Great ride, a bit of a classic I would say! Quite hilly after Leigh, but mostly on quiet roads, often lined by trees. I accidentally took the seafront route through Eastbourne, but luckily the carnival hadn't started yet, so I had a traffic free road all to myself, passing by bands in full swing, people putting on dragon costumes, a few drinkers who had peaked a bit too early, etc.
Good climb out of Eastbourne, and nice rolling section past Birling Gap, with much less traffic than I was expecting. Some rather sharp hills through East Dean in the full heat of the day, but compensated for by zero traffic. The bit along the undercliff, and then the Brighton promenade was every bit as good as I remembered from last time. I didn't find the pedestrians too much bother, just had to concentrate a bit more, and it was only for a few short sections. I even managed to find Carats this time!
Rode the last couple of hours with Jeff, who was riding a fat-tyred mountain bike, as his road bike was in the workshop. Enjoyed the conversation, and it made the miles fly by!
