this with a return up MacPhersons, for a blissful Surrey Hill circuit.
Nice quick write up Dandy.
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Posted on March 7, 2016 at 9:41 am
Matt says:
John, you really mean that don’t you??!
See you on the trails soon, don’t work too hard 🙂
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Posted on March 7, 2016 at 11:26 am
Matt says:
“yet again I was on the rigid-forked single-speed”
I’m interpreting this as meaning you still haven’t actually applied the Maintenance Rag to your other bikes Andy.
Impressively quick write up and an equally impressive 17 miles of effort – Death Star is not my favourite but the left line is my preferred; I’ve never actually scouted out the gnarly rockiness that Elliott refers to 🙂
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Posted on March 7, 2016 at 11:24 am
Dandy says:
“interpreting this as meaning you still haven’t actually applied the Maintenance Rag to your other bikes” – Correct 🙁
“the left line is my preferred; I’ve never actually scouted out the gnarly rockiness” – Given my lack of bounce, I was intending to take this left line also, only by the time I’d spotted it through my blurred vision it was too late and I led Elliot straight ahead instead !
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Posted on March 7, 2016 at 12:09 pm
James says:
Was good fun and surprisingly mud free 😮 which was unexpectedly fabulous.
Nice quick write, thanks Dandy.
As for the maintenance rag, you forgot to mention that the bolts on your seat happened to fall out. Which reminds me, whose running the book on how long the zip tied seat will last?!
Incidentally Dandy does this mean you’ve now no bike in full working order – time for a new one I think!
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Posted on March 7, 2016 at 8:33 pm