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@jonny
Awesome little ride that. We had no trouble getting on the 1933 train from waterloo despite some panic merchant commuters. Including two guys with bikes who got off at Clapham Junction - wtf - why not ride there?
Anyway, just over 31 miles in the end. We cut short of doing Box Hill in favour of getting the last train home and avoiding 20 odd miles of suburbia.
Just over 31 miles l's and g's but a good few of them are spent climbing. Let me reiterate. This is a good route to do fixed. If you do it the other way round then going up Boar Hill towards Coldharbour and then later doing Whitedown (aka The Widowmaker - andyp - it's a shocker going the other way as well) are well tough.
It's a good little training ride and any of you out there hoping to get your sorry arses up Ditchling one day could do worse than tagging along some time. When we do it on weekends we throw in Box Hill just to play with the roadies and get some tea and cake at the top.
This way round the climbs are long and gradual with the occassional short ramp thrown in.
Clintsmoker and I will definitely be doing this one again. Possibly in two weeks time. Tuesday night again. Lit up like pinball machines.
We know this route well by day and it is a beauty. By night it was just awesome. Rolling down these country lanes through Pine and Beeches. Very few cars. Like only about a dozen during nearly two and a half hours of riding. A few descents that made you grateful for the front brake.
A quick half pint at the Plough in Coldharbour was thrown in there too.
FastEddie, AndyP, you should definitely come along.
Oh, the return train ticket to Effingham Junction was £8.20 or something. A cheap night's entertainment. That last train back was at 23.24. Miss it and then it's the long ride home.
Illy, nice one dude - the Jens Voigt of the Hillingdon hey!?!