Grimpeurs du Sud

[scottlington]

Surrey Hillier and Surrey Hills entrants should have received an email from me (Billy Weir) in the last week or so confirming registration and providing information about the event.

The nature of the email means that it might be trapped in spam filters - please check these.  If you don't have details despite that, send me an email at the address listed on the Audax website.

White Down twice in one day? You are an evil man Hillbilly.... 

Being local, I've done all these climbs many times. Just not ALL of them in ONE day.... my mate's bought one of those SRAM WiFLi things especially for this. Me, I'll remian in 34/29 lowest gear. Should be fun then...

[Martin]

it only goes up White Down once?

if it goes up twice I'm having my GdO badge back 

[Hillbilly]

I think you mistunderstood Martin.  I said riders will only throw up on White Down once

The main climbs on the 100 are thusly:

Coldharbour Lane (steep at bottom, great views at top)
White Down (steep at bottom, great views at top)
Shophouse/Winterfold (wooded climb)
Barhatch (steep)
Holmbury Hill (steep at bottom, great views at top)
White Down (see above)
Green Barns (steep in middle, great views at bottom and top)
Abinger Lane/ Leith Hill (great views at bottom and top)
Broomehall (great views at bottom and top)
Box Hill (great views at top)

(on the 50, Coldharbour, Holmbury, Barhatch, Cobb, Green Dene, Box Hill)

[Hillbilly]

Well noted.  The views are at the bottom looking up, not at the top looking down.  All the better to put the fear of the climb into the unaware, as they think "I have to get from here, to there...".  I find the 16% sign and the hairpin bend adds to the effect when the gradient proper starts....

In practice, this ride is 3 ascents of Leith Hill, 3 of the Ranmore ridge and 2 of Winterfold.  Plus bonus climbs because I love you all so much and want you all to share the out of body experiences I have been enjoying over the winter researching this route...

[Martin]

The ride doesn't usually reside on this board but a reminder for the IOW Randonnee on Sun May 5th which is eligible as a GdS if done as a DIY by gps; a tiddly 1.5AAA but a grand day out 

anyone else?

[Hillbilly]

Rode the Sussexy Beast today.  I am going to update the route sheet and gpx to modify a small section of the route (just after Wadhurst, via Bells Yew Green) as the road I currently suggest has not fared well over winter and is not suitable for the standard of events I want to be known for (it is potholed, cracked, gravelled and - given it is a steep downhill - only suitable for the most bold/wreckless of randonneurs).

So, if you have printed out a route sheet or the gpx, please refresh it later this week (the file will have a "date" after today).

[scottlington]

Did the Surrey Hillier today (well, most of it - missed out White Down for the second time and also didn't bother climbing Box Hill at the end). Turned out to be a fine day out and managed to overheat of the later climbs - a first for this year...

Roads pretty scoggy and some mahoosive potholes out there so be careful descending especially if there's been any rain as they become submerged under puddles...

[Hillbilly]

Did the Surrey Hillier today (well, most of it - missed out White Down for the second time and also didn't bother climbing Box Hill at the end). Turned out to be a fine day out and managed to overheat of the later climbs - a first for this year...

Roads pretty scoggy and some mahoosive potholes out there so be careful descending especially if there's been any rain as they become submerged under puddles...

Can you PM me the lanes that you felt were particularly affected.

[Hillbilly]

Both of Sunday's events from Box Hill (Surrey Hills and Surrey Hillier) are now full and no further entries are being accepted.  There is no waiting list and no  entries on the line.  A second email will be sent to entrants this evening.

[Martin]

Both of Sunday's events from Box Hill (Surrey Hills and Surrey Hillier) are now full and no further entries are being accepted.  There is no waiting list and no  entries on the line.  A second email will be sent to entrants this evening.

out of interest did you get much interest from non-AUKs / Usual Suspects?

[Hillbilly]

Both of Sunday's events from Box Hill (Surrey Hills and Surrey Hillier) are now full and no further entries are being accepted.  There is no waiting list and no  entries on the line.  A second email will be sent to entrants this evening.

out of interest did you get much interest from non-AUKs / Usual Suspects?

By far non-AUKs.  80% on 50km ride and 60% on the 100km ride.

The usual suspects feature, just not all of them (in part because they will be westward doing the HoE 300). 

[Hillbilly]

I hope you all like bananas and cake....

See you grimpeur fans at Box Hill Village Hall this morning - if the weather is anything like yesterday, you are in for a good day bimbling around the hills of Surrey AONB.

"The hills are alive, with the sound of grunting"

[blueskies]

Thanks Billy for organising this event, only 100km but fair packs a punch.

I'm no grimpeur, but I entered this very much in the spirt of practice most what you like doing least, and if nothing else got plenty of practice. Weather was pretty much perfect all day, I know many of these climbs from previous 'practice' but never strung so many together on a single ride. Whitedown was the usual grind, had to dodge lots of walkers from the sportive on the second pass - welcome to the Surrey Hills. Barhatch Lane was as monstrous as ever, probably quicker for me to walk up the last part of that one. I hit the deck on one of the descents, ran off the road due to a car stopping and lost control of the bike, no harm done to man or machine. Some new climbs for me that I almost enjoyed inlcude the long ascent out of Peaslake, and the Col D'harbour at the end. Happy to finish in a respectable 5'20", and peach slices at the arrivee made for a great finale. I rode home, back over the 20% climb from Mickleham over into Bookham, and even scalped a few in Richmond Park. 190km on the clock for the day.

