Start/ Finish: Circular route starting and finishing at Richmond Station, London
Distance: 107.5km
Highlights: Shere Village; Hurt Wood; Boxhill; Flex falling off his bike in Forest Green
Riders: Flex, Jam, Maverick Dan
Jam’s Rating: 8/10
We weren’t planning on going this far. Had Dan not been running late, perhaps we wouldn’t have found the longer route, and the original 60 miles would have been our distance for the day? Instead, the difference of 10 minutes before Dan arrived allowed us to load up this 67 miler – and I think we’re all glad we did.
Yes, the hills were gruelling.
Yes, we had rain as we made our way through Esher.
And yes, Flex fell off his bike.
But the views were spectacular; the downhills glorious; and being enveloped by the fresh air of the countryside was fantastic.
And did I mention Flex fell off his bike?
Riding through the hills of Hurt Wood, and through the postcard-perfect villages of Surrey were about as perfect as I think cycling in England can be. Tough uphills followed by long, fast downhills, and meandering lanes through muddy woods with trees and ferns that made the air smell noticeably sweet – a welcome contrast from the fumes and concrete of Kingston only a few miles earlier.
Dropping down into Shere was my highlight, followed by the winding lanes up into the hills. Maverick Dan performed his signature yo-yo manoeuvre of bombing it downhill at 40 miles an hour, and then finding himself overtaken on the uphills (classic Maverick) – but without question looked the part in his new gear, and showcasing a stark improvement in his fitness from a number of back to back weekends of +60 miles. Flex on the other hand, finding himself a little too distracted by the cricketers playing at Forest Green, took a shortcut through a ditch, and a flamboyant head-over-handlebars later found himself flat on his back (classic Flex).
Boxhill was exciting to cycle up considering it’s stature in the cycling world, but apart from the view at the top, I actually found it a little disappointing. Hills prior were tougher, and the downhill after Boxhill left me wanting more. Still, it complemented a fantastic route – topping my personal leaderboard, overtaking Wheathampstead to Cambridge in the process which I thought would take some doing.
I can’t imagine that Surrey compares well against the beauty of European mountains, but as for what a short cycle out of London has to offer, I think this is going to be hard to beat.
Dan
This is great! Good report and nice photos.
I agree with Shere being beautiful, there was a perfect downhill leading into that village.
I’d be keen to go again.