We now have twelve london phoenix members and two guests heading to Sardinia in April for the week long stage race, the Giro de Sardegna. The week begins with a gran fondo from Olbia in the north of the island before transferring to Alghero where all the other stages begin. The races include an individual mountain time trial and a team time trial. The search is on for the ultimate training plan!

Abigail Armstrong – 2nd in category AB (women aged 35-49)
David Steele – 25th in category F (men aged 40-49)

A large contingent of London Phoenix club members ventured into the Surrey Hills for a Halloween off-road adventure.

Despite talk of hurricane-induced rainstorms, a glorious, dry, sunny morning greeted the noble MTB hord that descended on Dorking on Sunday. Eleven of us set off in full club regalia like a big red train up the Coldharbour Hill, climbing to the sound of Francis’ tinkling bell – and plunged into the mud on the back side of Leith Hill. No doubt a few eyebrows were raised as we seemed to be riding UP a series of steep, singletrack climbs in the Redlands trails while every other group seemed to be riding down.

After a series of bombholes at the top we took in the fast, swooping descent that is “Summer Lightning”, to much approval from the massive. Trails were in surprisingly good condition as we climbed from there back up Leith Hill again to the Tower to take in some views, before heading over onto Holmbury Hill via more singletrack. A nice deep pool of water on the way was found to throw Abi’s bike into, to clear the mud off the badly “sucking” chain. Mechanical crisis over we hit some more singletrack and descended the rooty, burmed singletrack section into Peaslake – fastest of the day.

All down safely, we ate heartily on vast baguettes so they could sit like lumps of concrete in our stomachs as we headed on a loop back towards Dorking. Under darkening skies we took a couple more steep climbs and then fast descents back down the stuff we came up at the start. MTBers and roadies alike had smiles all over their faces as we finished (is that good or bad?).

No rain, good technical climbs, fast descents and only a small portion of what’s available in the area. We’ll be back!

87km – 14.10.05

Abigail Armstrong 7h (35th woman)
David Steele 6h 30 (187th out of 370)

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