In this, its first year of running, the Addiscombe CC sportive covered 85 miles and took in a large part of one of the club’s regular Saturday rides in the lanes of the Surrey Hills, North Downs and West Sussex. The route was a large loop of 85 miles taking in a wonderful mix of fast, sweeping country roads, tight technical single car-width lanes and some tough lung-busting climbs, which were mainly concentrated in the last third of this challenging course.
I set off from central London in the early hours of Sunday morning and turned up at the Addiscombe CC HQ on Chipstead Valley road in Coulsdon, thirteen miles later, at 08.10. The car park and playground were already buzzing with eager cyclists fixing number boards to their handlebars and stuffing gel packs into their jersey pockets. Looking around, there was a good mix of weekend warriors, young, old, men, women and the occasional serious-looking cyclist.
Inclusive club
This looked like an inclusive club. Everything inside the club house wass organised and very straightforward. Slightly distracted by the sweet smell of espresso, I collected my map, timing sheet and number board and had a quick read through the rules and safety information. Within five minutes I headed back outside, ready to go. The first group of 15 riders set off at 08.20 and I managed to go off with the next 15 at 08.25. People were not exactly chomping at the bit to get started first.
Maybe they were worried they would get lost or something and preferred the security of having riders ahead. To be honest, I was kind of hoping I could hang back for another 10 minutes as I was feeling the same way but any fears about getting lost were soon squashed once I got on the road… After eagerly flying by the first sign – with two other riders I may add – we soon realised that the clear black on yellow arrow signs on the side of the road were teamed together with distinct directional arrows sprayed directly on to the road. It was a nice touch and a sensible one that ensured you should never be in any doubt of which way you were supposed to be headed, even if some scallywag had tampered with the signage.
Beautiful winding country roads
The first few miles of the route took in one small climb before firing you along one of the most beautiful winding country roads I could have wished for on a summer morning, dropping me down from Headley common along the B2209 towards Ranmore Common.
With a slight tailwind, the first few miles zipped by in a sun-speckled leafy blur. It was a perfect warm-up and the first confirmation I needed that it was actiually a good idea to get up at such a early hour and out on the bike. At 9am there were hardly any cars on the road and apart from the other participants the only other people I passed were other two-wheeled enthusiasts. Through to the village of Peaslake and there were also gangs of mountain bikers dotted around, passing over the roads from one dirt trail to another. Cycling around this neck of the woods is very popular indeed and it was a heart-warming sight to see such a healthy cycling scene in full flow.
High tempo
The rest of the ride is carried along at a pretty high tempo and I managed to team up with some other friendly riders from time to time who were happy to share the load. As a relative novice it was also my first introduction to road riding etiquette. Riders from the back shouting ‘car’ and riders from the front pointing out every pothole or drain that was likely to cause a problem. Riding in a pack is quite an intense experience and I soon realized, after bustling along with a few other riders, that I had probably missed 10 miles of scenery but had probably saved a few watts in the legs, concentrating my attentions more on what everybody else was doing and sticking to someone’s back wheel.
I rode most of the course solo and it was fairly flat, or near enough gently rolling over minor undulations. Main roads were limited and acted as links to the more remote country lanes.
Severe short, steep climbs
The final section of the route, however, took in two pretty severe short, steep climbs before the final climb up Box Hill. At the top, and drained of energy, I had a timely reminder of the highs of cycling. The views off the top of Box Hill were simply stunning. If I had not been thinking of putting in a good time I would have happily taken a few minutes to soak it all up. I’m glad to see it is being used as part of the Olympic Road Race route next summer.
All in all, a top event that I really enjoyed. It was hard work but I managed to get a gold star award for my efforts and it was definitely a great way to start my sportive career…although now I have a standard to live up to and I could definitely have lived without the 13 mile pedal back home against the wind to collapse on the sofa.
