We publish here the email to Fleet Cycling from West Surrey Cycling Club, the organisers of this event:
Overton 100k: 16th June, audax.uk/event-details/11057-the_overton_100
Danebury 150k: 16th June, audax.uk/event-details/11055-the_danebury_150
Nearly Stonehenge 200k: 16th June, audax.uk/event-details/11053-the_nearly_stonehenge_200
Tour of the Hills Audax: 11th August, audax.uk/event-details/11192-tour_of_the_hills
2024 sees the return of the three popular Elstead audax rides after a gap of a few years. The Stonehenge 200k was first run in 1978 and has its origins in the early days of Audax UK (see jeggo.org.uk/wsctchistarch/stonehenge for a brief history). Some years ago it was complemented by the two shorter rides, and all now start from Elstead. They all head west into the rolling countryside of Hampshire and Wiltshire and are challenging in various ways: the Overton is 108km with 1,250m of climbing, the Danebury is 156km and 1,430m while Nearly Stonehenge is 208km and 2,100m. There are a number of ‘self-service’ checkpoints along the routes for riders to be able to record on their brevet cards. The village hall will have a good range of food and drink available at the start and end of the rides and there is a good choice of cafes and shops along the routes.
The Tour of the Hills is a 115km route and takes in 2,300 metres of steep ascents on 14 major climbs including Box Hill, White Down, Coombe Bottom, Winterfold Hill, Leith Hill and finishing off with the infamous Barhatch Lane - for comparison, the main routes up Ventoux involve barely 1,600 metres ascent! This year will be the 42nd year we are running the Tour of the Hills and we look forward to welcoming even more riders to enjoy what the roads of the Surrey Hills can throw at you. The Tour of the Hills entry price includes generous helpings of home-prepared food at the beginning, middle and end of the ride. There are also regular controls around the route staffed by friendly marshals doling out plentiful supplies of water and jelly babies.
Every year we get great feedback from riders. Here are a few from recent participants:
My heartfelt thanks to you and everyone from WSCC who helped out with the Tour of the Hills Audax. It was a great day, made all the better by the excellent organization and friendly faces of the volunteers. The coffee, cakes, sandwiches & squash all hit the spot. Most crucially, the handful of jelly babies just before Barhatch made the difference between triumph and exhausted, empty despair.
A huge thank you to you and the whole team for organising such a fantastic event. Such a good route, friendly people and so much food I’m sure I came back calorie positive which would be a first! Looking forward to next year.
We hope you can share information about our events with members of your club. We attach jpeg files for both events containing at-a-glance details, including a QR code for easy access to the entry website. Please feel free to pass this on and/or post on Facebook and other social media outlets that might reach a cyclist audience.
We hope to see your club members in June and August.
Neil McIntyre, Derek Ridyard and the West Surrey Cycling Club
