Boxhill challenge!

Unknown · May 2007

Okay, its a blatant rip off of the RP challenge, but to be fair, I've been doing this amongst friends for the past 3 years. Its also more enjoyable than the RP challenge in that you hurt more, but for a much shorter time, plus there's less opportunity for those wimpy got-held-up-by-traffic or wind-in-the-wrong-direction excuses.

Start point is the turn in to the zig-zag and the finish point is entrance to the cafe at the top of the hill.

Yes, there are far more worthy climbs in the UK, but I like to think of Box Hill as the "Alpe D'Huez of the SE" (tongue firmly in cheek there) as its arguably most ridden climb in southern shandie drinker land. For the Alpe's 21 hairpins, you instead have a glorious 3, and maybe 150 metres in vertical gain at an average gradient of about 5%. Oh yes, its just like the famous Alpe, but divided by 7!

My PB for this season so far is 7.12.

richa · May 2007

Not exactly sure where you are starting from?

I reckon the obvious start should be from the junction of Old London Road and Zig Zag Road. The speed bump outside the front entrance to the Cafe makes a good finish line.

Box Hill Map

For the record my time on Saturday was 8:20.

Rich
Etape2007.Blogspot.Com

bwfcmullet · May 2007

i'll be down there on thursday, so will have to check the clock out. how long is the climb out of interest just to put the whole "Alpe D'Huez" into perspective.... i can normally do it avg 12 to 13mph but never timed myself before.

Unknown · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by RichA

Not exactly sure where you are starting from?

I reckon the obvious start should be from the junction of Old London Road and Zig Zag Road. The speed bump outside the front entrance to the Cafe makes a good finish line.

Box Hill Map
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I think you and mingsta agree on the starting point.

I did this on Saturday and did 7:20. It's the first time this year I felt like I had decent form on the climb (with 50 miles in my legs).

Unknown · May 2007

Hi Guys, just to clarify...

The start point is the junction between Old London Road and the Zig Zag. The end point the pedestrian path that leads to the cafe, which is just past the speed bump.

bwfcmullet, not sure exactly how long the climb is, something like a mile and a quarter. If you can maintain 13mph then that'll get you somewhere in the low 7 minutes.

Unknown · May 2007

mingsta - how far are you from Box Hill? Could you get there during the week for one of your shorter training rides?

If so, then 3 or 4 attempts at beating your personal best with a 5 min recovery period between would be excellent training for the Marmotte.

kmahony · May 2007

Agree on the start point. I've been stopping the clock at the island as the road levels off. (I think this is before the speed bump and probably 5-10secs before the cafe).

Best time so far is 9:37, but this is improved from 12:35 early last year.

For the record I make it 2.41km @ 5.1%

If it wasn't for hangovers, I'd ride everyday.

Brixtonfixed · May 2007

I did it on Sunday in roughly 8:30, about 60k into the 90k Sunday ride.

Good to see another challenge to add to the Richmond Park one -- I'm also training for the Marmotte so this all helps to up the ante!

Unknown · May 2007

Bf - was that on fixed?

For you and mingsta, I did the Marmotte last year in 8:35:00 and my fastest time up Box Hill beforehand was 6:35. That should give you something to aim for!

Brixtonfixed · May 2007

No - yesterday I was on my lovely but weighty audax bike. It's a good climb on fixed, though, and I reckon I could get up quicker that way 'cos my fixed is that much lighter. Will take it for the next PB attempt.

Thanks for the stats, and chapeau to you for awesome times! Certainly does give me something to aim for/worry about!

ScottDougall · May 2007

looking back at some old gps data I managed it in 9mins on a 48x15 fixed back in December 06'

...its the legs that count !

liversedge · May 2007

7:15 doing a Tour of the Surrey Hills training ride from T-junction to speed bump.

--
Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com

Unknown · May 2007

CAnt believe you posted this. Now I have to go out to Box ASAP. :-)

"People setting the pace too fast on the front are abused to slow down. Riders that do not share the work are abused. Riders that need abuse get abused and the abuse is done in every language so they get the message"

Unknown · May 2007

Awesome time AndyP, for both BH and the Marmotte. I don't think I'll be setting my sights so high, but its good motivation! For the record, I work in Leatherhead, so am lucky enough to have easy access to the surrey hills from the office. This also give's me an unfair advantage as I can burn up it on relatively fresh legs, though I consider my lack of any natural cycling talent to cancel that one out!!!

Also respect to those who try it at the tail end of a long ride as thats worth at least 2 mph penalty.

Keep em coming, I'll figure out some kind of vaguelly sensible way to account for people who finished at the speed bump, though hopefully the historic times will be replaced over the coming weeks.

dave5ncp · May 2007

Bloody 'ell - knackered me just walking up it on Sunday.[:D]

 please pretend there's a horizontal line here. I couldnt work out how to put one in.
You stir my natural emotions

genki · May 2007

Aha...I was wondering when this one would resurface.

I've used a slightly different end-point - the entrance to the first car park on the left, but it's only a few seconds beyond the cafe entrance.