One final positive note - on my last 3 calendar rides this year i've met up and rode round with Audax newbies, younger, fitter and faster than me but all looking for a challenge beyond the Sportive scene. Congratulations to all organisers for opening up our particular form of 2-wheeled torture enjoyment to a wider audience.

Next up for me, the BCM...

[PatC]

Great ride and a great day to be riding.

A good mix of super steep beasts and long long drags (the one from Peaslake and Shophouse Lane to mention two) all compacted in 100 km made it a varied and challenging ride. I enjoyed the snatches of views along the route especially to the right on the final haul up Leith Hill and of course from Box Hill at the beginning and end.

Ta very much to Billy and his supporting crew.

[Martin]

I can only echo PatC; as it says on the GdS webpage "see the best of the region from the saddle" and this ride provided plenty of that; perhaps more than another Surrey Hills calendar event I can think of. White Down (even twice) was nothing like the horror I remembered; having a triple and some legs makes a difference.

I ECE'd from home via a circular route which though very rolling was a breeze compared to the main course; hopefully worth another point in my quest for "some points"


thanks Hillbily for a grand day out 

[scottlington]

Well, I wrote a great big long ride report only to stupidly and accidentally press some combination of keys that wiped the whole thing.  No way I CBA to write it out again so I will confine myself to saying thanks Billy for a great route, great weather and a great day out!

Also to Manotea for manning the controls and to the other members of Redhill CC helping out on the day. Good to chat (if briefly) to BlueSkies and Martin OTP and just to say that spending 5.5 hours in some of the North Downs' best countryside up some of the best climbs in the area certainly makes those two pints in the pub afterwards feel more then deserved!!

[Martin]

Had my first independent completers of the Sussexy Beast yesterday.  Their comment was "great ride, very challenging". 

I'd echo that; took it very easy with an Oxted start as I knew what was to come. Some nice bits not done on other rides are the descent off the forest into Forest Row from Sharpthorne and the iconic section after Toys Hill over Crockham Hill

just polished off a pure GdS week with the new metric version of AAA Milne; highly recommended as an evening ride; deer heaven!

[Hillbilly]

One of the pleasures of riding at the top and tail of the day in the Ashdown area is seeing herds of deer.  I saw dozens herding at the top of Priory Road on Saturday morning at c. 6am.  Framed by a stout treeline standing guard in silouette, each trunk and finger of the branches darkened by the relief of a low slung rising sun, a few herds nervously watched me from the midst of a gentle mist of evaporating dew.  Makes getting up at silly o'clock seem almost sensible.

Will need to plan things so that I have a chance of experiencing it again when I rock up for your AAA Milne.  As it criss-crosses the forest, I suspect there will be a good chance of seeing a hart in the heart of Sussex.

[Martin]

you'll almost never see deer in broad daylight on the forest (although they often congregate during the day down near Fletching). Best places are The Goat (top of Priory Road) Twyford Lane and the lane between the Kidds Hill ford and Pooh car park. Some scary moments descending to Chuck Hatch with them running across the road in front of you; I've even see them at the bottom of Cob Lane

anyone ever seen any in the Surrey Hills? I believe there are some

my original design for the badge featured deer on top of the forest; Leith Hill Tower, Dover Castle etc, I settled for a "cloud"

[Hillbilly]

In the Surrey Hills?  Rarely.  More often  old dears riding horses.

My logo for the Sussexy Beast has deers on it.  Once I get through my stock of original cards (with the original, but now superceded event name) I'll be issuing cards for the imperial with that rather elegant picture.  I think one of your cards had it pasted  in, Martin, partly because I recalled your comments about deer posted on here a couple times so thought you'd appreciate it.

[scottlington]

As it happens, I was out in the Leith Hill area on  Sunday on the MTB and one burst through the trees about 30 yds in fron tof me as I was descending a rocky path not too far from the summit of Leith Hill. I have seen a few before when out and about but they are not a common sight in daylight.

[JordanCarroll]

I saw a deer a few weeks back on an LFGSS tuesday night ride, forgot which descent though...

[JordanCarroll]

And i thought the "cloud" on teh badge was an outline of Surrey county :p

[Martin]

And i thought the "cloud" on teh badge was an outline of Surrey county :p

Surrey?  (spit!) there was only one qualifying event there when it was set up! It started as a map of the whole of the qualifying region but that just looks like a cornflake on paper (and to date only Manotea's come up with one North of the River). When we lost a few long standing events we extended the region to include Hampshire and the IOW which still have some, and that is what the map represents. The white colour represents err chalk

[PatC]

The white colour represents err chalk
[/quote]

..and the stars are the what the riders see when they've just ridden up Yorks Hill / White Down / etc.