City to Country Lanes - Racey Red

THIS IS RIDE NINE OF NINE (the final one!) IN OUR 'SOFA TO SPORTIVE' SERIES - going from 10 to 40 miles over 9 weeks, to get you ready for a cycling challenge, charity ride, or holiday.

This is a RACEY RED ride aimed at experienced & confident road cyclists only, 10 - 12 mph on varied roads with more hills.

THIS RIDE IS ONLY FOR EXPERIENCED & CONFIDENT ROAD CYCLSTS! Road bikes ONLY please (curly handlebars, skinny tyres). We will be aiming to ride at the upper end of Breeze speeds (12mph average) so this is a fast ride, by Breeze standards!

This is our longest Breeze ride out of Brighton & Hove. By now, riders should have built up their stamina for longer rides as well as speed (so that longer rides don't take all day!). You should be confident riding in a group, able to use your gears and cadence for getting up hills, and able to descend hills safely and confidently.

This route has undulating hills, though nothing really daunting unless we decide to finish with Devil's Dyke. The majority of the route is on quiet country lanes, once we've travelled north on the A23 cycle path.

We may extend the loop around Hassocks slightly (taking in more of Underhill Lane by going straight on in Ditchling rather than turning right) to make the total ride 40 miles.

If a group is strong or fast, we may include Devil's Dyke at the end rather than returning alongside the A23.

Please check your bike over thoroughly before this ride, and bring layers, money for a café stop, and plenty of snacks and drink.

Also bring a spare inner tube for your bike (easier to change an inner tube than fix a puncture by the side of the road, and all bikes are different so you need one to fit your bike), suitable clothing for the weather, and money for the café.
If you're not sure what an inner tube is, or how to know which size to buy, this little video should help you: https://youtu.be/3uzsEystB-Q