I suppose that after a few weeks where my adventures have been rather running focused it’s about time that I got back on my bike. And what better way to do that, than The Devils Punch Bowl 200Km Audax. Now, I've ridden this ride before, both in its 200Km form and the shorter 100Km route, which makes a nice morning out, and the thing that I remembered most from my previous outings, was that it’s hilly, nothing stupidly steep or long, but just lots of up and down, which tends to sap your strength and morale somewhat.
Before we even get to the start though, there’s the little matter of getting there. Normally this would involve a few miles in the van and an overnight stay, but why drag the van all that way when there’s another option. Bike! With the weather set to be sunny and hot (a bit too hot in fact) it seemed like an ideal opportunity to pack up the bivvy stuff and combine a bit of Audaxing with a bit of camping, and cycle to the start, and obviously if you’re cycling to the start, you’ve got to cycle back too, for double the fun! The only slight issue with this brilliant plan, being that the Audax was on Sunday and I should have been in work on Monday. That’s not an insurmountable problem though, and with a little bit of rejigging of appointments, I managed to get a days leave on Monday, leaving me free to play bikes all weekend!
Being at home on a Friday night was a novel experience and after popping up to the allotment for a good watering session and an easy evening chilling out with “The Emma” I was up bright and early on Saturday morning. It’s only 60 miles down to Steyning and there wasn’t much point in setting off too early, so taking advantage of the cool morning air, I slipped my running shoes on and plodded my way around 13 miles of local countryside before it got to hot. Getting back home just in time for a brew and second breakfast with “The Emma” who was just getting ready for work (unlucky).
Run done, showered, bike packed and hanging baskets watered, there didn’t seem to be much point in putting off the inevitable much longer. So, just before 14:00 I was off for a slow ride down to Steyning. With the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky, it was hot going, pushing steadily uphill from home to crest numerous hills, as my route made its way South-East, towards, and then through, the South Downs National Park. A quick stop in Liss, to pick up more water and the obligatory ice cream, made the going slightly more bearable and the miles soon started to rack up, as my destination drew steadily closer. In fact, by 19:00, after a slow and steady ride, I was stopped on the verge of my destination, picking up supplies to see me through the night (water and biscuits, well you’ve got to have some pleasures in life), before pushing on to find a quiet and secluded spot to spend the night. And a quiet and secluded spot it was too. Tucked up just off a quiet bit of country lane, well hidden in the roadside trees, with a gorgeous view of open countryside from my hammock. I spent a very enjoyable hour watching a large herd of deer moving across the fields in front of me, whilst swaying contentedly in the breeze, with a brew and endless supply of biscuits, before getting an early night, ready for yet another early start in the morning.
After a peaceful night, the dawn broke with the promise of another stunningly hot day and I was up bright and early, sat watching the sun rise in the still cool early morning air, with yet another brew and the feeling of contentment that only comes when you at peace with the world and fully immersed in your surroundings.
Hunger sated with a light breakfast, and kit packed away, leaving nothing to suggest that I’d ever been there, I made the short journey down to the start location in plenty of time to have a brew and a bit of a chat with the days organiser and my fellow riders, before we were released for the days adventures, bang on time at 08:00. As I mentioned earlier I've done this ride before and it’s a really nice route, initially following along the North side of the South Downs, before heading into the South Downs National Park to visit Cocking, where we turn North to head to Petersfield and the first of the days stops.
With the sun shining brightly, endless fields of cereals reaching ripeness in the heat of the morning and some lovely, quiet, country roads to traverse, those first miles flew by and it was still surprisingly early in the day that I found myself replenishing my water supplies and getting a proof of passage receipt from the petrol station which seems to be a regular feature on Audax rides in Petersfield, prior to pushing on.
I had a recollection of the next leg being a long uphill drag along poorly surfaced roads from my last outing, but today, whilst the route did travel endlessly uphill, the road surface seemed far better and the traffic far lighter. Maybe it was just the sunshine keeping people at home, or maybe I was just feeling stronger than this time last year, either way the miles up to the Devils Punch Bowl passed pleasantly enough and It wasn’t long before I was traversing the Bowl itself, scene of many previous rides and runs, admiring the expansive views across Surrey and beyond. After the long slog of a climb to get up to the Punch Bowl comes the reward, and the couple of miles of downhill taking us to the next checkpoint at Thursley passed in a blur. The offer of tea and home-made cake almost made me stop for longer than was required to gather the obligatory stamp on my Brevet card and quick refill of my water bottles, but with the day rapidly going from pleasantly hot to sweltering, it seemed prudent to push on, getting as many miles under my belt as possible before the heat of the day really slowed things down.
he next legs a long one, taking us from Thursley right across country to the most Easterly point of the ride at Pease Pottage, where the idea of an ice cream was already playing through my mind! But first though there was the small matter of yet more climbing as I made my way through the heat of the day across the Surrey Hills.
