After having my first attempt at Box Hill scuppered by Hurricane Bertha's untimely visit back in August at the RideLondon-Surrey 100, I desperately wanted to know what all the fuss was about with this iconic hill.
The Box Hill Original sportive, organised by UK Cycling Events, offer cyclists an end-of-season gallivant around the Surrey Hills and North Downs with three distances to choose from: 43, 70 and 102 miles, all including Box Hill and its steeper partners in crime. I opted for the 'Epic' 102 mile and purported 5793ft elevation course, and hoped I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew as this would be my first official ton in an organised event.
Having learnt first-hand just how nervous sportive organisers can be when it rains, I monitored the weather forecasts studiously in the preceding week, hoping that lightning wouldn't strike twice (literally) for my second attempt on the Box Hill massif. Rainy days bookended the Sunday, which itself looked bright and dry albeit a bit chilly. The event would go ahead!
The starting venue for the event was Sandown Racecourse. Loads of parking, plenty of facilities and even the chance to purchase a Pinarello bike and some Assos lycra if, you'd forgotten everything except your platinum card.
With registration completed quickly, we chucked on a few layers, got in line and headed on our way out through the town of Esher. After a few miles we were off the main roads and into the country lanes and before long our first proper lump of the day was upon us. Mile 12 saw us served a nice starter climb, perfectly preparing us for the bigger dishes awaiting. About 350ft in 1.5 miles split any early groups apart before settling down into much easier and more manageable terrain.
Generally flat with the odd rise here and there, we sped our way through the autumnal countryside arriving at the first feed stop on mile 40. A generous spread of all the usual sportive delicacies were on offer, from popcorn to fig rolls, flapjacks to bananas; plenty of offerings were both consumed and stowed away for the harder times to come.
The terrain was similar for the next 30 or so miles, which we enjoyed at a nice pace, sharing efforts with riders in decent sized groups, all conserving energy for what seemed like a lot of climbing to come in a relatively short distance.
Around mile 70, we hit the first of three major climbs lined up for us. Almost as famous as its brother Box, Leith Hill packs 450ft into 1.3 miles with an average gradient of 7%. Not the longest climb in the world, but after 70 miles and queued up as the first of three, it was a solid test in its own right. After climbing for just under ten minutes, a short descent moved us swiftly along to the next test: Whitedown Lane.
With almost identical statistics to Leith, Whitedown was a more than ample match to its predecessor and the perfect meat in this very lumpy sandwich. And so with two down and only one to go, the renowned Box Hill was awaiting. But first, we had to get off our bikes and walk down the underpass in order to safely cross the road. Killed the mood a little bit I must admit, but a welcome rest of the legs nonetheless.
Back up the other side of the underpass we clipped in and navigated through the torrent of traffic towards the turning where the ascent would start to the most ridden UK segment on Strava. Almost 30,000 Strava users have attempted the 'Box Hill (Zig Zag Rd)' segment, with the elite having completed it in under 5 minutes. After waiting a minute or two for the traffic to pass, we finally crossed the road and I began my assault on the faultlessly tarmacked ascent. Slightly longer in distance, but with less overall elevation than Leith, the ride itself wasn't particularly challenging; however, the views at the top are what really sets Box Hill apart from the others. A clear sky allowed the vista at the top to be viewed in all its exquisite glory. A deservedly celebrated piece of perfect English countryside that should be revered and visited for its natural beauty as much as its incline.
With Box Hill and all the climbing now done, we zipped along to the last feed stop, stocked up and headed on our way home with the intention of repairing the damage done to the average speed by all that slow uphill cycling.
The remaining route back home took us along some pretty busy roads, apart from one cheeky little turning named Chapel Lane at around mile 92. As we made our way along, I believe I heard someone mutter the words 'twenty percent'. As I strained my ears to hear more, I looked up and saw some poor fellow walking himself and his bike up a wall of road. What was this? I clearly didn't study the course profile well enough, as we were now faced with a viciously short but steep ramp that I wasn't expecting. Out of the saddle and employing all sorts of muscle groups not normally used for cycling, I slowly but surely made it to the top. Bagden Hill combined almost 200ft of climbing in 0.3 miles of road, giving an average gradient of 10%. Afters had been served...and I was already stuffed.
Surely there would be no more surprises... and thankfully there weren't. Mainly descending roads took us back into Esher and the finishing line at the Sandown Racecourse, where we were greeted with a medal, goody bag and SiS recovery drinks.
In summary, the Box Hill Original was a very well organised sportive encompassing much of the natural beauty found in Surrey. The last 20 miles did use roads for faster road traffic than I would have expected, which could be uncomfortable for some riders, but the vast majority of the course was routed through quiet lanes. The weather was good, the venue and feed stops were excellent and the hills were memorable: a great day all round.
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