English
On this lovely sunny Sunday morning I (Richard Pearman) and 10 others, including Nikki Wheeler ( my partner), Richard Land (Wiggle employee), and 8 members of i-Team Cyclists Club met up at Wickham Square to ride a 73 mile route that Wiggle intend to use for a possible 2010 Wiggle Sportive Ride.
Click the link below to view the ride information
As I know the local lanes quite well, due to the number of years I have been a cyclist, I planned the route along fairly quiet country lanes, taking in beautiful scenery and incorporating some challenging climbs to test riders on the day. The route itself is based on the numerous dhb names given to Wiggle’s clothing garments – Wickham being the starting point, which is the dhb eVENT Waterproof Jacket. Other examples include Weston (Waterproof Jacket), Rogate (Long Sleeve Jersey and Bib Tights), Elstead (Wheel Bags) and Finchdean (Long Sleeve Jersey and Shorts/Bib Shorts).
After having all met up, we set off at about 10.15 am to recce and get a feel for the route that goes through many quiet villages, which on a day like this particular Sunday (hot and sunny) was very pleasant and enjoyable. The pace was not too fast, just a steady ride, with all of us staying together on the flat parts and then re-grouping at the top of the tougher climbs.
The first long climb was Hampton Hill, which is just outside of Swanmore and is a gentle climb that takes you up to Corhampton Down. Once at the top of Corhampton Down there are lovely views of the Meon Valley all around you. Descending down to the valley below we then crossed the main A32 to take the quieter country lanes to Meonstoke. Just before the Hurdles pub, we took a sharp left turn and it was at this point that one of the rider’s chain came off. Could of done with a K-Edge Chain Catcher, but it didn’t take long for them to sort this out and rejoin us.
Meonstoke is a beautiful village next to the river Meon and during the summer season it is used as a starting point for a couple of local road races. The reason I say this is because we went past the village hall that is used as the HQ for these races. Shortly after passing the village hall, we then began the first tough climb of the day that takes you to the Naval base called HMS Mercury, which is a favourite training area for local cyclists due to the steep climbs, fast descents and excellent views of the basin surrounding East Meon.
It was here that we saw Toby Neave riding in the opposite direction, but we didn’t stop to chat as it looked like he was on a training mission. Once we went through HMS Mercury we then took a sharp left and descended heading towards East Meon. Before getting to East Meon we took a right hand turn to Weston, which is just west of Petersfield, and were able to cycle two abreast along this picturesque country lane enjoying the usual banter along the way.
As this ride was going to be a long day in the saddle, certain riders would have to peel off along the route due to prior family commitments. Bob Hatton was the first to leave us at the top of Mercury, but knowing Bob he probably did extra mileage before he joined us and afterwards as well.
The route took us through Buriton, South Harting, Rogate, and having crossed the A272 we then climbed the long (and energy sapping – according to Nikki) drag to the Milland Valley. From here we cycled to Milland and took a right hand turn to Iping, finally stopping again at the A272. After about a 5 minute stop where everyone regrouped we crossed the A272 and cycled into Elstead taking in a climb (short, but very steep) and descended back into South Harting. As we approached South Harting we took the little lane on the left that took us to the top of the South Downs. This climb is extremely tough and is also known as ‘Downs Place’ and gradually steepens as you near the top. I would suggest gearing of 39 x 25/27, or if you have a compact a 34 x 23/25 or even higher.
Once we had regrouped again at the top it was a fast descent back down to Chilgrove where we took a right turn, and then briefly stopped for a group photo and a breather before continuing through North Marden, Stoughton, and finally briefly stopping once again at Walderton. Chris Powell left us at this point, heading back to Hayling Island, whilst the rest of us carried on through West Marden, and Compton.
We stopped at Compton’s newly refurbished village shop/tea room (which comes highly recommended to any cyclists who find themselves out this way) to replenish our water bottles, but discovered lovely homemade cakes and plenty of choice too, so we decided to stop as it would have been rude not to sample the wonderful cakes on offer. As some of the riders needed to be back by a certain time, Sam Arnold, Andy Redding, and David Shaw carried on whilst the rest of us were marking the cakes 10 out of 10.
Twenty minutes later the remaining 6 riders clipped back into their pedals and started the final leg of the journey back to Wickham. We had about 25 miles to complete the route, and the following climbs ahead of us – Finchdean Down, Chalton, (where Rob Capel and Richard Land peeled off – Rob back to Cowplain and Richard to Chichester), Speltham Hill (Hambledon 1 in 7), Cams Hill, and Lodge Hill (Newtown).
On the final leg, Fraser unfortunately punctured as we came into Clanfield and although he told us to carry on we decided to wait for him to change his inner tube so that the remaining 4 of us finished together.
Once we reached Hambledon Nikki made the decision not to tackle Speltham Hill (as it’s not one of her favourites and would have been one very steep climb too many!), but to carry on to the Cams Hill (another steep one) ahead of us and at her own pace with no pressure from us men.
The three of us then tackled the “brick wall” (it certainly felt like it at the time). It’s a lovely climb with fresher legs, but not quite so enjoyable with tired legs, but nonetheless a great challenge for anyone. After about 3-4 minutes of pain it was a quick descent back into Hambledon to tackle the next steep climb – Cams Hill. Once at the top it was downhill all the way to Newtown to start the final climb of the day – up Lodge Hill towards Hundred Acres. Once at the junction it was a right turn and only about half a mile back into Wickham, where there are at least 3 choices of tea rooms.
Out of the 11 riders who set off about 5 hours previously 4 riders made the complete journey back to Wickham.
Personal note – I think the route is challenging with a couple of steep climbs, numerous smaller climbs to stretch your legs, plenty of fast descents, and lots of fairly flat sections to recover before the next climb and to get into a nice steady rhythm.
The final route is going to be approximately 80 miles which will be a good challenge for many riders, but not too long to become a struggle if you have a bad day or run out of energy. The climbs are evenly spread throughout the course giving you plenty of time to prepare yourself for the next one.