Saturday 29 July: A random ride to Box Hill ahead of the Ride London crowd

A few of us didn't get through the Ride London ballot (indeed a few of us didn't apply), but a couple of weeks beforehand Maureen Gallichan received a random email about an HSBC challenge ride to Box Hill on the Saturday morning of Ride London weekend.  Encouraged by Maureen, five of us signed up and turned up for a 9am start in Chessington College carpark; Stephanie, Maureen, John B, Helen and Lilian, who is a regular at the Saturday afternoon rides from Nonsuch Park.
Our companions in a 12-strong group were individuals, most in full time work, from SW London as far as Clapham, some of whom had not joined a group ride before; and we were lead by three British Cycling volunteers, one of whom, Bob, had cycled 20-odd miles from Slough to meet up with us; while the two ladies had driven from Clapham.

 

 

We formed up in pairs for the ride; our initial route through Chessington, then right at Malden Rushett.  There were quite a few impatient drivers on the road even at this early stage of Saturday morning, when one might have thought that they would expect to encounter leisure cyclists on the road in this part of the world.

Taking lanes through to Bookham, quite long queues of traffic built up behind our group; but these dispersed as we travelled past Fetcham and towards Polesden Lacey.  By Blagdon Hill the group was more spread out with one or two of us struggling upwards. But then it was plain sailing all the way down to Westhumble to cross the A24 via the underpass, and then take the ZigZag up.

Our second photo of Lilian, Maureen and Stephanie was taken at the Box Hill NT café where we enjoyed coffee and refreshments and a welcome break at our headline destination,

Then it was back downhill, with Helen peeling off to return home via Ashtead Park, and the others via Ashtead and Epsom Common, while our hosts and fellow cyclists headed back to Chessington, aiming to be there by 12.30.  An enjoyable challenge ride for a bright summer Saturday morning!

 

This ride will be run again later this year; details are available on the British Cycling website.  The series is promoted as part of the Olympic Legacy scheme to encourage more people to participate in sports and physical activity.