King of the Downs super sportive - 17th May
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Already entered? Click here for rider information
110 mile super sportive - Looking for an extra challenge?
Harder, longer and hillier than the usual Ride It! sportives, the King of The Downs super sportive will test your road cycling strength and endurance to the max.
Taking place on Sunday the 17th of May, the 110 mile challenge takes in over 10 killer climbs in the South East’s iconic road cycling areas totalling over 9,000 ft!: The North Downs, the Surrey Hills, Ashdown Forest and the hills scattered through East Surrey & Kent.
And for those looking for a shorter (but just as tough) challenge there's the 53 mile half sportive option.
Just like our usual rides, the routes are pre-marked with OS maps provided, FREE SIS energy product, demo bikes, Gore Bikewear Try Before You Buy. Plus….
- Extra feed stations / mechanical stops
- FREE goody bag containing KOTD cycling cap and Evans Cycles water bottle (worth £11.00)
- FREE on the day entry for a future Ride It! event (worth £12.50)
- Broom wagon & support vehicle
Entries are limited to the first 1,000 riders. So enter now to avoid missing out!
Yorks Hill - Hill Climb challenge - win a £1,900 road bike!
Riders taking on the full sportive will have the pleasure of experiencing Yorks Hill, home of the annual Catford CC Hill Climb, the oldest hill climb in the world, and arguably the toughest, with a leg-popping 1 in 4 gradient. Riders will be timed up the hill climb and anyone that can beat the current course record of 1min 47.6 seconds (set by Phil Mason in 1983) will be given a 2009 Pinnacle Aeos Carbon Team bike worth £1,899! And any riders that can get within 1 minute of the record will go into a draw to win £500 of Evans Cycles gift vouchers.
Competition conditions: Riders must complete the entire sportive course (rider numbers will be recorded at points throughout the ride) and cannot undertake the hill climb only. Evans Cycles reserves the right to substitue the promoted prize for gift vouchers to the same value. Riders can only attempt the hill climb once. No racing against other riders is permitted. The organisors timing and decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners will be notified after the event.
Event centre details
Start venue Evans Cycles Gatwick, Camino Park, James Watt Way, RH10 9TZ - click here for map.
Registration opens at 5:00am. Full sportive riders start between 6:00am and 8:00am, half sportive riders start between 7:00am and 9:00am. Event centre closes at 7:00pm Hot and cold food & drink available.
Nearest station is Gatwick Airport - only 30 minutes from Central London. Follow signs for ‘Local Busses’ to exit airport and then take road or cycle path (via City Place) south to the event centre.
Parking Limited parking is available on site. Once full please park on the surrounding streets in the Manor Royal Industrial Estate. Where possible please use public transport or share lifts.
Cycling equipment is available to purchase from our Gatwick Warehouse store which will be open early for King of the Downs riders. Catering facilities will also be on site with hot and cold food and drink available to purchase.
Event map, route profile & GPS downloads
Explore the routes and surrounding area from the comfort of your PC! The below map shows the event centre, parking areas and the provisional routes. Toggle between terrain map, road map and satellite map.
Please note that these are provisional routes only and are should not be used for navigation, the actual routes are confirmed 1-2 days prior to the event (taking last minute weather and road conditions into account) - all routes are fully way marked and riders are provided with a Memory Map OS map to aid navigation.
Having trouble viewing the map? or routes not showing? click here to launch map in a new window
Route profile - Western loop (click to enlarge)
Route profile - Eastern loop (click to enlarge)
GPS route downloads
For our riders that use GPS units we're pleased to offer the routes as downloadable GPX files. These route files can be transferred to your GPS unit to aid navigation on the day.
GPS routes can be downloaded from the Ride It! blog and are available 1-2 days prior to the event.
The routes are fully way marked and riders are provided with a Memory Map OS map as well. GPS units should be used as a aid only, and not be solely relied on to navigate the routes.
Enter this event
Online pre-entry
Online pre-entry is now closed for this event.
On the day entry - 100 spaces available!
Rider numbers for this event are strictly limited to 1,000 riders. Pre entries are now closed for this event, but we have approximately 100 spaces available for on the day entry available strictly on a 'first come, first served' basis - we recommend you arrive early to avoid disappointment. Download and complete an entry form:
Download KOTD on the day entry form
Entry fees
Pre-entry fees:
- Adult - £20
- Child entry (16 and under) - FREE
On the day entries incur an additional surcharge of £2.50 per person (On the day entries may be withdrawn without notice). Child entries are free when accompanied by a full paying adult. Ride it! discounts and offers cannot be used for King of the Downs entry.
