March – EOM Ride Out

On offer for your pleasure this month, courtesy of one of our instructors, Steve Roys, is a lovely ride through Kent and Sussex to lunch near Hurst Green.

RIDE DETAILS

Sunday March 29th  –  Pre-ride briefing:  09:15;  Wheels up: 09:30. 

Meeting Point Location:  McDonald’s Maresfield, Uckfeld By-Pass A26/A272, TN22 5EP (50.988854, 0.090508)

Closest Petrol Station:  At start point

Pre-ride coffee/tea:  At start point

Lunch stop: Planters Garden Centre, A21, just north of Hurst Green (fuel within 100 mtrs)

Ride Description
The route winds its way through about 140 miles of The High Weald national landscape across the East Sussex and Kent countryside. It covers A roads, B Roads, some back lanes and even a bit of Dual Carriageway. Something for everyone….. We will have a very short coffee/comfort/regroup stop in the morning before continuing to Planters Garden centre on the A21 for lunch at about 13:00. After lunch we head back East, in a very round and about way, to our starting point at Maresfield.  For those who  enjoyed Octobers ride, this route is a slightly extended version that covers similar roads, but with different stops, and in a mix and match order. Several sections are done in the reverse direction. For those who have further to travel, you are always welcome to head back home after lunch. If the clocks changing catches you out,  or the loss of an hours sleep is too much to face….  you can also join us at Planters for the return run… please still register for the ride as I need to give the cafe an indication of numbers to ensure they don’t run out of sausage rolls!

** New and Recent members – remember please you will need to have had your Initial Assessment Ride with an Instructor to attend this and any other club riding activities

** All members please carry your membership card on this and all club activities

REGISTRATION

There are no restrictions on how many can join the ride, but we ask that you please register by emailing the ride leader.  See details below.

Weather
As with all Group Ride Outs, please note that if the overnight temperature is forecast to be 3C degrees or below at the ride start meeting place, the ride out will be cancelled automatically.   There will not normally be a second notification if this is the case.  We only use the BBC Weather for our information.
 

Back-Marker System
One of the riders will need to Back-Mark so any volunteer for this please advise the ride leader when you register for the ride.  If you have an orange Hi-Viz please bring it with you, or one may be provided on the day, or dependant on the size of the group an alternative marker may be agreed.

Please make sure you are fully conversant with the rules of the “BACK-MARKER SYSTEM“.  Following these correctly is vital to the smooth running of the day and reduces the risk of losing someone or everyone. Details of the BM system are on our Southernriders.org  website.   If you’re unsure on the day, ask one of the attending Ride Leader. They will be more than happy to clarify any issues you have.

Hi-Viz
If you wear hi-viz, please ensure it is not Orange as this is reserved for the ‘back-marker’ during our ride-outs.  We appreciate you may normally wear an orange hi-viz whilst riding. However, some find it confusing when in the middle of the group to see two or more riders with the orange hi-viz.  So, in an effort to avoid confusion and markers leaving their post prematurely ONLY the back-marker is to wear orange hi-viz.   Thank you