Fit? Brighton Off 80 miles

This adventure will take us along scenic canals, rivers, trails and former railway tracks mostly away from traffic and flat. This is a lateral route to Brighton so no steep hills such as Ditchling Beacon to deal with, just amazing off road sociable cruising. We'll be heading towards the coast with a pleasurable undulating descent to sea level whilst observing areas of natural beauty. In terms of cycle rides, this could be the greatest day of our lives or at least this summer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHzMLGH1Rfs

We meet within Victoria train station at 8.15 am on the central area in front of the main ticket office concourse between platforms 12 and 14. Victoria is directly accessible with bikes by train and tube via the Circle and District lines and interlinked with several other lines including the DLR. (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/bicycle-tube-map.pdf)

Victoria is a small district within central London wholly
within the City of Westminster, and named after Queen
Victoria. From 1859 there were effectively four railway
stations that became Victoria station. Buckingham Palace
happens to be located about 5 minutes bike ride from our
start point.

Please have a good (slow release) breakfast such as porridge plus bring snacks and drinks as this ride will be at a decent pace without a planned long middle point lunch stop, just a shop stop on the way. As this is over at least three hours exercise, an electrolytic potassium drink such as coconut water may be advisable to carry. This ride will probably be completed within 10 hours. The Brighton sunset is due to happen at 9:18 pm on this day so we won't be hanging about too long en route.

At an intermediate pace we will head towards Surrey, one of the home counties in the South East of England. Surrey is divided in two by the largely chalk ridge of the North Downs, running east-west. The ridge is pierced by the rivers the Wey and the Mole, which are tributaries of the Thames.

For those cyclists who do not wish to do the whole route there will be a few train stations along the route, so if you wish to join us for part of the ride and then take the train back en route you are welcome to.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/c/0/6/600_377539462.jpeg

Our main recharging waypoint will be near the historic county town Guildford. Guildford has Saxon roots and historians attribute its location to the existence of a gap in the North Downs where the River Wey was forded by the Harrow Way. The town's access was sufficient that by AD 978 it was home to an early English Royal Mint. On the building of the Wey Navigation and Basingstoke Canal Guildford was connected to a network of waterways that aided its prosperity. The routes we will be cycling through such as canals, rivers and former railways were once, in terms of transporting commerce and culture, the historic equivalents of modern broadband networks. Hub towns such as Guildford experienced the same higher than average rates of GDP as do countries today with high broadband internet penetration rates.

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/6/b/4/600_394085812.jpeg

Attending Bikers will have the options of downloading map route files plus sharing live geospatial feeds en route with a GPS location tracking application.

No one will be left behind, however if you are struggling to keep up then we will point you in the direction of the nearest station. Line of sight or electronic means of contact will be intended to be maintained throughout the ride. Nevertheless, in case you have to bail or get dropped for some reason, it may be advisable to carry a smart phone/satellite navigation device and make yourself familiar with software and websites that are capable guiding you back home via GPS and train journey planning such as Transport for London (http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/) and National Rail (http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search).

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/c/5/6/600_384400022.jpeg

Perhaps before and after the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 (http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/), Dunwich Dynamo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich_Dynamo) and Chase the Sun (http://www.chasethesun.org/) you want more summer mileage? Yes, of course you do! So join an epic ride to Brighton off road which is guaranteed to be memorable and challenging. This may be a nice warm up for the 100 mile Bikeathon (http://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/event/london-bikeathon) and British Heart Foundation London to Brighton Off-Road (http://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/bike-rides/london-to-brighton/london-to-brighton-off-road.aspx) routes.

Please note the compulsory items to carry so that everyone can enjoy the day whatever happens!

Sussex which derives the title from the Kingdom of Sussex, according to legend it was founded by Ælle of Sussex in 477 AD, then in 825 it was absorbed into the kingdom of Wessex and the later kingdom of England. Sussex has been a key location for England's major invasions, including the Roman invasion of Britain and the Battle of Hastings.

This ride is possible on most bikes; geared, single speed and fixed. This ride may be easier to do with 25mm + tyres due to sandy and potentially muddy sections, although you can always just walk sections. Puncture resistant tyres and self healing inner tubes are highly recommended. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/b?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=ur2&node=324144011&site-redirect=&tag=abe0c-21) Please wear gloves to avoid sore hands, this route is bumpy in sections. As we are heading in a southerly direction towards the coast sun block cream and sunglasses may be advisable (if the sun is shining).

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/c/e/0/600_371847872.jpeg

This is a traffic free cruise to enjoy nature rather than a race to get the fastest timings. Make sure that your bike is in good working condition and that everything is tight.

This meetup will be weather dependent so 12 hours before the event begins if heavy rain or strong winds are forecast then the event will be cancelled, please check this website and your emails the evening before the event begins.

Helmets, mobile phone, water, snacks, lights, gloves and a spare inner tube will be compulsory. Every week someone has a puncture.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/f/f/0/600_371832272.jpeg

The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" dates from before the Domesday Book (1086), but it emerged as a health resort featuring sea bathing during the 18th century, plus was used as a seaside getaway by the Prince Regent, and became a highly popular destination for day-trippers from London after the arrival of the railway in 1841. We will be using some of these former railways en route.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/3/b/a/600_374214202.jpeg

For peace of mind, if your bike is relatively expensive and/or insured it may be advisable to bring a lock for the Brighton stop. We aim to keep bikes close and secure, although depending on seating availability on the day we may not have direct line of sight of bikes during stop points.

We intend to get Groupsave train tickets back to London which takes 34% off standard Super Off Peak Day Single fares. Brighton to London Blackfriars Groupsave tickets are currently £6.55 each.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/e/7/e/600_374212862.jpeg

For early birds, Advanced Brighton to London Victoria tickets may be available from Southern Railway for £5.00 with a money back guarantee if you don't happen to collect the time sensitive tickets from Brighton station for any reason.

Some of you may decide to stay for longer in Brighton.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/a/1/a/600_380447642.jpeg

Quadrophenia Film Phil Daniels £ 3.49

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/7/b/8/600_378827032.jpeg

Quadrophenia Soundtrack - Live In London The Who £11.99 (http://amzn.to/1xbopmX)

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/9/8/e/600_371826542.jpeg

If you can't make it for some reason after booking, your contribution may be carried forward upon request to another bike event pro rata.

https://vimeo.com/121256355