First sportive of the year - bit nervous, to be honest. I've tried to keep my mileage up, even thrown in some climbs, but there's nothing like having someone else tell you where to go to give you a perverse sense of achievment, is there?
I was hoping that I would be up to the 80km long route on the Evans Gatwick RideIt sportive. When I booked it I wasn't mentally ready to tackle Kidds Hill (aka, The Wall) as I have that to come this weekend in my next outing - but the way the route wound north towards the escarpment of the North Downs, inside the M25 ring didn't fill me with confidence. Some of the nastiest climbs in the area end up there, and it's no surprise that Simon Warren's 100 Climbs book is peppered with them.
Anyway, this was like a home fixture for me. Registration was quick and easy, although the queueing was undeniably 'English', shuffling single file into a back room in Evans' Gatwick Head Office. Just a stick-on timing chip and a complimentary box of High 5 later, we were back out in the yard, crocodiling towards the start line gazebo and instructional talk about what signs to follow.
Today was unusual as we shared the first few kilometres, and several sections thereafter, with riders from the Evans cyclo-cross sportive starting from the same line. It was an odd experience, seeing riders disappear from the route and the same ones rejoin looking like they'd ridden through an explosion in a Suchard's factory.
The weather was kind to us, and the sun even peeped out to warm our cockles, but the Surrey Hills AONB is famous for, well, hills and the state of the roads up those hills. Some sections would have been better suited to the 'crossers' bikes, especially in the section towards Bletchingley. Notwithstanding the condition of the surface, the route itself was clever and interesting with the climbs being challenging without being impossible. The killer climb of the day for all those on the short and medium routes was up from the A25 at Godstone, up Flower Lane to Gangers Hill.
Before I reached the bottom of the climb, disaster struck and I had a spoke go on my front wheel. I thought my day was done. Thankfully (ironically for me) much of the road for the next few kilometers was uphill, and there wasn't too much speed or strain involved. The wobble from my wheel was disconcerting but not dangerous and I soldiered on to the the top of Chalkpit Lane.
This hill is a nasty one to go up, but it's even worse to go down. Bitter experience down here from a broken crank arm and a broken rib meant I clamped my brakes firmly on until almost the bottom of the descent. Others were not so prudent and whether it was due to naivety or bravado, several came a cropper and paramedics were called for one poor cyclist.
I was beginning to get worried about my wheel and had already decided that my buddy should carry on without me once we'd reached the feed stop and I'd asked for mechanical assistance. Sadly there was no provision for a spoke repair at this (supposedly) halfway point, but I called my wife in - being local has its advantages - and she was there within the hour with a spare front wheel. The mechanic, however, was being kept busy with gear issues, punctures and chain problems, all of which were being dealt with quickly and competently.
Back on the road and keen to make up for lost time, I decided to cut a small section out of the ride at Turners Hill, where the routes almost crossed, and rejoin the medium route as it came down through the village and past Tulleys Farm.
I loved the course and it was much changed from last year - the idea to combine the road with a challenging cyclo-crosser is a good one, albeit slightly confusing for some who weren't paying attention at the start. I wouldn't, however, have included Chalkpit Lane as a descent, especially for novice cyclists. I've been down it many times and it still scares the bejeesus out of me - there is a safer option a few kilometers further east down Titsey Hill and back towards Tandridge through Oxted.
It was also mentioned several times while I was waiting for my wheel at the feed station that 40km into a ride is far too long to wait for the first stop, particularly for those on the Short route who had less than 10km to go. Another point for organisers to consider is that the event start could have done with more space for waiting cyclists. The queue for the start line snaked all the way back out to the main road, causing confusion for those cycling to the start. On the plus side, there was plenty of parking around the industrial estate, and lots of marshalls helping people around from there to the start.
Broken spoke aside, it's got my sportive mojo back and I'm *almost* (I'm not) looking forward to The Wall on Sunday's Hell of the Ashdown...
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