The Cheam and Morden CTC Hilly 50 has rightly taken its place among
the pantheon of cycling events.

Shorter than the Tour de France, and less cobbly than the Paris-Roubaix, it is, nonetheless, the most ridiculous of all the Classics. Last year 190 riders made the mistake of riding it. This
year we hope that even more will do the silly thing and turn up to
Ryka’s cafe car park, just north of Dorking on the A24, for the 10am start on Saturday 16th of February.

For those of you who haven’t previously experienced the delights of the Hilly 50, think of it this way – it’s the Tour of the Surrey Hills without the boring flat bits. What goes up inevitably goes down, but, just as inevitably, what goes down will certainly go up. And then down and up again.

Ranmore, Leith Hill, Friday Street, that horrible ride up from
Ewhurst, White Down and Box Hill crammed into 50 kilometres. How
much more fun could you want?

This is a ride for all. Elite riders will hope to finish in under two hours, but there will be those who will do it in just under four, and they’ll be smiling as they collapse at the finish.

The Cheam and Morden CTC offers this nugget of joy to all at the
bargain basement price of £3 but, for those cyclists of a parsimonious disposition (and, rumour has it, there are a few) we
offer a discounted rate of £2 if you register in
advance. You still pay on the line, but, by emailing your name,
telephone number, CTC number (if you have one) and club affiliation
(if you have one) to Cheam and Morden CTC’s Simon Legg at [email protected], you will simply have to sign against your name, pay up, acknowledge the conditions, pick up your route sheet and guide and then set off to make merry with your little ring.