Hell of the Ashdown

A CycloSportive? In Winter? And why not? We know that you keen Sportive riders are made of tough stuff and train throughout the winter. You are definitely not 'couch potatoes. While others have their feet up slouched in front of a roaring fire (or roaring Tele!) you Guys and Gals are out in all weathers, which is just as well because in addition to the testing climbs and hairy descents of this event you'll have the vagaries of the English climate to contend with.

That's how Catford Cycling Club presented the sportive, complete with it's 1800m of hills. It was certainly a tough one though mainly due to being the first main event of the year and luckily the weather was perfect for cycling, a cool dry bright day. The route itself started with a hairy descent that really made you feel the wind-chill. It was from this launch pad that Kate and Nic started. Though having different paces, they split up soon after.

Several members of the Rapha-Condor-Recycling team were present as were some of the guys from Condor. They started later than Kate and Nic, though overtook Nic approximately 2km from the end, and they weren't even racing! They had passed Kate earlier, though she did pass
them a while after that (they were having a wee-break), only to be passed again.

The climbs, though tough were certainly achievable and the descents enough to push 75kph (Top recorded speed for Nic). Despite taking on his usual no-holds-barred descents that scare Sedef, it was on the flat that he came a cropper. Cornering at speed to overtake a small cluster of fellow cyclists, the bake wheel slid across a drain cover and sent the bike toppling and Nic sprawling, landing on his knees (ouch) and they re-bounding backwards onto his bottom. Damage to the bike, meant stopping on a few hills to manually changing the chainwheel from the 53 to the 39, though after doing this a few times, a careful thump sorted them out (well almost) and at least allowed the gears to change with a screech and a knee-crunching lurch. Combined this with the fall, Nic wasn't going to complete in 4hrs and duly finished 119th with a time of 4.32hrs (recorded cycling time of 4.15hrs). Kate finished 261st with a time of 5.16hrs. Both did well out of the 500 odd who took part.

Hell of the Ashdown
Distance (km)107.08
Elevation Gain (m)+1,819 / -1,820




The main climbs:

Toys Hill (2.5 miles) - although you go up the ‘easier’ north face.

Hollow Lane (1.6 miles) – steady up from Dormansland.

Kidds Hill (1 mile) – Hill? You have to be Kidding! It‘s a monster, a devil. Truly the ‘Hell of the Ashdown’.

‘Col de Groombridge’ (1 mile) – A truly awesome climb of World Championship merit.

Ide Hill/Wheatsheaf Hill (1.8 miles) – steep all the way except for a short false flat between Ide & Wheatsheaf.

Star Hill (1 mile) – the ‘sting in the tail’, hardly welcome for those at the end of their tether.

The descents:

Star Hill – You won’t have to wait long to test your skill as the first and possibly the hairiest descent comes in the first mile. It’s very steep, as it warrants a severe gradient chevron (>), so you’ll build up a fair turn of speed. Then half way down you’ll encounter an ever tightening left hand bend. If you’re not braking well before this point you’ll be swept into the path of oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. Dodgy!

Toys Hill – This is also very steep and is known as the ‘ski slope’ (let’s hope there is no ice or snow around to put this to the test!). So you probably won’t have time to take in the spectacular views, at this, the highest point on this North Downs ridge.

Hollow Lane (from Dormansland) – Not too difficult, although narrow, but look out for the very sharp right hand bend at the foot of the hill.

Black Hill (Ashdown Forest to Groombridge) – An exhilarating, straight (almost), 4 mile descent. Ideal for a freewheeling contest! (Steep enough to be included as a climb in the 1994 Tour de France).

Park Lane (no not that one!) – Long descent from the One Tree Hill ridge down to Seal. Care on narrow road.

Later in the year, we'll try this route again and see how we compare!!!! Oh yeah says who!!!

Big thanks to Catford CC for organising the event - much appreciated.