London Ditchling Devil 200km Audax

Heads Up Londoners, it's almost time for the 8th edition of The London Ditchling Devil, a 200km Audax from Wimbledon in South London visiting Ditchling Beacon and The Devils Dyke along the South Coast before coming home to Richmond Park.

We kick off from outside the Windmill Tearooms on Wimbledon common and thread our way out of London down to the first control point at Highbrook Village hall near Ardingly (50km). From there its quiet country roads towards the coast where we bounce off Brighton via Ditchling Beacon and the Devils Dyke before heading on to a lunch stop at Upper Beeding near Steyning (105km). Then it's an easy hop over to Chiddingfold (146km) for some afternoon tea and cake - can you spot a pattern here? - and then a gradual climb towards the Surrey Hills and a final dash for home to Richmond Park (205km).

How hilly is it? The landmark climbs will stretch your legs but with a total ascent of 2400m it's well short of being officially hilly, at least according to the Audax Altitude Award where it scores Nul Points (fixers will be fine on a ~70" gear)!

The Ditchling Devil is supported by voluntary groups at Highbrook Village Hall and Chiddingfold, and Brighton Excelsior Cycling Club in Upper Beeding, providing the control points and refreshments included in the entry fee, and as this is an Audax we are talking real food: bacon rolls, pasta and lashings of tea and cake!

Click on the graphic below for more details

just showing some love for a famous ride

good luck to all involved

Was fantastic last year - cake put on by the WI at the last stop? Genius!

Any chance there are any super secret places left?

In like Finn.

Nice day out.

I'm home already just waiting for my sweet and sour to finish cooking.

Nice route, nice food (even for us who are powered by plants) and nice people.

I did spend a very disproportionate amount of time by myself, but riding fixed I expected it.

Cheers all.

I guess that is you on the titanium Burls with 72GI (ish), then hello!

Sorry find it insanely difficult to talk while riding, wind noise, lips reading and all that.

No, I was on the green mango with sexy correx mudguards. I was spinning a much lower gear than that, only a 62. My legs were going like a sewing machine most of the day!

He was wearing the PBP top?

Didn't see anyone else on fixed all day but sounds like you were well ahead of me - I got roped into handing out cards, so left about 0820 and then just got slower ...

64in for me (and 24in on the Beacon, Tongdean, Coombe ... I am fat and unfit).

I got away bang on 0800, came in at 1730, but spent very little time at controls <30mins total I would say.

No 24" for me, but I've only been riding AAA events chasing SFW, so it felt quite flat and comfortable. I was tired from spinning out too much though.

I'm gonna be riding the perm version relatively soon, as I got a brevet just in case my work rota couldn't be changed and I couldn't ride the calendar. I'll probably ride 65 or 68 next time, as having never ridden any of these particular hills except Coombe Lane, I didn't know how tough they would be.

Yup! That's the guy.

There's another but singlespeed (purple/maroon Raleigh) and have a good attitude of enjoying the ride in short and t-shirt with the route sheet stuffed in his back pocket.