Cheam and Morden Hilly 50 March 6th 'The Most Ridiculous of all the Classics'

[GrumpyGregry]

At present my plan is to be at cafe for about 0900, give me time to recover from ride over and enjoy some breakfast. Hopefully will be meeting at least Stevevw there.

Promise to come over and say "Hi" as ungrumpily as I can muster in a bikers cafe at 09:30 on a Saturday morning.

you're all bonkers. The course is like a ploughed field, and the hills are completely horrible. I shall be marshalling in Dorking. With a cup of espresso to hand.

Does the cat have any thoughts on the likely weather conditions during your espresso break?

 

[clivedb]

So the weather has improved and here's my chance to do something ridiculous, but I'm not going to be there after all - completely stuffed up with cold after avoiding swine flu, etc etc all winter. Hope to see you soon.

 

[MacB]

very frosty here this morning, I may have to consider driving to the start, I don't really want to do this ride on a 3 speed with studded Winter tyres

 

[mistral]

very frosty here this morning, I may have to consider driving to the start, I don't really want to do this ride on a 3 speed with studded Winter tyres

Good to know it's notghing to do with ...

"I weighed myself this morning, 29lbs heavier than the last time I did a night ride, and 14lbs more than on any social ride I've done"

 

[Aperitif]

very frosty here this morning, I may have to consider driving to the start, I don't really want to do this ride on a 3 speed with studded Winter tyres

There's only room for one stud on a bicycle...

Have fun everyone. I'm 'hilling' very nicely.

 

[MacB]

Good to know it's notghing to do with ...

"I weighed myself this morning, 29lbs heavier than the last time I did a night ride, and 14lbs more than on any social ride I've done"

you can go off someone you know

 

[GrumpyGregry]

the weather pastcast from metcheck for Dorking is basically Brrrrr!

09:00 = 0 degrees
12:00 = -1degree
15:00 = -6 degrees

 

[Tynan]

you lot enjoy, after pooh poohing this on the grounds of hills, i've been asked to take part in a Ventoux ride later this year, kismet I suppose

 

[hatler]

Just back. A great run. The sun shone, and Simon's assessment of the route as 'bordering on the horrendous' was a little OTT. There were holes, and one land slip, and one or two of the roads weren't exactly recognisable as such, but it was all passable.

Seemed like a good turnout and there were smiles all round at the finish.

And to top it all I beat my previous time by 18 minutes. Time for a cuppa and a hot bath.

 

[DJ]

Well, that was a fun day, everyone seemed very friendly and it was great to meet old faces. I've had a great work out even my neck is stiff from looking up hill. Some of the decents felt like I was literally fallling straight down.
Great to see Alistair at the start, and then at the top of the first hill I took a wrong turn and just kept going, finally caught up with the main group around Friday Street and made sure I didn't get lost again.

There was a degree of pain which fitted nicely with the degrees of ascent and the few degrees above freezing the weather was and also the degrees of seperation as I realised I had met more cyclests before than I had realised. The South London cycling fraternity is small.

Thanks organisers 3 quid well spent

 

[des.o]

Lovely day's riding, very friendly group and a nice early season reminder of how painful that combination of hills and a winter lay-off can be. Many thanks to Simon and the C&M organisers - great route/organisation/signing etc and ....price. All much appreciated.

 

[MacB]

Great to see people at the start, Steve and Dave especially, but I wasn't going to keep pace with anyone today. I believe I was actually overtaken by a small slug at one point. Got home hours ago but just surfaced kkkkkknackered would be a bit of an understatement. Still I'm consistent, yet to finish this ride. This time I didn't get lost but went left to Guildford after 17 miles, by the Bulls Head. Figured I had just about enough gas left to make it to Guildford station, it was close. I made it to the start without getting lost so my total for the day came in at a, very slow, 60 miles, but I'm just not coping with the hills.

A wiser move might have been to drive to the start but I was goaded by Mistral and stupid enough to respond I'm shocked by how hard I've found certain hills that I went up no problem last year. Time for another significant improvement in fitness and power to weight ratio Unless I can ride up the hills I won't bother again, that's the only bit I enjoy, still hate the downhills with a vengeance.

One serious negative, after 43 miles of main, and fast country, road riding in getting to and from, I only expereinced one instance of poor driving. En route to Guildford I had a shockingly close overtake, nearly had me off the bike, from a car with a MTB on the top

 

[dellzeqq]

well done one and all - 143 riders, which is a decent turnout given that the weather has been so poor.

 

[mistral]

Great to see people at the start, Steve and Dave especially, but I wasn't going to keep pace with anyone today. I believe I was actually overtaken by a small slug at one point. Got home hours ago but just surfaced kkkkkknackered would be a bit of an understatement. Still I'm consistent, yet to finish this ride. This time I didn't get lost but went left to Guildford after 17 miles, by the Bulls Head. Figured I had just about enough gas left to make it to Guildford station, it was close. I made it to the start without getting lost so my total for the day came in at a, very slow, 60 miles, but I'm just not coping with the hills.

A wiser move might have been to drive to the start but I was goaded by Mistral and stupid enough to respond I'm shocked by how hard I've found certain hills that I went up no problem last year. Time for another significant improvement in fitness and power to weight ratio Unless I can ride up the hills I won't bother again, that's the only bit I enjoy, still hate the downhills with a vengeance.

One serious negative, after 43 miles of main, and fast country, road riding in getting to and from, I only expereinced one instance of poor driving. En route to Guildford I had a shockingly close overtake, nearly had me off the bike, from a car with a MTB on the top

I'm impresed.

Despite this being my manor (almost) I didn't make it last year and I was unable to do it today due to family commitments, so I'm in no position to pass comment.

I know all these hills well, it must be leg & lung sapping to have to tackle so many in a relatively short distance.

Al, it's early in the season for such a monster, the fact you had a go is better than I've managed!

 

[Aperitif]

Yes, well done everyone who had a go. I'm puffed out typing this.