I've wanted to get out with Pollards Hill cyclists for a while. Today they were meeting at Dorking station for a ride around some hillyish bits of Surrey, so I took the opportunity to get some hill practice. I took the optimistic view that it would clear up later, as it was peeing it down as I cycled to Clapham Junction in my overshoes etc feeling like a nutter.
It was dull in Dorking, but the sun started to come out as we set off. Almost instantly we hit a gravelly/rocky bit of track. I knew there would be some off road, but it had said on the website that it would be a 'good surface'. I knew right then that we had differing ideas of what constituted a good surface. Personally I am quite a fan of tarmac...(it's in my London veins..my mum had a thing for sniffing fresh tarmac when she was pregnant with me!)
This continued for a while and I am not sure what I found worse, the uphill offroading or the downhill offroading. I was bloody terrified of coming off, as I know my slick tyres, fat as they are, don't like that surface and they were skidding about. There were cattle grids which I was having none of, got off for them although no one else did. As I passed within inches of him, a bull started doing things to a cow that, as a city girl, I have never had the dubious privilege of witnessing.
Then we hit a road and it was announced we were going to do some serious climbing. I did not find it too serious, maybe it was the FNRttCs, but I managed it no trouble. The pub appeared, and very nice it was too. The sun had come out in earnest by then.
After lunch there was a bit more up and down, the down bothering me more than the up (I am a nervous descender). We visited an absolutely beautiful waterfall hidden somewhere in Surrey (someone took photos so I will link to Flickr once they are up), it was gorgeous. Like some kind of fairytale grotto. Then we cycled on back up the steep hill from whence we had came (think someone said 1 in 8?) , and I liked going up it better than I had liked going down, because I was not rigid with terror...in fact I was first to the top. But only because my lowest gear is higher than it should really be.
We cycled up Leith Hill, that I thought would be bad from what I have heard, but it really wasn't. The rough track bothered me a lot more than the gradient, and my bike slipped at one point but I magically clipped out and managed to stay upright even when the bike was sprawled on the floor. Went to the top of the tower and looked at the view (there had been breathtaking views on this ride, absolutely amazing). On hearing that the way down involved a 'very rough track' (and considering the others were supposed to have been good surfaces!), my sense of self preservation overcame my reserve and I said I wasn't happy and asked to be shown an alternative where I could meet them at the bottom. Two others came with me on the road alternative, whether because they wanted to or because they felt sorry me I don't know.
It was downhill almost all the way to Dorking, and I was dropped as they made the most of the downhill and went hell for leather while I just whimpered to myself and hung on for dear life, braking for much it it. They did wait though, they were very nice. Really, the downhills made me feel worse than the uphills, I am just so scared of going so fast, especially on bendy roads with cars around.
A very pleasurable day despite the scary parts. Either those hills weren't that bad (it was billed as a hilly ride but then PHC pace is supposed to be very gentle) or I am getting better at them. I am reliably informed that that ride was unusual in including so much bumpy off-road and usually their rides were mostly on proper roads. I know for next time eh. Around 20 miles I think, usually they do 30 but had cut it to allow for the hills.