Route information
Harder, longer and hillier than the usual Ride It! sportives, the King of The Downs super sportive will test your strength and endurance to the max.
The 110 mile challenge takes in over 10 killer climbs in the South East’s iconic road cycling areas totalling over 9,000ft!: the North Downs, the Surrey Hills, Ashdown Forest and the hills scattered through East Surrey & Kent.
Western Loop
The route is split into two loops. The first, the 53 mile Western Loop heads north west from the event centre straight into the Surrey Hills before tackling the North Downs. Climbing 4,800ft this loop forms the half sportive distance and takes in the following climbs:
- Leith Hill (451ft climbing in 2.1 miles)
- Pitch Hill (559ft climbing in 2.1 miles)
- Combe Bottom (422ft climbing in 2 miles)
- Ranmore Common West (271ft climbing in 1.5 miles)
- Box Hill (567ft climbing 2.6 miles)
Eastern loop
For riders undertaking the full sportive, you'll skirt back past the event centre dropping off the half sportive riders and continuing onto the 56 mile Eastern Loop. From here the route heads south east into the Ashdown forest before tracking north to the North Downs - it's here that you'll tackle two of the toughest hill climbs including the famous Yorks Hill where we give you the chance to win £500 of gift vouchers. The Eastern Loop climbs 4,200ft and takes in the following climbs:
- Tulleys Farm (252ft climbing in 1.8 miles)
- Weir Wood Reservoir (342ft climbing in 1.3 miles)
- The Wall (406ft climbing in 0.9 miles)
- Yorks Hill (394ft climbing in 1.1 miles)
- Titsey - Bec CC Hill Climb (386ft climbing in 0.8 miles)
Route options available
Half sportive - 53 miles (Western Loop)
Full sportive - 110 miles (Western & Eastern Loop)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Route options and lengths are subject to change. Final routes will differ to the provisional routes due to road closures, road conditions and weather conditions. Provisional routes are not suitable for navigation purposes, map of confirmed route will be provided to all riders on the day. For riders safety cut off points will be set throughout the route, if you are unable to make the cut off point in time you will be instructed to return to the event centre via the quickest route - to minimise the risk of having your ride cut short we recommend you start as early as possible.
Trail conditions & Climbing
To give you a better idea of the conditions at this event we have given the event the following rating:
| This event: 4+ |
A rating of 1 signifies a mostly flat ride with minimal climbing. A rating of 4 signifies hilly routes with plenty of climbing. |
IMPORTANT NOTE: These ratings are a guide only. Conditions and the amount of climbing can be effected by weather, route changes and more.
Demo Bikes
As if taking in some of the best riding the UK has to offer wasn’t enough! We you the opportunity to try out one of our brand new cutting edge demo bikes from the cycle industry’s leading manufacturers at this event. Choose your demo bike from the list below and place a booking with our demo fleet manager.
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Booking a demo bike
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If you would like to book a demo bike we need to know...
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Please email us at demobike@evanscycles.com
A non-refundable £25 fee will be charged to use a demo bike. Upon returning the bike this fee will be returned to the rider in the form of a £25 Evans Cycles voucher that can be used as payment towards a new bike purchase within 3 months from the date of issue. Only one voucher can be redeemed per purchase.
Demo bike bookings close Wednesday the 13th of May. Any bikes not pre-booked will be available at the event centre on a first come, first served basis.
We will contact you to confirm your booking and arrange payment of the fee via credit or debit card. Demo bike riders need to arrive at the event centre with plenty of time in hand to collect their bikes.
For instructions on what to do on the day, Demo bike riders must visit our Demo bike page
Gore Bike Wear "Try Before You Buy" service
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Series supporter Gore Bike Wear will be onsite with a huge selection of Windstopper and Gore Tex garments for riders to try out for free! After registration, visit the Gore Bike Wear try out tent and take your pick of clothing to use on the ride. This is a FREE service offered by Gore Bike Wear to all riders, so why not take the opportunity to experience some of the most technical and comfortable cycling specific outer wear for yourself. |
Ride It! blog
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Visit The Ride It! blog to get the behind the scenes news and stories about the the King of the Downs and find out more about the Ride It! team. The blog includes:
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