I'm popping down to just east of Winchester for a few days. What's the local Alpe d'Huez / Ventoux that can keep me entertained for a bit? Probably wont be able to get out for very long, but I could do with getting in some training.
Where exactly you staying?
No long climbs on the road bike but plenty of shorter ones that are good.
South Downs are best climbs - old Winchester, Combe and Butser
Check out col de milbury on strava - that's quite good
City centre also has some decent short climbs if you want to do a city based thing.
Watch out for mental k-unty drivers we have round here. They're all evil.
Also bit further away but the road north out of Petersfield through Steep is a pretty decent climb
a lot of the best climbs are around the meon valley (a32).
Harvesting lane and hayden lane would be my recomendations.
sleepers hill for city centre hill repeats.
As above, Hayden Lane from Warnford up Old Winchester Hill is lovely - long and steady, then drop down and climb Butser via Harvesting Lane - steeper and punchy towards the end. From there a loop out through the rolling north side of the south downs and up to Wisborough Green lines you nicely for Bexley Hill from Lickfold on your return leg. Another one that nicely ramps up towards the top.
Cool. Thanks all. Old Winchester from Warnford looks good for some reps. Not steep, but a good 7+ min effort.
I have a 7km TT in a few weeks so I'm trying to get in some good work at VO2MAX at the moment.
Where exactly you staying?
Staying with in-laws in Twyford.
Assuming you are going to ride out from wherever you are staying, people would be better able to advise you if you answered curto80's question about where you will be staying.
Another factor which might influence recommendations is the time of day you will be riding, i.e. will you be heading out at evening rush hour? and how much time you will have, i.e. an hour or two?
I quite like sailors lane in the SD.
If you head in the other direction Farley has some shorter but nice and scenic hills - you could drop down to Mottisfont and then over Dean hill which is nasty to rep.
About 1km north of Upham is a left hand turn that leads to Baybridge. That road climbs for just over a kilometre, and has the added advantages of being relatively little used by traffic compared with many of the other country roads in that area. It has a great view of the valley to your right as you climb, and is a long steady good uphill gradient, which should be perfect for hill reps.
Recovery pint and crisps in the Brushmakers in Upham when you'ved finished.
From twyford:
- east along Hazeley Rd
- right at Mare Lane (nice short climb)
- straight over the junction at the bottom (careful there as it's a steep descent)
- up whites hill (very steep)
- follow it left at the top through owlesbury
- straight over belmore lane
- up to the crossroads at the top (this road was "resurfaced" the other day with that horrendous gravel chip stuff so hoping it will have settled down by then)
- right at the crossroads and then keep going straight for a few miles - eventually you descend down into Warnford where a quick left/right will get you to the bottom of old Winchester
Some classics suggested. You also add the White Way up from Exton to the top of Beacon Hill (better road surface than Sailors if I recall). Then down Wheely Down, up Hayden Lane to Old Winchester Hill. Then you can do lots of climbs up and down the Meon Valley (such as Coombe Rd). Fun!
Yeah Farley Mount Road up to the car park is a bit of a bastard but I'd also head east. Plenty of roads that are quiet enough.
Wheeley Down to get to Warnford is quite a nice roll down too. I'd get to that area via Colden Common (Hensting Lane), Oswlebury (via another punchy climb), Baybridge, Salters Lane via Milburys. Then I usually head up Winchester Hill to East Meon, Langrish, Steep and work my way home.
Plenty of climbs here in Hants, most have been mentioned.
I use Sailors Lane and the Old White Way from Exton as reps, Sailors was recovered in gravel crap last year but it's bedded down nicely.
Whilst on about that Gravel crap they throw in the road, there are a lot of lanes being covered innit at the mo' so watch out, the Dundridge Lane, the one behind it, the one that runs from the top down into the back of Corehampton is being done today.
Old Winny is on the cards to be done and the lane that goes past and up from Soberton to the top of old Winny, past the brewery is also on the list...
Expect punctures.
That's 2 pub stops mentioned so far... 🙂
Not a fan of the Milbury's though. Might as well deviate slightly and get the Bowman in 😉
Bloody gravel
Was out testing my nice new shiny carbon Hunt wheels at the weekend before hitting it all the way down Longwood. Needed my Gravel bike. Don't know how they get away with it.
Assuming you are going to ride out from wherever you are staying, people would be better able to advise you if you answered curto80's question about where you will be staying.
🙂 I was obvs replying as you were typing.
Another factor which might influence recommendations is the time of day you will be riding, i.e. will you be heading out at evening rush hour? and how much time you will have, i.e. an hour or two?
