The King of the Downs 110 mile super sportive organised by Evans Cycles Ride It! cemented it’s ‘hard as nails’ reputation as a sell out 1,000 riders tackled the mass participation bike ride on Sunday the 17th of May.
An ominous course, taking in 10 killer climbs and over 9,000ft of climbing, the ride was always going to be a huge challenge for many who set off from the Gatwick start. And as if the distance and hills weren’t enough to contend with, Mother Nature made her mark on the event - dishing out a torrential downpour early in the day soaking the riders and separating the men from the boys.
The day started bright with riders heading off on the first of two loops – the Western loop, tackling the Surrey Hills and North Downs with riders sampling some great countryside and getting their fair share of climbing including ascending the iconic Box Hill near Dorking.
Wet and wild
After Box Hill riders were sent south again back towards Gatwick via the meandering country roads between the North and South Downs. What’s normally a picturesque and comfortable jaunt through Surrey’s road riding heartland turned into an epic battle with the elements.
The forecast was for heavy downpours during the morning, and for once the weathermen got it right. A relentless battering of rain soaked riders and combined with a fierce headwind to make the 53 mile Western loop a true challenge.
A ride of attrition
Of the 750 riders signed up to the full 110 mile sportive, only around 200 carried on to complete the second Eastern loop. The rest of the riders cut their ride short opting to return to the event centre with the half-sportive distance riders.
For those that battled on, the rain eased and blue sky and sunshine reined supreme for much of the afternoon. The wind remained strong, zapping strength at times, and providing a much needed boost at others.
The hills just kept coming
From Gatwick the second loop headed South East down towards Ashdown forest and the first major climb in the loop – The Wall. A long draggy climb that elicited comments from riders such as “it just keeps going!”. However if that climb was giving riders a beating, they were in for a real treat when the eastern loop hit the North Downs again where it was the turn of Yorks and Titsey Hills to dish out some punishment.
Yorks Hill, the first of the hill climb double team can only be described as short and sharp. As if the sheer punishment of the climb wasn’t enough, the sadistic Ride It! team offered riders the option to be timed up the hill – riders who took advantage of this will be able to compare themselves to their comrades and to that of the Hill Climb record holder Phil Mason who conquered the hill in 1 min 47.6 seconds. To encourage riders to the top in record time organisers dangled a carrot in front of the nose of riders in the form of a top end Pinnacle carbon fibre road bike for anyone who could beat the record. As expected the bike was in safe hands and even the consolation prize draw of £500 of gift vouchers for riders within a minute of the record was out of the reach of the field. Rather than holding onto the vouchers, organisers have extended the prize draw to everyone who completed the full sportive course, with the prize draw taking place at the end of the week.
Whilst not so much at stake for the second of the Hill Climb duo, Titsey Hill, riders were still taking this on with gusto, however being 90 odd miles into the ride at this point energy levels were starting to dwindle for some, and the descent down the North Downs and a reletivly flat ride back to Gatwick was a welcome reprieve from the intense climbing throughout the day.
Take on the Eastern loop
Unfortunately because of the challenging conditions many riders were not able to take on the Eastern loop. Hating to see so many miss out, the Ride It! series will be revisiting the area on the 5th of July when the standard Ride It! sportive will be taking on the best of the Eastern loop.
KOTD 2010
Are you a tiger for punishment? If the answer is yes, then you’ll be pleased to know the Ride It! team is too, and that means we’re already looking forward to the King of the Downs 2010 and working out ways we can make it bigger and better for our riders.
Rider times
See how your time compares to the rest of the field by downloading the rider time spreadsheet.
Event photography
You may have seen the photographers dotted around the course snapping away at riders. View your photos at www.sportivephoto.com
