- Starts: Saturday 4 October 2025 9:15 am
- Ride leader/Event organiser: Terry Willis
- Category: Saturday rides
- Terrain: C - Hilly
- Duration: am - Morning only (finishes before lunch)
- Estimated moving average speed: 12-13mph (19-21kph Medium+)
- Ascent: 1,840ft / 561m
Our grading scheme
When grading routes we use the following scheme:
- A - Severe. Route has extreme elevation change, with both short and longer sustained climbs (e.g. Duncton Hill).
- B - Very hilly. Route has major elevation change, with longer sustained climbs (e.g. Harting Hill from the south).
- C - Hilly. Route is undulating with a number of short climbs involved (e.g. Havant to Bishop's Waltham).
- D - Gentle. Route has minor elevation change on gentle slopes (e.g. south coast cycle route to Chichester).
- E - Flat. Route has little or no elevation change (e.g. Portsea Island).
- Cancel or postpone this ride
Start and stops
Ride start/event venue | Rowlands Castle Rowlands Castle More details and map |
Coffee stop | West Dean Stores (old Post Office) West Dean PO18 0QY More details and map |
All rides return to the start unless stated otherwise. Use the 'Map' link below to see a map of all locations
Contact us about this event
Send an email to ride leader/event organiser: Terry Willis.
Map
My typical faster morning ride out to West Dean post office for coffee.
Heading out from Rowlands Castle (other pick up points considered - I’m starting at Cowplain for instance), heading north to Compton, then East Marden and Chilgrove on a fairly lumpy route.
Return, depending on who attends and how everyone is feeling - either via the cycleway down to Lavant or the short hilly climb up to the Trundle and back round to Lavant, Hunters Race and the South Coast cycle way.
Weather showing sun with possible showers...
Bookings for this ride/event
Booking is required for this ride. Please let the ride leader know if you want to join. Please do not turn up for the ride unless you've had your booking confirmed or your name appears below.
There are 6 spaces available for the leader and riders. Of these, 2 are left.
Bookings recorded for this ride (Log in to see rider names):
- A PCTC member
- A PCTC member
- A PCTC member
To ask to join this ride, please use the 'Contact us about this ride' link above to send an email to the ride leader.
Ride leader notes
Riding a lightweight road bike (during better months) the faster day rides I lead are typically 100-130km (60-80m) and occasionally 160km (100m).
Routes are at best undulating, usually “lumpy” (hilly), sometimes with severe hills!
- Average GOOD speed on “Faster” rides: 23kph (14mph)
- Average TYPICAL speed on “Faster” rides: 21kph (13mph)
Morning only rides are scaled back versions of day rides, usually at the same pace.
I also lead moderate rides as well, where the terrain difficulty is reduced (not so lumpy!) and the speed is adjusted to those attending the ride.
When I lead Waterlooville Community Cycle Club (WCCC) rides, which are generally easy relaxed rides, the pace is that of the slowest attending rider in the group.
About Saturday rides
Saturday rides tend to be small ones. Typically we offer fewer options for rides than Wednesdays, but more flexibility for routes and destinations.
Most rides are morning only, riding out to a stop for elevenses and back again.
Some will be full day with stops for elevenses, lunch and, possibly, tea. If you want to join a full day ride but only to elevenses and need someone to help you with the route back, please let us know in advance of the ride in case someone else that knows the route wants to do the same.
This article describes what you should consider bringing with you on one of these rides.