Ditchling beacon single speed?

[Fab Foodie]

So....better late than never.
Picked a good day for it, sunshine and bit of a breeze, in summer gear.
From my door to brighton it's pretty much 100km on the dot - my first metric century and the furthest I've ever ridden!

The beacon kicked my ass!! Had to stop / walk sections of it. At every opportunity when regained my breath/gradient eased a little I jumped back on and tried again (if at first...errr??!)
Despite being a bit bummed I couldn't do the beacon, it was a great ride, great fun. Went the BHF route, loads of quiet country lanes through sweeping countryside and I loved the bit along the top/down from the beacon. Brighton traffic/crazy pavement bike lanes however..... :/

Next challenges:
- ride the beacon again and try and get further / do more!
- ride a 100 miles ! Felt like I could have done more today. Any good routes/ideas for an 100 miler guys?

Well done! Nice bicycle by the way ....

 

[sreten]

Next challenges:
- ride the beacon again and try and get further / do more!
- ride a 100 miles ! Felt like I could have done more today. Any good routes/ideas for an 100 miler guys?

Hi,

To do the DB for L2B fast you have to be a category 4 climber.
The fairly obvious for your first 100 miler is simply relatively flat.

FWIW I have a nice 35 mile route from Brighton with no killer hills.*
I'd do it twice for ~ 100Km, and 3 times for ~ 100 miles. first time.
Not that I ever plan to do it more than once, my sort of mileage.

rgds,sreten.

* Loops into the West of Brighton and back.

 

[outlash]

Hi,

To do the DB for L2B fast you have to be a category 4 climber.
The fairly obvious for your first 100 miler is simply relatively flat.

Who or what is a cat 4 climber?

Tony.

 

[Cycleops]

Just beware of dead cyclists rolling down the hill towards you and you will be fine

I did see a medic jumping up and down on someone's chest one year.

 

[vernon]

Who or what is a cat 4 climber?

Tony.

 

[vernon]

That's what I was told too.

It seems utter bollocks when you ride it though....

I beg to differ. @mmmmartin was my wingman on my first ever ascent of Ditchling, non stop at that, and he talked me through the profile as we climbed I always had a gear to spare and the level-ish bits were used to get my breathing back into some sort of organisation before the next kick upwards. I reckon had I been eleven stones closer to my ideal body weight I'd be able to do it non stop on a single speed bike.

The euphoria of cracking Ditchling has not been surpassed by any other subsequent ascent of any hill.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Some of the climbs out here in Northern Cyprus make Ditchling look like a small bump

 

[mmmmartin]

I beg to differ. @mmmmartin was my wingman

The euphoria of cracking Ditchling has not been surpassed by any other subsequent ascent of any hill.

Yebbut you had the right mental toughness and were easily fit enough. the Beacon is a much overrated hill. Catfotd club's hill climbs are not held there. I rest my case.