Author Topic: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22  (Read 3381 times)

Advertising a new 200km from South East London that's been in planning for a while during the various lockdowns.

This is a challenging 200 with 3.25 AAA points showcasing the High Weald, one of the finest medieval landscapes in the UK.

The ride leaves Crystal Palace, heading east to take in the Knatt's Valley before turning south into the High Weald.

There are few headline climbs but the elevation soon starts to mount up as you enter the undulating landscape of wooded hills, duck ponds, oast houses and tile-hung villages of the Weald itself. Passing through Rudyard Kipling country the route turns west at Battle, then heading north across The Ashdown Forest at Uckfield, before encountering a final sting in the tail at Hogtrough Hill.

The finish will be at Herne Hill Velodrome where refreshments and beer will be available in the surroundings of one of the oldest track cycling venues in the world.

Entry here: https://audax.uk/event-details?eventId=9627

Route and GPX will be sent out nearer the time.


Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #1 on: 05 January, 2022, 09:14:19 pm »
Oooh - I'm keen! Hopefully the trains and rona won't scupper my plans.

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #2 on: 06 January, 2022, 09:12:36 am »
Ah, The Weald.  My old home country.

Whilst there are few very large climbs, this is not an area to be underestimated.  The hills come frequent and fast through the lovely wooded countryside.  I always preferred the Weald in comparison to the adjacent Southdowns for scenery.
Organiser of Droitwich Cycling Club audaxes.  https://www.droitwichcyclingclub.co.uk/audax/

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #3 on: 06 January, 2022, 12:48:31 pm »
Just round the corner, lovely. In!

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #4 on: 06 January, 2022, 02:40:48 pm »
Looks like a corker - am I right in thinking that you are going down that evil hill at Underriver? If so, I am relieved.
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #5 on: 07 January, 2022, 09:08:42 am »
Indeed you do - quite unpleasant in the other direction! :)

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #6 on: 10 January, 2022, 09:26:10 pm »
Put an entry in, really looking forward to this!

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #7 on: 11 January, 2022, 04:30:08 pm »
Please tell me there is a lap of Herne Hill as the final few hundred metres.... Could be history for a UK Audax, a sprint velodrome finish.

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #8 on: 17 January, 2022, 10:57:56 am »
Please tell me there is a lap of Herne Hill as the final few hundred metres.... Could be history for a UK Audax, a sprint velodrome finish.

The thought definitely crossed my mind, sadly it's very likely there'll be a track event taking place at the same time as riders arrive given the time of year! 

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #9 on: 17 January, 2022, 11:49:49 am »
Please tell me there is a lap of Herne Hill as the final few hundred metres.... Could be history for a UK Audax, a sprint velodrome finish.

The thought definitely crossed my mind, sadly it's very likely there'll be a track event taking place at the same time as riders arrive given the time of year!

The stars have aligned @alotronic. You just need to get back to Herne Hill in time for the sprint race you're keen to do. You should have warmed up by then.

Eddington: 133 miles    Max square: 43x43

Great to meet you today Rob and many thanks to you and all your helpers for a fantastic event!

Really friendly vibe and a tough route, some of my old Sussex faves like Willingford Lane, and some new ones like Hogtrough Hill - never ridden it before but having ridden the parallel Brasted Hill a few times I suspected it would suck after 180km, and it didn't disappoint  :sick:

Fab turnout from hosting club Brixton CC, nice to ride with some of you for a while although I did peel off as I'm not great in a pack.

Legs responded quite well despite comparatively little riding thanks to endless house-moving faff, but very glad I got the train back to the coast rather than riding.

Recommended  :thumbsup:

telstarbox

  • Loving the lanes
That would be why I saw a lot of Brixton jerseys near Tonbridge yesterday. Looks like a great route!
2019 🏅 R1000 and B1000

What a lovely route, using many lanes which are different to other events in the area. Very impressed with the organisation too, at the start, first checkpoint and at the finish.

Great to see so many Brixton CC riders in their distinctive strip, with many of those I got to speak to new to riding such a distance.

Apart from a couple of short showers, the weather behaved itself. I spent most of the day with a Canterbury CC rider whose name now escapes me. It was good to ride with company, before a rather slow 60km back home to complete my ECE. Don’t ask why I thought it a good idea to ECE, but at least it made it easier to get across London for the start.


Eddington: 133 miles    Max square: 43x43

Thanks for the kind words all! In all pretty pleased with the event. 100 riders left Dulwich Scout Hut with only 7 DNF despite the elevation, mostly due to the sudden downpour and a couple of mechanicals.

Herne Hill Velodrome was a fantastic venue for the finish, and finishers who stuck around were treated to a fairly full schedule of track racing.

A few snaps below from the organiser's side courtesy of Adrian Downie and Jack Davey.

By all accounts the route itself was on top form yesterday, with full blooms of oilseed rape and bluebells lining the numerous wooded sections.

All being well I'll be looking to get this back in the calendar for the same weekend next year.







Stunning scenery and evil elevation but made it round in the end. Found the section from Battle heading west the hardest; I knew what to expect from the climbs at the end and just took my time. Really well organised event with top notch catering at the village hall control (buttered Soreen!) and being applauded into the arrivée was great. Thanks again to the kind BCC soul who charged my temperamental Wahoo at the village hall which just about saw me home, but not before restarting itself at 165km, bloody thing.

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #15 on: 20 December, 2022, 10:39:04 am »
Happy to announce FTITHW will be returning on Sat 6th May 2023.

3200 of climbing over 200km, with a finish at Herne Hill Velodrome and Brixton CC food and beer on offer.

https://www.audax.uk/event-details/10394-fast_times_in_the_high_weald


For the 2023 edition of FTITHW 70 riders departed Dulwich Scout Hut and 30 finished the ride at Herne Hill Velodrome after a day of challenging conditions including non stop rain and headwinds. A big well done to all who even made it to the depart.

We aim to return in 2024 alongside a new 200km event, more info soon.




Thanks again Rob and team. That's not a bad turnout and completion rate given the difficulty of the route and the atrocious conditions! Thankfully I had no mechanicals as I doubt I could have stayed warm enough to fix a puncture once the rain had properly set in. Moment of the day for me was seeing mist in the headlights of an oncoming car at the top of Hogtrough and realising that it hadn't actually stopped raining, I'd just climbed above it  :)

Did the photographer get any shots of faces at the finish? Thousand yard stares all round.

Looking forward to seeing what you're cooking up for next year!

Adrian Downie captured a really good selection of shots during the ride, and yes some of the finisher's faces are quite steely!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vk6BaLSZA335GXjn9

Re: Fast Times in the High Weald - New 200km from Crystal Palace, 07/05/22
« Reply #19 on: 23 February, 2024, 10:47:41 am »
FTITHW returns for its third iteration this Saturday, May 4th.

Dulwich Woods Scout Hut depart and the traditional Herne Hill Velodrome finish.

https://www.audax.uk/event-details/11193-fast_times_in_the_high_weald