- Starts: Saturday 1 July 2017 9:30 am
- Ride leader/Event organiser: Andy Henderson
- Category: Cathedral challenge rides
Start and stops
| Ride start/event venue | The Spring Centre, Havant East Street Havant P09 1BS More details and map |
| Coffee stop | Beechwood café, QECP Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP) PO8 0QE 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: Andy Henderson.
Map
It's now time to tackle the South Downs. You might remember from geography lessons that they have a gentle dip slope to the south and a steeper scarp slope to the north. That means it is relatively easy to go north over them, but more challenging to go south. Fortunately we have another option.
The ride takes us over Buriton Hill from the south side. It's a gentle uphill through a quiet tree-lined road with some nice views over the valley. We then have a nice downhill on the scarp side (take it as fast or slow as you feel comfortable with) before doing a 'U turn' to re-cross the down via the Butser Cutting. This is a new, shared cycle and pedestrian path cut into the side of the A3 cutting. It is indisputably a hill, but much less steep than the other north-south crossings in the area. We'll finish with another downhill to the café at Queen Elizabeth Country Park. We'll then make our way back to Havant.
That's a total distance of around 23 miles; much shorter than the last two silver rides.
Ride leader notes
I ride an assistance e-bike which allows me to do most hills. I have a range extender that allows me to do 80-90 hilly miles or further for flatter rides.
My maximum comfortable speed on the flat without wind is 13mph at the start of a ride. I find, however, I can manage faster speeds after a few hours of riding. I struggle with balance when riding speeds lower than around 7mph.
Otherwise, I don't mind about pace when leading or joining rides. I'm out to enjoy the ride and speed is not part of that for me.
I get the biggest kick out of supporting new riders when they find out they can achieve much more than they thought.
About Cathedral Challenge rides
We're running a series of rides for people who are:
- New to group cycling
- Haven’t cycled for a while
- Want to cycle a bit further than usual
They start with a short, 'get to know you' ride that includes a free bike check and progress through longer distances, tackling a series of challenges on the way:
- Bronze: Havant to Portsmouth cathedral and back
- Silver: Chichester cathedral and back
- Gold: Winchester cathedral and back
There's more detail and a registration form here.
Note that the Cathedral rides are subject to change and adaptation as we learn more about the challenge riders.