It’s on again
Details for the Dieppe 24 hour trip Sat 2nd / Sun 3rd May
Join us for a quick day trip to France – really we live so close we should do it more often. Using the local Newhaven ferry we go overnight to Dieppe ready for an early start – plenty of time for ride round northern France, enjoy breakfast, coffee stops and maybe a cheeky beer and back to Brighton before anyone notices you’ve gone.
Route This was the route last yearand may again be the route this year but will be confirmed before departure.
https://www.strava.com/routes/8158259
100m option maybe???
The best way to do this is individually to book onto the recommended ferries, get your kit together and turn up at the Palace Pier ready for the 9 pm grand depart.
Saturday night (May 18th 2019)
- 20:45 Meet at Peace Statue Hove Lawns
- 21.00 prompt – Ride to Newhaven (9 Miles approx 45 minutes)
- 22.15 Check in closed
- 23.00 Ferry departs
Sunday (May 19th 2019)
- 0500 Arrive in Dieppe
- 05:15 Pre breakfast ride to cafe
- Route has been tested and is good! 135km 84miles, we can do more
- It could take up to 7 hours or more ( depending on coffee stops and dragging fat blokes up hills!)
- 15:00 ish back in Dieppe for Coffee / Cheeky beers
- 16.45 latest, head for 18.00 ferry
- 18:00 Ferry
- 21:00 arrive Newhaven
- 22:30 latest back at the Pier
Costs
FERRY STUFF
Bike and Passenger
£40.00 need to self book at DFDS DFDS ferrys clunky website
Car
A car with 4 bikes is roughly the same cost as 4 individuals – this could be useful for stashing extra clothing in while we do the ride – we would park the car in Dieppe free parking. Any volunteers let me know
Cabin
An inside cabin with 4 bunks is £40 – that would be a tenner each between 4 of you – worth thinking about
HOW TO ENTER
Just let us know you are coming by entering the free event on rider HQ which will be open shortly – link to follow.
INFORMATION
Pace
- It is a social ride and we really can’t drop people so target is 15-16mph average – but this depends on the group. If the group goes off fast and we put the slower riders into the red that is bad news for everyone – so we keep the group together and work together. If the group goes fast and we all feel fine then ok but we will be sensitive to those who might be burning. I appreciate we have some fast/fit/light cyclists amongst us and if the pace is too slow – you go at the front – and do some hill repeats while you wait 😀 So if you want to come along and can manage a steadyish Saturday social you’ll be fine and welcome.
More info – based on experience (updated)
- You will need lights – charged
- Bikes need to be well maintained and so do you
- Bring a multi-tool/spare inners/ pump etc.
- Bring some chamois cream if you use it
- Bring outer layers/ waterproof
- Passport
- Euros for food, drink and emergencies
- Charge up that GPS with the routes loaded
- Battery pack useful – phones/Garmin don’t last 24 hours
- Very small backpack or just ram yer pockets
- Just in case check your travel insurance / EHIC
- Some snacks energy bars (useful for pre breakfast leaving ferry)
- Two water bottles
Top tips from last year
- Bloody freezing on the ferry – bring warm stuff ( your expensive packable RAB microlight jacket – or a bin liner)
- We have a ride before we get to breakfast – so bring some food with you for breakfast ( or buy on ferry in evening)
- Don’t drink six pints of Leffe and try and ride your bike through passport control – walk and arrange a collection
- Bring spare inner tubes for Brighton Newhaven part of the route
Questions? PM Tony on facebook.
Ride report 2017
Great fun and not without a little adventure
Nine of us headed out for Newhaven, 2 punctures a mechanical and crash on the way there – an auspicious start. A few beers on the boat raised spirits for a quick kip until a very early start. Empty ferry and freezing. On collecting bikes the majority had punctures and even one water bottle had a pin hole puncture – hmm sabotage suspected.
So a hungry start through a deserted Dieppe out into the Normandy countryside – fantastic country side, rainbows and chateaus. Some light rain caught us but didn’t dampen the fun. 50K later rolled into Neufchatel en Bray where the cafe was just opening. “Bonjour tout le monde, omelette? cafe?” the owner had seen cyclists before. The place is called Chez Jean Pierre
Powered and caffeine-d up enjoyed some brilliant empty undulating roads with some spectacular ridge rides and descents. With Matt keen to pull us all along we rolled into Dieppe and found the Cafe des Tribunaux bathed in sunshine.
Fantastic meals and several Leffes and wines later we caught the ferry. A few more Leffes for some. Already planning the next one.
The route cobbled together from some Dieppe raid routes looped together with sections of the Avenue Vert worked really well. If we had had some bad weather or incidents there were a few opportunities for a quick run back to Dieppe.
Click for the the relive of the route thanks Simon
