themanfromicon
-
Mayhem Weekender
Sometime after midnight on Monday morning in a 24 hour petrol station on the edge of Brighton Cashier: “Have you done the bike ride today?” [Sunday was the annual London to Brighton charity ride] Me: “No, I’ve done a different bike ride. A little bit further.” Cashier: “Wow, further! Where have you ridden from then?”…
-
The (Not Quite) Midsummer 300
When I started to audax a few years back I came up with a 300km route that I planned to do on midsummer’s day – along the Sussex and southern Kent coast, then turn inland and cut across Romney Marsh over the Downs and through Canterbury to Whitstable on the north coast, and back to…
-
Five Sevenths
Half way up the hill out of town I spot a bench nestled under some trees. Shade, at last. I pull over, lean my bike against one end of the bench, sit down, and take a swig of water. A few minutes earlier back down in the town a bar owner had kindly filled my…
-
Doorstep Epic Plus
A few years my friends Jo, George, and Oli, joined Le Club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux. Their stories from that day led me to attempt the feat last year. Their rides that day also inspired the idea of the Doorstep Epic. I’ve toyed with the idea of having a bash at George’s particular Doorstep…
100 climbs, all of the hills, ashdown forest, barhatch lane, box hill, chalkpit lane, climbing, coldharbour lane, coombe lane, cycling, devils dyke, ditchling beacon, doorstep epic, hills, ide hill, kent, kidds hill, leith hill, morvelo, north downs, reilly cycleworks, ride everything, south downs, steyning bostal, surrey, surrey hills, sussex, the wall, toys hill, weald, white down, yorkshill
-
Pleasant Valleys Sunday
Fancy a short cx ride tomorrow? Nothing serious, just pissing about. Sounds good, yeah. Tilt at Fiveways at 9.30 good for you? Yep. See you there dude. Where we gonna go then? Was thinking Stanmer via the golf course, singletrack and bluebells, up to the Beacon, along the ridge, down to back of Falmer, Uni…
-
Sussex Spring Classic 2017
The annual homage to the classics of northern Europe. There’s no shortage of farm tracks and bridleways around here so more Tro Bro Leon than Flanders or Roubaix (except no one wins a pig). One hundred and twenty kilometres of tyre abuse and stupid fun.
-
North Country
Heading south to pay a visit to the north country. Drifting off the ferry in a sleep-deprived daze and heading up the hill on autopilot. Riding in a puddle of light and easy familiarity in the silent blackness, red lights blinking atop the wind turbines I can’t see, beacons out across the coastal plateau. Knowing…
the man from icon 