It will most likely just be an hour - 90 mins in the evening.
If you are in Twyford, i'd head out to Lower Upham - up to Upham, along to Lower Preshaw Lane which climbs all the way up to Wheely Down Road, take the last road before it drops down on the left - down to Brockwood.
Over to Kitts Lane, Punsholt Lane which has a brutal short & steep climb, Stapley lane, back into Park Lane at Ropley, make your way over to Kilmerston & climb back up to Wheely Down Road.
Have seen roadies on Morestead Road and starting from the A31 end would give you plenty of climbing. Depends on whether you're brave enough. Good shout for Warnford to Old Winch Hill, also Sailor's Lane. Another suggestion is from Bishops Waltham (just off the B3035) up to Stephen's Castle Down, don't know the name of the road though.
It will most likely just be an hour - 90 mins in the evening.
My recollection is that many drivers using the road linking Morestead and Corehampton drive at excessive speeds, and I would avoid it, even outside of rush hour. I would also try to avoid the other 'main' roads in that area during rush hour (by main, I mean those marked in thicker yellow on the OS map, especially if they have long straight sections which encourage excessive car speeds).
To state the obvious, the narrower twistier lanes have less and slower traffic, and are safer and more pleasurable to ride on, if you can plot your route to use them.
There's a nice long climb south of Ovington to the top of Gander Down, which has almost no traffic, but I would only do it during the day outside of rush hour, because you have to cross the A31 and it finishes on the A272.
Should really link this thread to the Hampshire Riding thread, plenty of routes and advice here..
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hampshire-riding ]STW Hampshire Riding Thread[/url]
Thanks again, all.
Just arrived. Going to nip out for a recce of OWH before dinner. 8)
Only brought my Gabba based on the forecast - might boil in the bag.
Followed the route that @curto80 suggested up to OWH and then returned via Beacon Hill. Beautiful evening for it. 8)
I'll try some of the other suggestions later in the week.
https://www.strava.com/activities/937979548
... the climb up Beacon Hill - I have now noticed - is the White Way that @corroded suggested.
You certainly smashed my times on Strava. Good going.
And mine! Another precious place dropped. Hey ho. 🙂
Waves from Twyford. If you want any company let me know as I am off all week and am getting out when I am not working on the tree/sculpture in the middle of the village (by the village hall if you see lots of tools and possibly the scaffold) Not saying that I will keep up on the hills all the time though 😉
Sorry, @mattbee & @corroded. Still, you get to live round here and ride this area all the time. And you can keep having a go at beating your PB. I usually have to ride at least 50k to get to a hill that takes more than 5 minutes.
I am off all week and am getting out when I am not working on the tree/sculpture in the middle of the village
Cool. I'll try to pop down to have a look and say hi.
Er, nah actually the biking round here is rubbish. Best put your bike back in the car to be honest.
Smashed it mate.
For a bit of short but really rather steep, Turkey Island climb up Harting Down just East of South Harting is a little bit 'punchy'...
I put together a route for our work outing at Christmas. Starts and finishes at the Hampshire Bowman which is a great pub.
Enjoy...
https://www.strava.com/routes/1251541
We were out at Hinton Ampner today so I stuck the bike in the car and headed off on another explore when the Mrs took the sprogs back. Took in the other ascent of OWH (Station Road) and the previously suggested Harvesting Lane. Tuesday was one of those days that felt like there's no chain. Today was one of those days that feels like you're towing a kiddy trailer. Still, If I'd really pushed on at the top of OWH I may have taken the KOM. Hindsight. Meh.
https://www.strava.com/activities/940795554
Good effort, you rode almost past my house on that route.
And you're 3.30 quicker up Harvesting Lane than me.... I feel ashamed (though I'm not the roadie I used to be!)
Get out of Hampshire you bar-steward. Bloody northerners, coming down here, stealing all our KoMs, embarrassing us with their hill climbing prowess.
Seriously though some great riding there, good motivation for us mortals.
I think you've made your point.
Harvesting Lane is great - and 3rd is impressive, though you're still behind my local (Elite) bike shop chap. You could have headed home via the SDW by carrying on westward rather than going via Clanfield - it's fine on a road bike.
Edit - actually top two are both local bike shop blokes.
I did actually start heading down the SDW following some bloke on a mountain bike before the road ran out. I did the full SDW a couple of years back, but this is the first time I've brought the road bike down.
First time I've been called a Northerner, I think. 😆 My Mrs lived the first few years of her life in Owslebury, so I'm going to claim partial local-ness-ism on those grounds. 😀