9/5 Spring Special- Hell Of Ashdown

It was time again to repeat our first ever 'Spring Special', the 'Hell of Ashdown'. This ride is partly based on the famous 'Hell Of Ashdown' sportive which always takes place in Febuary (why febuary, brrr!). With us doing it in the kinder month of May, I was hoping for some nice warm weather and sunshine. Instead, as we got out of our cars we were met by grey gloomy skies and a chilly wind, but at least it wasn't raining.

Joining a HSLCC ride for the first time was Ross Mason. Ross had contacted us about a month ago telling us he was new to road riding. I assumed that this meant he was new to 'cycling' so I was a bit worried that this hilly route would prove too difficult. I couldn't have been more wrong as Ross was only new to road riding having been a committed mtb rider for years and in such good shape that only Malcolm D could beat him on the hills!

Setting off from our high point near' Kings Standing 'meant that we would enjoy many miles of mainly downhill riding . Both myself and Patrick were suffering the effects of the same cold bug that's been doing the rounds. I had been off work the day before with a high temperature and giddiness while Patrick had been too unwell to do any riding at all during the week.I reckon I was running at about 90%  and my chest felt 'tight' with copious amounts of runny mucus coming out of my nose. With this and the cold weather I resigned myself to today being a bit of an ordeal!

Mile after mile of undulating quiet roads lay before us and the first major hill. Myself and Malc C were a good match at the back of the field. I was a little faster on the climbs while Malc was a little faster on the flat sections For a while we had to put up with some light rain. As we crested a small hill there were three riders in team Sky tops. One of them was sheltering from the rain in a bus shelter. As we got nearer I was thinking how similar this guy looked to steve Denny then as we rode past him the rider tagged on because it was Steve Denny! It turned out Steve was due to drive a train from Tonbridge in the afternoon , so had driven to Tonbridge wells and ridden out to join us for part of the route.


Our first real climbing test came at Ide hill. This has a long steady gradient with only its length making it tough. There was another group of riders on the same hill so our two groups got mixed together making me feel like we were riding a sportive.Both groups pulled into a layby to let the slower riders regroup. Turning round to see where Malc C was I lost my balance couldn't unclip in time and ungracefully fell over from a standing position, rather embarrassing in front of so many other riders.

Before long we reached significant hill number two, Toys hill. As per previous years I really love this hill . Its got a nice smooth surface, is dead straight and has the perfect gradient through its two mile length . Care has to be taken on the descent. last time we descended this hill Steve overshot the bottom and went straight across the road junction on the B2027. Perhaps he wasn't the only one as the council had put up warning signs telling cyclists to slowdown on the descent , this is the first time I have ever seen road signs warning cyclists about a dangerous descent!

Great Pub Stop near Hever!

My arrival at the our planned pub stop just outside of Hever was delayed by a straightforward puncture. The bar staff were very polite and served up some excellent burgers and bacon rolls , also coffee with free top ups .For a few minutes the sun came out and in the shelter of the garden it was pleasently warm

Steve D soon headed off on his own in order to get to Tonbridge in time for the train. We lingered a little longer before setting off from the hospitable pub.

 From Ashwood to Hindleap Warren its continual climbing for three miles. This hill doesn't have a name but we found this to be the toughest climbing of the day. I didn't feel brilliant but at least felt no worse than I had done at the start of the ride, Patrick however was feeling done in and was having to get out of the saddle a lot to keep going. For probably the one and only time, I actually managed to out climb him and arrived ahead of him at the warren.

Tom Enjoys His Mr Whippy!

All that now lay ahead of us was the legendary climb of Kidd's hill. Ross and Patrick had never climbed this before so we gleefully explained to them what was in store. Malc C set off a few minutes before us to get a head start but with the rests of us working as a peloton it want long before we reeled him back in on the lovely descent down to Coleman's hatch .

Ross Relaxes On Kings Standing 

Sweeping past the pub we began the ascent. Mark, Ross, Tom and Malc D climbed ahead of the rest of us and disappeared into the distance. Patrick kept ahead of myself and Malc C but only by riding out of the saddle all the way up. Truth be told, with its steady gradient, this climb isn't too bad and doesn't deserve its fearsome reputation. Even so we were all glad to reach Kings standing at the top and like school children made a beeline for the ever present Mr Whippy van at the top.

Not Really Sunbathing Weather!

Despite not feeling 100% and the disappointing weather it was still a good days ride. Also very good to meet Ross who shares an interest in steady medium distance organised rides so hopefully we have gained another recruit for audaxes and reliability trials.