Night Ride - 29 July - The Hills Don't Have Eyes

The 'Surrey' Hill Don't have eyes

Short notice I know but Clintsmoker and I will be doing the old Team Etchingham training ride.

Tomorrow.

At Night.

Having invested in some proper wattage can only justify the expense by getting out there and burning some lumens and some thighs.

The Surrey Hills can be a bit nasty but the way we go at them is good for fixed gear. Gears only the other way round.

Anyway, all welcome but bring some lights, some water (don't reckon on peaslake stores being open), some food and shit and get down to Waterloo tomorrow evening.

We want to get the 1933 train to Effingham junction (if it's a bit fucked cos of commuterville then there are regular trains over the next 45 mins). After that it's about 38 miles in the Surrey hills or more likely about 30 and then the 20 or so back to Central London.

Yee 'fuckin' haa!

no chance but enjoy!

Sounds good Jonny, and normally I'd be up for it, but I'm meeting a mate for drinks tomorrow night.

I'm intrigued by the route - how can you get to Peaslake by fixed? Let me know when/if you're planning on doing it again.

I'm intrigued by the route - how can you get to Peaslake by fixed? Let me know when/if you're planning on doing it again.[/quote]

we will be doing it again Andy as it is a regular run for us. admittedly normally in daylight.

we go up Pitch Hill from Shere and then down it in to Peaslake. on a saturday we would stop and have a cup of tea with all the offroaders. then it's that sharp left up and on to Holmbury Hill. when riding gears we do the route the other way round.

will let you know when we are next doing it dude.

actually, here's the route - i knew i had bikely'd it at some point

[ame]http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Five-Hills-Fixed-Route[/ame

Jonny, this is my 'hood. Tap me up next time, night or day ride.. FE

You go down Whitedown on a fixed? I bet that makes the knees grumble a bit!

How did it go jonny???

Hey jonny, how was the ride? HIllingdon was okay. 45 mins in breakaways then I just didn't have the legs. :(

Anyone doing Tour of the Hills? Covers a lot of that ground....

details FE. where's the start/when?

never mind. found it.

Fancy it Desi? It's a bit like day 1 ToW !

looks alright. there's 'ride the horns' up chilterns that same day. was thinking of doin that but this tour of the hills looks alright as well. only 100kms but over 2000m climb...that's a lot of climbing. like TOW day1 alright.

Train to Woking then a nice gentle ride to the start. Some of the road surfaces are ratty but Shere is very pretty, lots of walking country and a teashop for Mrs Desi whilst you're doing your bike thang!

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!?!

Sounds superb. I know all of the roads you covered so am still in awe of you riding them fixed. That hill out of Peaslake will have earnt you a half in the Coldharbour.

I've pencilled it into my diary for Tuesday the 12th (if that's the right date?).

Can only add to the superlatives that jonny boy has already laid on you. What more could you ask for? empty roads, stunning countryside and plenty of decent climbs. 80% of which are long and gradual with 20% requiring some dig deep guts and determination cuz of the steepness. No other route gets you stronger and fitter as fast as this one. For those of you who did the Dunwich, you all know how cool it is riding through the countryside at night. Now add on riding through forests and pine tree tunnels while going up and down the highest hills in the south of England.

We will do this in the day time one weekend soon and that might be a good time to check it out if you don't consider yourself to be a climber.

Sounds superb. I know all of the roads you covered so am still in awe of you riding them fixed. That hill out of Peaslake will have earnt you a half in the Coldharbour.

I've pencilled it into my diary for Tuesday the 12th (if that's the right date?).

The 12th is the one Andy - will be good to have you out there dude

That ride looks great Jonny, will definitely try and make it one night when I get back from my holidays. I love cycling up hills on fixed

Sounds good. Could well be up for the ride on the 12th, I'd have to drive over from Kent though. 40 miles from my house, would just about scrape there for when your train arrives!

Would you accept an interloper riding geared.......

sam, willo, allcomers welcome. only ability needed is that to get round the route in time for that last train !

or in your case Sam you might be able to make a bit of cash on the side - late night Taxi Driver style

jonny I'd be up for this, hopefully the shoulder should be on its way back to normal use by then, not sure I'll be as quick up the hills as you and the smoking machine, but I will try...

cornelius, would be good to have you out there, as ever. might get this arranged as a day ride too to introduce the ride. it is pretty spectacular riding by day, and was wicked by night.

Am up for this also. My hamstrings are back to normal now (just as well I am related to a number of physios) and I want to get my fitness up.

willski, this will get the fitness up alright ;)

nice one dude