Only signed up for this at the last minute as Reading rides aren’t normally on my radar but fancied another 300 and Reading isn’t so far from Bristol. However, heading down the M4 at 4:00 I was starting to doubt the decision as I’m not keen on driving to events and after an hour it started to feel like a long way. The friendly welcome at the village hall soon put this thought out of my mind. Seemed to be about 30+ starters and soon got into conversation with Parkysouthlondon but it was clear that I couldn’t keep that pace going and I backed off and hooked up with Graham from Reading and we stayed together all the way round.
It didn’t take long for the ‘rural’ aspect to the ride to become clear with some lovely landscapes of fields and rolling hills which reminded me of the Marlborough Downs. This continued to the first control and a great breakfast at The Swan Hotel. Then more of the same to the wonderful hill above Portsmouth and the military installations (old and new) overlooking the town. The control was a massive lay by/viewing point with great views of Portsmouth we were met by ride organiser Ian with a car full of water and biscuits, both very welcome. Didn’t stop here long before heading north and then east. This was the toughest section with some stiff climbs and sharp downhills and generally an undulating landscape which meant finding a good rhythm very difficult. The heat really began to tell and water supplies were diminishing rapidly. We saw a sign for a village shop in West Dean which out to be a shop in transition and closed but the family were inside doing some work and they filled our bottles … nice.
On to Wisborough Green and the demands of the terrain and the heat were taking their toll on me and I managed to get some ham egg and chips down and felt rough on the restart, needed to select a really low gear to get up a mild incline but gradually the legs started to come back. A few climbs on this section and the undulations continued, stopped for more water at a co-op and a thirst quenching Calypo!. Then a pub control where I got a apple crumble and custard down. I’d convinced myself that the last section was flat (having since reread the ride info it said flat from Basingstoke which was a lot further on). There were a few stiff climbs and maybe some of the steepest but all manageable with the granny gear although I did have some heartsink moments approaching a couple of crossroads looking at the garmin line which took us straight to the hilly option.
We stopped for a break in a lay by about 30k to go and parkysouthlondon appeared and we shared the ride back and we generated some good pace (for me) at the end of the ride.
A terrific ride with great countryside, I understand this has been off the calendar for a few years but hope it stays around again now, I wouldn’t hesitate doing it again. One thing I’ve learnt from this is that lack of AAA points does not mean it’s flat or benigh, there was some seriously tough terrain here.
Big thanks to Ian for organising an excellent event with food available at the beginning and end and a great route. Also thanks to Graham and ParkySouthLondon for the company.