Hi

Here is the edited GPX route starting and finishing at the Country Park. Bikeroutetoaster was playing up a bit so it might not follow the roads precisely, but if you open it you’ll get the idea. You can always tweak it a little.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10145663/Surrey%20Hills%20-%20the%20standard%20epic.gpx

GB

Cheers Gee. Downloaded so will have a tweak later.

Thanks George. Looks like even you’ve had enough of singletrack by the time you hit Clandon on the way home 🙂

8 hours is pretty quick. I’ll be interested, how much is on Tarmac? I’ll be doing woldingham to Eastbourne via ndw and sdw in June whilst the evenings are light, waiting for good wind. Attempted it last year but bailed at black cap, starts hard and ends hard with a boring but fast bit in the middle on the downslink.

SDW is nearly all on gravel/chalk/grass double track.

SDW is nearly all on gravel/chalk/grass double track.

yes, when it’s dry 😉

I structured my sentence wrong, I meant that I’m interested to ride, and that 100 miles in 8 hours is very quick. I was asking about the Tarmac because I wondered if here was a better route with less Tarmac involved, maybe linking up leith, ran more and box hill? Not my ride so tell me to get lost, would still like to join in though.

Gee’s route doesn’t have much Tarmac at all?

Cool, difficult to tell on garmin connect with iPad.

The Surrey Hills loop up there ^^ doesn’t have much tarmac at all apart from the bit between the bottom of Newlands and the canal in St Johns, which is about 5 miles.

There is a way home from Newlands which is entirely off road, but it is 10 miles further and a lot slower. It basically heads out to Aldershot on the NDW via the Hogs Back and cuts home via Ash Ranges, Tunnel Hill and Porridge.

There are also ways of linking up Leith, Box and Ranmore but I tend not to ride over that way much as by the time I get to Leith and start heading home that’s far enough East for me… 100 miles is quite enough. I don’t do driving to ride.

Yes, 8hrs is pretty quick for that distance, those trails and that much climbing.

GB

This looks great, very interested in joining in (won’t be doing it in 8 hours though!) thanks for doing all the legwork!

that’s far enough East for me… 100 miles is quite enough.

totally agree, I’m East Surrey Hills so usually pick up NDW from Woldingham or Caterham, just shows you how big the area actually is.

I don’t do driving to ride

I try to avoid it, sometimes get a train to Tadworth and start and end from there, rather save some energy for the fun stuff in Peaslake.

So are you Lightwater based? Great for location for Swinley too then.

Count me in please

Me too. I’ve done the SDW in around 10.5 hours and was hoping for about 11 hours for Kielder (done it twice before). So if anyone is around that sort of pace it would be good to ride in a group.

Got myself a days holiday booked to do this, not sure that I’ll be in any kind of state for it ‘cos I’m not finishing work until 0100 on the Sunday morning 😯

What’s the worst that could happen ❓

0100 Sunday? The ride was planned for a Saturday? 14 Sept?

0100 Sunday? The ride was planned for a Saturday? 14 Sept?

In that case I’ve probably booked the wrong day off work, I’d best check tomorrow when I’m back in 😆

As an alternative there is the excellent Margam Madness event one week later than the original K100 date. It’s an 8hr event on 21st Sept.

Lots of climbing and techy singletrack. About 400m climbing per lap. See xc racer for details

Margam Madness looks ace, and has a shiny new website too – http://www.margammadness.co.uk/

Rode the route of this again yesterday. Was fantastically dry. Hopefully September 14th will be the same!

GB

Gee, that is an awesome plan. Need to think if I am up to it. A few of my bogey runs (N Monkey is the next to tick off clean!) but great collection.

How many are “in” do you think?

Need some moderate pace/older 45-50 groups for encouragement!! Have you thought about the straighter descent into Shere ie after you pass the round concrete water pit (?) where nDW crosses the road, you turn L towards the farm and there is a very fast descent right into the recreation park with a fun little rooty bit half way down !

You could do Wey Navigation instead of via the road through Send. Not sure which direction you’re going, but Send, Wey Nav to Burpham and through the back and up to Newlands Corner. Or other way round.

Not mucking about Porridgepot? 😉 Just goes straight through by the look of it.