A brief stop in Cranleigh for water and a sandwich, eaten whilst trying unsuccessfully to find a bit of shade from the relentless sun. And then plod on, heading slowly eastwards whilst the sun did it’s best to burn off the sun lotion that I’d been liberally applying and the grit and grime from the road did it’s best to stick itself to the remaining bits, resulting in a horrible, gritty, dirty coating on each and every bit of exposed skin! Enough about the state of my legs though. The miles between Cranleigh and Pease Pottage were hard going with the sun beating down and the road surface reflecting the heat back up again, bringing the temperature up to a new high. The only respite being the odd bit of shade created by overhanging trees or high hedgerows. I spend enough time complaining about it being cold, so you’d think I’d be taking full advantage of the amazing temperatures were experiencing this year, and, yes, whilst I’m happier being warm, the heat is pretty draining and makes what should be easy miles hard going. Eventually though Pease Pottage hove into view and pulling into the services I finally treated myself to the ice cream that I’d been thinking about for so long!
Rested and resupplied, it was onto the final leg. Due south for a few miles then a right turn to track back along the South Downs to return to the start, and a pleasant few mile it was too. Oh, ok it was hilly, hot and my legs were starting to complain, but coming back along the flatter roads to the North Side of the Downs, under the shade of the overhanging trees was lovely and one of the highlights of the ride for me!
All good things can’t last forever though and a little under 10 hours since setting off I was back at the start getting the final stamps on my Brevet card and congratulating the organiser on another superb day out, his great route choices and the exceptional bit of cake which seemed a just reward for the day’s endeavours.
All that remained was the couple of miles back to my little overnight hideaway, which passed easily enough.
Hammock back up, a bit of a stretch, wash the grime from my body as best I could with a limited amount of water (it’s amazing how clean you can get with a cupful of water and a cloth). A brew, or two, and a very pleasant evening swinging gently in my hammock, watching the day turn to night as the sun set and the world slowly cooled down after what had been a real scorcher with wall-to-wall sunshine. Now what’s not to like about that for a day out I ask you?
The forecast for Monday was for even hotter weather than Sunday with the possibility of records being broken. So, after what was probably a better night’s sleep than most people had whilst they stifled in the heat and I swung gently in the cooling breeze, I was up with the lark, looking to get as many miles in as possible before it got too hot.
The best laid plans of mice and men never pass first contact though, and today was no exception. By the time I was on the road at 06:30 it was already T shirt weather and getting hotter by the second. Nothing to serious for today though, just a case of retracing my steps from Saturday afternoon, back across all those hills that had seemed like such hard work in the afternoon sun and proved no easier today as the morning wore on and the temperature skyrocketed! A brief stop at 08:00 for an unusual second breakfast (cheese rolls), provided the opportunity to sit with my feet up admiring the view in the morning sun, although I say morning, it was still before most people drag themselves out of bed on a workday, let alone a day off!
Another few miles, and just before 10:00 I was back in Liss, taking advantage of that ice cream shop again, strictly under the pretence of having to stop for water I’ll hasten to add. But safe in the knowledge that those calories would soon be burned off as it’s a generally uphill slog from here to Medstead, which is within a few miles of home.
Up, up, up went the road in front of me, whilst, up, up, up went the temperature as the morning progressed. I mentioned earlier the heat takes it out of you and there were plenty of times as the morning wore on that I opted to walk up hills that I would normally ride up, just to get some respite from the sun and reduce the effort that I was having to expend. Hugging the little bits of shade that were available, I made slow progress. Better the tortoise than the hare, and with sweat dripping from my brow as the sun beat down, I finally reached the cricket ground at Medstead, where a welcome bench in the shade provided some respite from the sun. That’s the hard work done though, it’s more downhill than up from here on, and it wasn’t long before I was rolling along familiar roads with a cooling breeze blowing through my shirt courtesy of the faster speed on the flatter roads, something which was sorely missing during all those uphill struggles. A few more easy miles, a bit of traffic jam avoidance as I came through Basingstoke, and by lunchtime I was back home, debating whether it was too hot for a brew or not (obviously not, it’s never too hot for a brew!). What a great weekend then, 250 miles on the bike, 13 miles of running, 2 nights swinging gently in my hammock whilst the world sweltered indoors, and wall to wall sunshine. Personally, I’d say that’s not a bad use of a weekend plus a day’s annual leave. Oh, and I had 3 ice creams and it doesn’t get much better than that by my book!
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Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
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