The Guildford Cycle Challenge

mattlegge

The 2007 Guildford Cycle Challenge comprises three rides, each on the best of local roads and each offering a different challenge, with something for all on September 16

Bike for All (for families / beginners)
48km (28 miles) - long and based on a route following country lanes to the south of Guildford. There will be plenty of support for novice riders.

Challenge (for intermediate riders):
85km (52 miles) - long, also looping south of Guildford on fine country lanes, but including a couple of the steep climbs in the Surrey hills that our area is well-known for.

Epic (for advanced riders): 132km (82.5 miles) - includes most of the area's climbs that we could find! With more than 2,300 meters of climbing, this route is a test even of the fittest cyclists.

Each ride will be marshalled, with directional guidance, maps, and mobile support, with food and drinks provided along the way. The routes have been selected by some of Guildford's most experienced cyclists, many of whom will be riding - or supporting the rides - on the day.

Don't be put off by the distance. This is designed to be a challenge at each level, but can be achieved by any cyclist whether they are fitness fanatics or just occasional rides.

Website- http://www.guildfordcyclechallenge.com

McBain_v1

The "family ride" is a great idea, wish more were organised with this sort of option.

mattlegge

Glad you like it, lets hope lots of other people feel the same way and enter the event

MrKawamura

Hmmm, tempted by the Challenge route. Bit worried about the "couple of steep climbs" though. Suppose I could always walk them.

jonesy124

If im not on holiday I may go for the Challenge! However I dont like the sound of the steep climbs.

How long are they? Will I want to get off and push?

jonesy124

MrKawamura: We are obviously on the same wave length. How about we both go for it and if the climbs are too much we can take it in turns to push eachother?

simon_adams_uk

The climbs are short and vary from bumps to reasonably steep (15% - that sort of gradient). Nothing that a triple can't get you up!!

Bring on the Epic route...


S

MrKawamura

jonesy124 wrote:

MrKawamura: We are obviously on the same wave length. How about we both go for it and if the climbs are too much we can take it in turns to push eachother?

I'd probably be slumped in a heap at the side of the road. Once recovered I'd be glad of a push though.

McBain_v1

A 39/25 should get you up most climbs if you've got good legs, but there are some hills in the Peak District that make me wish I'd specified an Ultegra Compact chainset. How steep can things be down south then?

Jacomus-rides-Gen

I'm a Charlotteville CC rider, and have ridden round all the routes that will be going on the day, as we tested them out (plus the convinient fact that they are all around our usual hacking grounds )

The routes are very well structured to meet their criteria, and all of them take in some very nice sceney in the surrey hills.

For any riders thinking about doing the long ride - the climbing is brilliant, absolutely lovely hills, and some that are so much more testing than you would give Surrey credit for. Most of the descents are nice too, with clear sightlines and decent road surface. (though I am a very nervous descender so am much more sensitive to that kind of thing than most of the guys I hve ridden with)

I would defo recommend this ride to anyone here able to make it - for the London guys especially as rail links are so easy, South West Trains are pretty cycle friendly at weekends and its only 35mins from Waterloo.

Jacomus-rides-Gen

Don't worry about the Challenge ride MrKawamura and Jonsey - if you've got a triple you will go up them without getting off. The views are worth the sweat!

jonesy124

I DONT HAVE A GOD DAMN TRIPLE :evil:

Damn that man in the bike shop who told me i wouldnt really need one. I have a double - 50/34

Shall I bring my walking shoes with me then?

simon_adams_uk

My triple is 52/42/32 so if you've got 50/34 then you're using virtually the same ratios. And it's a bit less weight on the bike...

S

chocolateboy

Don't worry jonesy, if you ride as much as some of your posts here imply, you'll be fine with the hills. I ride them occasionally and while they are greta fun, there's no getting away from them being a bit steep. I have a 50/34 too and find that slotting it in bottom gear gets me up.

Lots of fun going down the other side too!

Sadly, I'll be doing the Lancaster to York ride on 16th Sept so won't be able to make this, but I plan to ride them in advance as training for them pesky pennines!

rhys_gibby

I'm going to give the epic a go, just need to drop my entry off now.

Simon Notley

Could be my first sportive of the year... been focussing on racing but the epic sounds like a good chance to test the legs on something a bit more interesting than your average circuit.

Aint Skeered

Just entered the epic.
Should be a good session, before I tackle Alpe D' Huez the following week.

ricadus

Just looking at the map now... presumably most of the hills are ones that feature on the Tour of the Hills ride (or at least the western ones near Shere)? What about west, over towards Farnham? Does the long route go that way too?


"Epic" could describe last Sundays ride: Guildford to Weston-super-Mare overnight. Lots of shooting stars, morning coffee in Bath's Cafe Nero, pint of Cheddar Ale in Axbridge, chips from the Grand Pier at Weston.

Still tired tonight, hanging on the back of the Wednesday chain gang.

chocolateboy

Be warned - the back roads of Surrey are treacherous at the moment - lots of gravel and stones have been washed onto the tarmac from the fields with all that rain we've been having, making an already dodgy surface even worse. I had a major incident on Friday just outside Box Hill. Came a cropper and, to cut a long story short, landed badly and now can't walk without lots of pain. Even worse, rear wheel of my bike is buckled and lots of scratches on my lovely paintwork. At this rate, I won't be able to do my planned Lancaster-York cycle, let alone the Guildford Challenge. Next week's walking hols in the Lake District also seem to be out

Ho hum

Yours, unhappily...

Aint Skeered

So who's signed up to date?
I will be riding the Epic.
Have not had any details on start time yet through.

mattlegge

All entrants should have received a start sheet and briefing message via email yesterday so should now be in your inbox

daniel_b

Might be interested in this next year, nowhere near fit enough at the mo, and a new house means chaos abounds for the next few months.

How much is entry out of interest?

Dan

Aint Skeered

Yep, Got it through this morning.
164 brave / foolhardy entrants for the Epic

mattlegge

Hope we get good weather!

Aint Skeered

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ ... ather.html
Looking ok at the mo.

orv

I'm doing the challenge route.... bit worried about the look of the climb out of Cranleigh though with my 53/39.
:oops:

mattlegge

That'll be horsebox hollow then - its a nice one!
Got a dinner plate to go on the back :shock:

orv

mattlegge wrote:

Got a dinner plate to go on the back :shock:

No but I've got some sandwiches to sit and eat as everyone whips past.

abi26

do you know if its too late to enter....also if the DEFRA zone will effect it??

orv

Was superb.... apart that is from getting a punture at mile 2 and due to being disorganised and leaving pump in car, took 30 mins before managing to stop someone with a pump and getting going again.

rhys_gibby

Brutal but brilliant, did an extra 10 miles due to going wrong at a junction somehow as it was signposted pretty well. A couple of the other epic'ers did the same as well.