Sunday Ride – 11th September 2011 – To Holmbury and beyond
Another Sunday and another ride with like minded Moles as we snatch a mainly dry ride from the treat of rain.
BigAl had suggested a longish, hardish ride of riding over to Holmbury AND playing about while we were there. It’s a ride we’ve done before but it’s still full on and if you weren’t on full form you were going to suffer.
Ray rode passed my front door as I was exiting so we rode up to Bockett’s together to find a collection of Moles although rather worryingly BigAl was missing. I later realised that this was more because I was early rather than others being late…. although rides are supposed to start at 8:30am with a 10 minute window for faffing rather than starting at 8:40am…there is a difference! Anyway, a total of 13 Moles assembled and once PaulM turned up I assumed we were all there and headed off. My GPS confirmed this was after 8:40am but we still left without JohnR, who caught us up and Tony who ended up having a solo ride. Eager or what!
Well perhaps a little too eager as we lost TurnerGuy somewhere around Ranmore.
Conditions were somewhat grip limited with some of the usually corners beginning to adopt their winter status but overall you could ride with summer tyres and a slightly less cavalier attitude to cornering. We headed for White Down in order to get a move on. The newly arrived JR plucked what can only be described as a flint ‘fang’ out of his rear tyre and was debating whether to put a tubeless repair in until he saw Barrie watching and then decided a tube was the best option. Soon on our way again we cut across Abinger Roughs and the A25 before popping out behind the Volunteer Pub
We took the steep climb up from the Youth Hostel turning but a low hanging branch soon turned it into a walk for most. This popped us out close to “Babe in the Tree” and we cut across Telegraph to head up the trail to do Secret Squirrel. Now, SS in the dry was excellent this year but in the rain and wet of the recent few days it was more challenging to say the least! Still a good trail and that left us up to climb back up to do some more trails which I’m uncertain of the names of.
Here we unintentionally split again as enthusiasm got the better of the lead riders and a turn got made leaving Kevin on his own and JR, Keith and (?) in a small group, all of whom eventually made it to BKB. We also made out way to BKB and had a good blast going down there. “Energy bar”, a kind of flapjack with seeds and fruit was my cake of choice from the Village store before we began our weary push home. In a moment of weakness I had agreed with BigAl to do the nasty climb up to Ranmore from Abinger Roughs. I think this probably ranks a BC1 of a climb on the MarkyMark climb classification system. However, once up it’s the normal route home.
Something in the region of 25 miles from the car park in total and a massive 2200 calories burnt.
About the author
Dave's been riding seriously since about 1997 and is one of the founding Molefathers — along with Matt and Mark — that came up with the idea of a MTB website for Mole Valley riders.
He's had several different bikes but it's now mainly 29ers in Dave's stable, apart from an Orange 5.
Current Bikes: Orange 5, Salsa Spearfish and Kona Big Unit
There are 8 comments on ‘Sunday Ride – 11th September 2011 – To Holmbury and beyond’
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TurnerGuy says:
I noticed a lot of 29ers in the pack this weekend, but these will soon be redundant as the new trend is for 36ers apparently:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYt6IqaHk_Q
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Posted on September 13, 2011 at 11:58 am
Dave says:
Very true, just waiting for the Mud-X to come out in 36″ then I’ll be changing over wholesale.
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Posted on September 13, 2011 at 1:15 pm
LordOnOne says:
Good ride with a well thought out route! First damp ride with the Aspen out back, it was all over the place…time to get that off I think.
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Posted on September 13, 2011 at 3:11 pm
MuddyJohn says:
“I think this probably ranks a BC1 of a climb”
– Is a BC1 steeper than a C1?
What is life comming to when we cannot rely on PaulM to be fashionably late? I will just have to get up 5 minutes earlier on a Sunday. :o(
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Posted on September 13, 2011 at 3:54 pm
KevS says:
Lost on top of Holmbury. Eek.
My good Samaritan deed of stopping to wait for JohnR Keith and Ray turned out to be a lonely 10 minute wait on top of Holmbury Hill. Rode back for about 1/2 a mile but no sight or sound of anyone.
Thought WTF, they have probably gone on down to Peaslake so thought I had better find my way down somehow.
Luckily the basic mapping on my Garmin told me where to go roughly so with some cheeky trails and a few wrong turns I made it to Peaslake stores to find the 3 Amigos already there and on the 2nd cup of tea!
A great route but the softer going and muddy trails combined with a relentless pace from Bocketts, plus some evil climbs that dont have yet suitable swear words associated with them, resulted in me booking a place on the sofa for an hours kip once home again.
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Posted on September 13, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Karl says:
‘relentless pace’ I’ll second that! Phew… had to run 3kilometres when I got back too, to find a spot to watch Walliams swim past… too tired to sleep after that lot.
Not too old tho r we Kev?
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Posted on September 14, 2011 at 11:32 am
Markymark says:
Hey guys, sorry i missed this one… the baby’s out, it appeared today (9/11) at 6:20am so it would’ve been a bit of rush to get to Bocketts…and you know me, i don’t like to rush (!).
GOOD NEWS, got the all clear for the Hindhead / Black Down loop this coming sunday (18th), so me and bro Gary will lead out as planned… will post a comment in the Rides thread and look forward to it.
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Posted on September 14, 2011 at 8:33 am
Karl says:
1stly, Huge congats to you Mark!
2ndly, Fab ride this.. When we stopped to wait for the diversionists noticed how amazing the light was streming through the canopy, and lighting the valley and fern tops..
In the breast of mother nature.. Ahh…
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Posted on September 14, 2011 at 11:36 am