All week I had been carefully checking the weather forecast hoping that it would be dry on Saturday. fortunately the predicted weather for the Box Hill area was dry (unlike Hastings) ,so it was on!
We could only muster a field of five riders but sometimes more is less as when there is a smaller group it gives a chance for everyone to get to know each other better.
It was quite a long drive (1.5 hours) to get to the start of the ride at Rudgwick but it well worth making the effort as the countryside in this area is simply incredible. I had randomly picked a pub as a convenient meeting point but there was no on street parking. Fortunately the pub had a large car park which the proprietor was happy for us to use once we had informed him we would be going to the pub for post ride drinks.
The first eight miles were easy flat well surfaced roads, this was ideal as it gave us time to warn up before the first of the four main peaks. With Peter Baker and Patrick with us , myself peter Brehme and Mick were worried the pace was going to be a bit outside our ability but Patrick is a very considerate leader and assured us he would stick to Improver's pace especially as he was also leading the Sunday club the next day .
Our first real challenge was the two mile 5% climb up to pitch hill windmill. This was followed by a rapid descent down to an amazing little village called Peaslake. This is a Mecca for mountain bikers as from here there are so many mtb trails branching off in all directions.
 |
| A Mecca for MTB |
We now had to regain all our lost height as we headed towards the equally high Holmberry hill. I was slightly off the pace of the others so when Peter Bk punctured I told the others that I would carry on and they would catch me up. Unbeknown to me Peter Br decided to set off with me but a deer shot out in front of him and by the time he had got going again I was out of sight
With the warm sun now shining I was really getting into the zone and the old leg muscles were working great. The road surfaces were excellent and everywhere you looked there were roadies blasting down the descents and grinding up the climbs. Time seemed to fly as I passed the highest point on the route near to leith hill. With two garmins on board I wasnt worried about getting lost but at one point point one garmin said turn left while the other said go straight on, very odd!
While deciding which Garmin to follow I took a moment to check my phone only to realise that Patrick had left a voice message for me, saying that if I was lost and behind them (I am after all geolexic) , they would wait ahead for me. Feeling guilty about being so far in front I sat down at a convenient road junction and waited for them to arrive.
It was nice to have company once again as we dropped down down from the hills to the town of Dorking. From here there is a short but nasty little climb along a busy narrow road towards Ranmore common. Unfortunately peter Bk had his second puncture at the worst possible moment. We were in danger of blocking the road or getting run over so Patrick waved us forward while he and peter Bk headed back down the hill to a far safer location to fix the errant tyre.
We rolled on towards the snakes of the of Boxhill . This famous hill rises to a height of 700m but at no point can it be called hard due to the alpine switch back nature of the road and the still super smooth tarmac that was laid down for the 2012 Olympic road race. If Peaslake is a Mecca for MTB then Boxhill is the Mecca for roadies. Bikes must out number cars about three to one on this magnificent climb. By now we were all hungry and so joined the queue for the National trust cafe at the top.The excellent sausage rolls and tea were well worth the wait.
 |
| Box Hill summit is always busy |
The land drops away on all sides from Boxhill so we plenty of practice to hone our descending skills before reaching the start of the next climb up towards Combe Bottom. This peak is lower than the others at 600 feet but I would say that this one was the toughest as you have to climb for 9 miles before reaching the top.
After a couple of short but steep little climbs it was 11 miles of fast flat riding all the way back to the cars. Peter Br's endurance was beginning to falter slightly and was relieved to reach the end of the ride.
This was a really enjoyable ride and a fitting end to the Improver's Spring Specials. We plan to do this one again next year but will make it even harder by including most of the official leith hill road climb.
Steve C
No comments:
Post a Comment