Surrey/ Kent 'Cols' Challenge...

WarlKicken

Hello There and a Happy Easter to one and all!!

After crunching through an Easter egg or two...or maybe three (chocolate coma) I got thinking.....

I've been dancing up the occasional col du Surrey/ Kent on and off for a while now. Getting out and up Box "Hill" and surrounding area (completely didn't find Leith Hill but something close that proved deliciously tough), up and around Toys and Titsey Hills respectively, that was a tough one. I love climbing (though not amazing at it which isn't the point I guess) and have been thinking of jumping on one of these climbing "holidays" in the Alps.

Most of these escapes in the mountains do seem to suggest you need a decent amount of cycling in the legs. Now, I commute four days a week which is about 20/30kms a day all in so nothing to write home about, and usually get out for some classic laps of Richmond OR out to said places above at the weekend, usually constituting anything between 55km-100km (one escape to the Alps suggested 250kms a week which I reckon I am not far off). I got very much into reading about one specific cycling escape in the Alps which takes in Alp d'Huez and Ventoux on two days, as well as many other cols nearby over eight days but after reading I can see that, regardless of how slowly I did it, my legs might not even be up to over two hours solid climbing.

Can anyone suggest any decent, hilly b*stard routes in the Surrey Hills, Kent Hills or surrounding, that could give me some form of decent "training" (hate the word because I have nothing to train for!! ) so I can get used to some more serious climbing, for longer. Even if it does mean going down and up. I am more keen to take in kilometres rather than just going up and down the same climb though.

Any advice is extremely appreciated.

Thanks
WK

willnewtonclare

Depending on where you're based this is fairly easy to get to, train to Sevenoaks then...
http://app.strava.com/segments/5760992 25 miles, 6 decent hills.
http://app.strava.com/segments/3899007 38 miles 8 decent hills.
or if you can face it just go up Toys and down the other side until you're shattered!

The Alps are a different challenge...easier gradients but you'll be climbing for a long time, food,drink and will power will be important!

WarlKicken

willnewtonclare wrote:

Depending on where you're based this is fairly easy to get to, train to Sevenoaks then...
http://app.strava.com/segments/5760992 25 miles, 6 decent hills.
http://app.strava.com/segments/3899007 38 miles 8 decent hills.
or if you can face it just go up Toys and down the other side until you're shattered!

The Alps are a different challenge...easier gradients but you'll be climbing for a long time, food,drink and will power will be important!

Cheers buddy. Getting lost, even on Sportive's is something I excel at. I need to learn how to use my Garmin properly!!

Thanks for this, I'll give it a bash, I'd usually cycle down from Tooting to Titsey or Toys so might try and epic there and back!!

If I manage it, I'll keep you posted on how much pain I'm in.

WK

Monty Dog

See how many times you can ride up Leith Hill from Dorking via Coldharbour? I've done a few hill repeats to train myself for Alpine trips. I once did a 250km loop from home, included all the main Surrey Hill climbs plus a few on the Northdowns for good measure - it was about 3000m of climbing by the time I got home.

Iamnot Wiggins

See if you can find the King of the Downs loop as that covers both Surrey & Kent in one. I have it somewhere so will drop you a PM once I've found it.

buckmulligan

I'd be interested if you can post it here Wiggins! I'm based in Central London and regularly hit the hills around Sevenoaks for a decent amount of climbing in a short distance but not so familiar with Surrey.

For Kent, I'd definitely recommend getting the train out to Orpington rather than Sevenoaks (or any of the smaller surrounding stations) due to regularity of trains and easy cycling routes to/from the station; the 15 mins of the train certainly beats the hour of hacking it through the London suburbs too. Here's a short (90km) and long (120km) route that I regularly do, nice quiet country roads and hits small villages fairly regularly so you can stop for refuelling when necessary:

http://connect.garmin.com/course/5975126
http://connect.garmin.com/course/6257348

The descent down the north side of Toy's Hill is a particular favourite!

Miles253

IDE hill has to be one of the longest hills in the area, I always make sure I tackle that, nice decent too. Toys hill from Brasted is a good gradual,gradient too, not Alpine, but fun all the same, I personally hate the decent of Toys Hill away from Brasted as it's got poor surface and visibility and i had a nasty crash down there, but the decent is good. Hell of the Ashdown (forest) might be another good route to search for, don't have it to hand right now but a quick Google should turn it up.

buckmulligan

I'm not such a fan of Ide Hill, it's a decent climb but the road is often busy with traffic and the road surface isn't great. However it does have a great view from the top and you can then head off into the foresty bit to the east, which is nice.

I still prefer Toy's Hill though and south-to-north is definitely the way to go. Better climb and better descent going that way.

Miles253

I guess I can never find my way round to the South start, should just run my Garmin route backwards! I've always found Ide Hill quiet, not too busy. Road is quite poor though I agree

willnewtonclare

This is a good one too

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4150744
http://www.strava.com/routes/188157 slightly better version.
6000ft in 60miles
starts at Otford train station clockwise then anti clockwise loop!

buckmulligan

Nice route. Last time I went down Bayley's Hill was on the Kentish Killer 2013 and to say the road surface was bad is a bit of an understatement. Some of the potholes were 10 inches deep with a sharp kerb-like edge, as though they had been prepped for repair and then just left.

Thankfully the organisers put a marshall at the really dangerous spots, but if you were unaware and hit one of those at speed you and your bike wouldn't stand a chance. Can anyone shed any light if it's any better these days?

nick1972

Yorks Hill is a good test after climbing Ide Hill. Short and very sharp.

on-yer-bike

There is a route on Strava called the Super Six that a friend invented. Toys, Ide, Yorks, Baileys, Hubbards and River. You go down them all too.

willnewtonclare

Bayley's Hill is wonderful IMHO, in fact it's the hill I've been up most in the last year.
"Super six" is the reverse of the link I first posted it starts at Toys Hill(Edenbridge side), my link starts at the bottom of Riverhill(South of Sevenoaks) it's a fast way to pack in a lot of climbing but some of the hills are traffic ridden on the way up ( River and Ide Hills), Yorks is no fun on the way down, but if you want to climb....you'll have to descend! there is no way to do Alpine rides in SE UK, just go up as many hills as you can!

motogull

willnewtonclare wrote:

This is a good one too

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4150744
http://www.strava.com/routes/188157 slightly better version.
6000ft in 60miles
starts at Otford train station clockwise then anti clockwise loop!

Might have a go of that route in the summer.

Exedown is one of 'mine' as are others heading east, the A20, Vigo Hill, Birling Hill and Rochester Road in Aylesford leading into and up Warren Road.

Iamnot Wiggins

Here's the King of the Downs route, appears that you can download it as a GPX file which I think can be put onto a Garmin. Don't ask me how though!

http://www.mapmyride.com/so/cadale-midd ... te-7007071