This year's best is 7:15. Last year's was 7:01 (so can we call that 6:59? [;)]), done as a warm-up before the club's hill-climb TT up Ranmore. The Ranmore climb was far more painful...deep into Lactic Land [xx(]

currieinahurry · May 2007

bring it on demon this title will be mine.
tikka

hi my name is adam... and i have a problem with posting on cycling forums.

RunawayPuma · May 2007

Our club (Serpentine) have traditionally started at the London Rd / Zig Zag junction, and finished at the island before the cafe entrance as kmahony described. The earlier finish point allows one to slightly regain composure before the cafe / car park entrance where there are often cars and pedestrians, especially on a Sunday. It also allows for you to 'roll' into the cafe for a piece of cake rather than 'racing' past.

From the junction to the island, I did 7:15 back in March. That was going very hard, but on my heavy steel framed Audax bike with mudguards. I'd love to go sub-7, and will try it on my S-Works Roubaix sometime.

ant41 · May 2007

i feel somewhat shamed. Managed to just break 10m30secs(ish) a few weekends ago but that was after a 65km loop including Ranmore Common Hill and Whitedown [xx(]. I will be doing the same loop this weekend so I will see if i can improve . . . .

Friend of mine reckons he has done it sub 6 minutes. He is an excellent cyclist and triathlete but to me that is just ridiculous.

Bonking is fun . . . but not on the bike.

Climber_Andy · May 2007

Took me 9 minutes last summer, but I'll be doing lots of reps this time round, so will be interesting to see...

Timeless · May 2007

last time I timed it I did 7.34 to the posts on the traffic island at the top. This was about 3/4 through a 80 mile club ride and a couple of the guys in our group passed me before the top, so they would have been quicker.

JWSurrey · May 2007

My personal favourite is a loop that takes me back via Sheephouse Lane - One of those nasties which gets steeper, the higher you go (double chevrons on the map) [xx(]
I still haven't made it quite all the way without dabbing.... It's towards the end of a loop that takes in Shere's Hound House Rd., Peaslake and out on the Radnor Rd. over Holmbury Hill, Pasturewood Road's ascent to Leith Hill road, Box Hill, then return via Wotton and Sheephouse Lane via Peaslake, to Shere.
A fellow roadie doing LeJog training pointed out that the side of the church porch just West of Coldharbour, has a handy outside tap.

liversedge · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JWSurrey
A fellow roadie doing LeJog training pointed out that the side of the church porch just West of Coldharbour, has a handy outside tap.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
top tip, thanks!

I usually wait till I get back to Peaslake and buy some water at the shop.

--
Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com

chocolateboy · May 2007

Must try to find Box Hill - tried once and got hopelessly lost around Shere. Ended up cycling back (to Kingston) back up Shere Hill (which is a nightmare!). Maybe next weekend...

JWSurrey · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by liversedge
....Peaslake and buy some water at the shop.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yeah - great shop - I passed it one Sunday morning and there was 1 roadie taking a break at the bus shelter - By the time I got back late lunch, I had to laugh - The mountain bikers were out of bed - All 50 of them!

Great store - love their cyclist friendly stocks of hot tea, bananas, snacks etc. Particularly partial to their butterscotch rice-crispie crunch.
Bit of bad news - The bloke who owns the shop has sadly died, but I'm assured the shop will carry on.

Oh, the tap is about 1ft off the ground, on the right hand side (outside wall) of the porch as you look at it.

naked_ollie · May 2007

I did 7:01 today - but that was to the speed bump. Just re-read this thread and it looks like I was a bit short if it's meant to be the turn into the Cafe. So I guess 7:15 ish? That was fixed - which I'm not sure was a help or a hindrance...

Unknown · May 2007

Rode out to Box hill for the first time this year (thanks to this thread) on Sunday, as part of my training ride. I did the hill 3 times (as interval training) and got the following times: 6:45, 6:40 and 6:40. Average speed was around 22.5kph. it was wet and raining but I think that helped as it kept me cool. I am pretty light (63kg) and race, but only 4th cat, so I would think a sub 6 is possible for others. I would need to go from around 14mph to almost 15mph to do a 5'59. Em, a target to aim for? That translates to around 24.5kph (my computer is in metric) which would probably mean going faster up box hill than I ever have.

On the 8th day God made a bicycle, and he saw that it was good. (actually personally he thought it was his best invention yet)

Aperitif 51 · May 2007

Bloody hell Kieran![:I] ...out of breath reading this - I can't drive up Box Hill that fast! Well done.

103kg - kg361

Unknown · May 2007

Thanks, Aperitif, although I know there's faster ones out there, having been passed a few times last year going up box hill at around the same speed. Must admit I like Box Hill as the gradient is so constant you can get into a good rhythm and its long but not too long so you can psuh yourself without blowing up.

On the 8th day God made a bicycle, and he saw that it was good. (actually personally he thought it was his best invention yet)

richa · May 2007

Nipped out there yesturday to make the most of the first bit of sunshine we have seen in May. Did two climbs; one fast (relatively speeking) and one paced.

<s>8:20</s> is now 7:42 to the speed hump.

Rich
Etape2007.Blogspot.Com

liversedge · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by RichA
<s>8:20</s> is now 7:42 to the speed hump.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Wow. Your training is working then!

--
Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com

Boxhill challenge!

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