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@The_Seldom_Killer
To be fair to The Dean, it is a beautiful ride, especially if you're out with other riders. It has a handful of feature climbs but most of the climbing that gets you the Audax Altitute Award points is soaked up in undulations. None of the feature climbs alone is sufficient to warrant much suffering. The pay off is that if you're at least a moderate descender (a skill not easily afforded the fixed community) then there's a lot of payoff to be had on the way round.
To add to that, the shape of the route means that you'll get some shelter from headwinds and inevitably pick up some cracking tailwinds in return if the weather is a bit blowy. Although it runs in the risky season at the start of spring, if you get a good day out, this ride can leave you feeling on top of the world when you roll into the finish. I reckon that's a risk worth taking. I knew I was in for a hard day when I set off and I'm still glad I did it. The next couple of audaxes are going to be a doddle in comparison, even though I'm doing them on fixed.