Not that I’m likely to do this. Distance just has me shaking at the thought of it considering how much Leith, Holmbury, Pitch and Winterfold would take out of me 😀

Hi

I think a few are in – probably about a dozen based on this thread. A few of my mates are in but that will be a very speedy group. It’s probably best to ask friends/post on here nearer the time to arrange a slower group.

My plan is to ride en mass for the first few Kms then head off.

Yes there are many other routes you could take if you know where you’re going – I just happened to ride that way the day I did that particular loop.

The canal loop would add distance – I figured long enough anyway… But feel free to adapt. Same goes for Porridge – yes just ride through it. Might do a couple of trails depending on the time.

GB

I’ve said it before but please don’t underestimate the distance, the technical trails or the climbing. At a fast pace this loop takes me 7.5hrs riding, 8hrs actual time. I stopped in Peaslake for no more than 15mins. Don’t underestimate how long it might take if you stop and chat every 10mins. I’ve asked around and estimates for a ‘normal’ pace loop range from 10-12hrs…

GB

I’m slightly pissed whilst reading this for the first time, not really digested it all properly but like the idea of tackling a 100 miler. My sister lives in Farnham… would that be near enough to start / finish? And would a 60 year old nancy boy be in with a chance – not having much local knowledge.. but reasonable endurance (if I can squeeze a few miles training in) to get round without getting lost. I did manage Kielder 3 years ago before senility set in…. maybe I’ll reconsider in a day or two when alcohol is not influencing my decision making.
Steve.

A lot of the slower riders might struggle to get this ride completed before nightfall. The middle of september has sunset at 7.15.

This kind of ride could easily take 12 hours, throw in a mechanical and a long lunch break and you could be looking at 14 hours easy. Some decent lights and some knowledge of the trails might be useful for a lot of the people attempting this.

I am really interested in this as well as I have been clocking up the miles for kielder but as I am based close to epsom downs I might look into doing it on the same day but starting further east than you lot.

Good point, I might go for an earlier start. Anyone else fancy a 6am getaway?

Same reason that kielder always started so goddamn early

I thought it was to get going before the midges woke up

I did think about the start time. If it needs to be 6am that’s fine with me.

GB

Me and and a mate had a go at this on Saturday. We started at Mytchett and sort of finished but had to miss out the bit that takes you over to Leith Hill from Holmbury as the heat had more of an effect than we expected and we were concerened about light if we had a mechanical.

120KM and it took 8 and a bit hours with breaks. Would recommend a earlier start than our 9:45 one. I will try again but I am away for the date the mass ride is starting at.

Route is basically brillant, Enjoyed the stuff out of lightwater toward Woking more than i thought and was treated to some new to me surrey hills trails. route sheet was useful for some of the trails around winterfold where you are doing lots of small loops that I found hard to navigate with my Garmin.

Thanks so much Gee for the route and the effort it must have required to commit it to paper too.

Glad it worked ok for you :). The route sheets did take a while – I was amazed how much I had in my head!!

The bit you missed was a big but gentle climb up to Leith, then down Summer Lightening and all the way down alongside the fence to Westcott, then the truly horrid climb up Whitedown and down the two trails on there.

Worth trying again to ride those bits!!

GB

Was thinking of the Downs next weekend but might ride this as an option.

I’ve made a Facebook group for this here.

Interesting.
Will have a think about this,
Based nr Farnham so could join en-route

Update – rode the route again today and the trails are in perfect condition. They had been getting a bit loamy but the rain from a week or so ago has glued it all back together.

So who’s actually coming? 7am start… There will be a fast group of about 7 of us, but you are welcome to arrange your own groups and go at your own pace.

GB

I’ll be there for a 7am start, will just see who is up for riding at a similar pace – 10 hour SDW sort of pace for me. Anyone else?

Not the best day to be doing it but chappeau to those of you that do!

Rode the Downs last night – the recent rain has done nothing but damp down the dust! No puddles and epic grip 🙂

Hopefully see people on Sat at 7am 🙂

GB

blimey this has come round quicker than I thought. I quite fancy doing this but not sure I can make Saturday now…

How fast is the fast group going to be?

rich

Fast group is 8 Elite XC riders, so very fast.