Anyone doing the Tour of the Surrey Hills this Sunday?

liversedge

25th anniversary and all that. Its allegedly the hardest event in the SE. I rode the route most weekends as part of my Etape training and can attest that it takes in just about every hard climb in the Surrey Hills... forget Hardknott on the FWC its Tanhurst lane on the ToSH for me

Should be good weather for it this Sunday!

liversedge

liversedge wrote:

Should be good weather for it this Sunday!

Well the predicted torrential rain didn't turn up which was nice. Shame about the lowish turn out of riders (120 of 180). It was a good day out in the Surrey Hills.

The cakes at the end were worth the entry fee alone!!!

vermooten

Was gonna do it but events meant that I didn't. I was a DNF last year - I got lost having never done an audax before, but I've done a few this year so I'm on the muthafukka now. Next year.....

liversedge

vermooten wrote:

Was gonna do it but events meant that I didn't. I was a DNF last year - I got lost having never done an audax before, but I've done a few this year so I'm on the muthafukka now. Next year.....

Yeah, I got horribly lost last year and ended up on the A24 instead of Leith Hill. Managed to struggle my way round in the end but was totally knackered by the end. Its amazing the difference a bit of training and knowledge of the route can do - took 6.5hrs last year but only 4.5 this year!!

vermooten

That's a very good time nice one. I hope you scoffed as many sandwiches and cakes as could fit in your mouth at one time when you reached the end.

Michuel

liversedge wrote:

I took 6.5hrs last year but only 4.5 this year!!

I went back 1 hour over 2 years ago. In the P&F I went back 1 1/2 hrs over 2 yrs ago. Roughly more training miles but at a slightly lower intensity.

Well the predicted torrential rain didn't turn up which was nice. Shame about the lowish turn out of riders (120 of 180). It was a good day out in the Surrey Hills.

The cakes at the end were worth the entry fee alone!!!

Most riders wouldn't turn up because of rain beforehand. It was aa good ride but the preceding rain made the lanes very wet and muddy. There were lots of punctures which must have been a significanr % of riders - most had there team mates stopping with them to mend punctures.

Sad to see at event HQ about Tom Doughty the inital event founder who's been incapacitated by a hit&run driver. A rider who rode the first ToSH told me the original route had a road from near the pub on Pitch Hill to the steep bend at Horseblock Hollow.

danseur

Does anyone have a map of the route (or a list of the hills). Am always after new and amusing ways of joining up the Surrey climbs.

I was too scared by the rain on Sunday (and I'd only just dried off after getting soaked on the Saturday).

Excuses, excuses...

Monty Dog

If you google for 'tour of the hills' you should be able to find the route online. Alternatively, PM me and I can send you a Word copy - I've ridden it so many times I can describe the route off the top of my head. I didn't ride it because of the weather forecast and knowing what the road conditions would be like. I usually ride it a few times a year, or as part of a 200km route from home that takes in a few more hills and gives over 3000m of climbing - without repeating anything. I wouldn't quite say that Tanhurst Lane is on a par with Hardknott, Wrynose or Winnats - but on a fixed gear in February, it can get close!

DomT

danseur wrote:

Does anyone have a map of the route (or a list of the hills). Am always after new and amusing ways of joining up the Surrey climbs.

Just uploaded last years GPS data for this event, click here.

Didn't have the time to experience the pain again this year... well that was my excuse!

danseur

Thanks.

Looks like "fun".