Chase the Sun – South 2025

Last month, our very own Rose Clarke – Finance and Operations Director – took part in this year’s Chase the Sun – South Event!

Starting in the Thames estuary, she undertook a 205 mile route throughout the hills and valleys of the South, to end up at the seafront of Weston-Super-Mare.

Below, she kindly gave us a run-down of how the day went!

1. The Morning

Saturday the 21st June saw me setting off at 3am from the glamour of Sittingbourne Premier Inn to cycle to the start of Chase the Sun on the Isle of Sheppey. As the sun appeared over the horizon, we set off with an excited buzz in the air. Groups of 10 went until everyone was on the road, all with the aim of reaching Weston-Super-Mare by sunset. Even that early in the morning it wasn’t cold, setting the scene for what was to be the hottest June day for 5 years. It was BRUTAL out there.

2. 150 Miles In

We’d originally planned to stop for 10 mins every 30 or so miles with some longer stops for eating. . In the end the heat dictated the stops – getting to the point that you felt your head might explode. I also found that it was sensible to stop before each climb to cool down a little. At one point I was sitting under a tree, thinking my bike was falling over but it was just the heat making my eyes wobble!

When I reached Devizes the air-conditioned bliss of Morrisons nearly meant that I just stayed there. I was lucky I didn’t realise how exposed the next section would be or I might just have done that! By this point there had been a lot of retirements, and we all found ourselves riding alone for long stretches. This was not nearly as fun as the morning pelotons had been, and definitely much harder work! The day was still getting hotter, but there were some lovely people who had decided to hand out extra water from their houses.

3. 27 Miles to Go…

I stopped at Chilcompton Co-op for an ice-cold drink and checked my watch – 6.48pm. This gave me about 2.5 hours to get to the end, achievable despite there being a few cheeky climbs in that section. I didn’t hurry there as I knew I didn’t want to stop again, but as I left I couldn’t work out why my bike was rattling so much! I then realised that my rear tyre had punctured. A puncture isn’t a major problem normally, but these were shiny new tyres and I have dodgy arthritic thumbs, so getting it off and then back on again afterwards took what felt like several hours (it was actually 25 mins but that’s appallingly long!).

The race was now most definitely on. I didn’t have a minute to spare. Head down, cadence up. I had to just keep pedalling no matter what. Lots of my family and friends were tracking me and I could feel them all willing me along. I spent this time swearing at myself, and any hills I came across, to keep going. Pushing on, I caught up with some of the riders who’d passed when I was stopped, and picking them off in the distance spurred me along.

4. The Home Stretch

I knew that I still had the Cheddar Gorge descent to do. Now, I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to descending, but I hadn’t expected the gorge to be a full-on custom car and bike meet! Every parking spot was full, cars and bikes were racing up the gorge as we went down. Pure chaos, some drifting on the bends and others doing donuts elsewhere. It was truly terrifying, and all the while I could see the sun sinking lower and lower…

With about 3 miles to go I realised I could actually make it. Head down a bit more and pedal a bit harder… descend into Weston, ride along the prom, traffic jam! Aaaargh!!!! I rode down the outside and got to the pier but couldn’t see where the finish was! People were clapping and cheering, and I was just shouting ‘Where do I go? Where do I go?’ Finally, I saw a marshal who directed me onto the pier. The finish line was at the end of the pier, with my friend Jenny waiting for me to get there. I’d made it with 2 minutes to spare!