Articles

Ridgeway Ride 2011

Overton Hill to Ivinghoe Beacon

Published: June 2011

At 06:00 on Saturday 18th June 2011 a crack squad of 11 ACC members, including 2 'Heroes of Roubaix', left Aylesbury and headed by car to Overton Hill in Wiltshire for the start of the Ridgeway Ride. The Ridgeway path is 86 miles long and is made up of ancient tracks and road ways from Overton hill in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon. The route follows one the the great chalk ranges and takes in some of the best countryside the South of England has to offer including parts of the Marlborough Downs, Berkshire Downs and closer to home, The Chilterns.

We arrived at the start around 08:00 and after plenty of discussions about clothing choice and picture taking by 08:30 everyone was ready to start. The initial pace started off in the normal brisk and enthusiastic way . The pace soon eased as the first section became very slippery with deep rutted sections caused by vehicles driving along the tracks. Once past the first few miles the track had been remade with stone to prevent further erosion and this allowed for a more even pace. Then the rain came as we then hit the first short section of road which included the steepest climb of the morning. The showers soon passed though and we had blue sky's and sunshine as we rode and the smiles returned. As we headed over Uffington's White Horse Hill Didcot power station came into view and this was a landmark which seemed to stay in view somehow for most of the day!!

We met Tristan in the support vehicle at Streatley after 43 miles of riding and stopped for a well earned lunch and a freshly made cup of tea. After refilling camel packs and drinks bottles we headed off for the next 20 mile section which took us North East past Wallingford and Watlington towards Stokenchurch. As we passed under the M40 the heavens opened again, so we sheltered in the under pass until this shower passed. As we came to where the Ridgeway crosses over the old A40 (which most club members will recognise from club runs, as the long winding hill up to Stokenchurch) we where again met by Tristan just as the kettle boiled for a warming cup of tea. At this point we had covered around 60 miles off road so this gave everyone a boost and the will to keep going. We still had 26 miles to go, so to break this up into smaller psychological chunks we arranged the next stop at Wendover Woods.This section was the hardest part of the day as it took in the steepest and most technical climbs of the entire ride. The trails had become gloopy with sticky mud, slowing us further and increasing the mental torment. With 65-75 miles of off road riding in our legs familiar climbs we normal breeze up on our Wednesday nights seemed like Alpine ascents.

By the time we reached the stop everyone was starting to show signs of tiredness, I think everyone would agree if we hadn't have had Tristan as a support crew making tea at the stops and filling water bottles etc, we wouldn't have made it.

After a short break we headed off for the last 10 miles past Tring and Wiggington to Ashridge and past the Bridgewater monument to Ivinghoe Beacon. Luckily the thought of only having 10 miles left to the finish enthused everyone to dig in and push for the end.
It was quite amazing how all the tired faces turned into beaming smiles at the top of Ivinghoe Beacon, as everyone realised just what they had accomplished. The group had triumphed against adversity. We had ridden the entire Ridgeway Riders route in one go, in adverse weather and trail conditions: 86 miles off-road in 8 hours of riding time, although with feed stops, mechanicals and rain-jacket on-off stops we had been out for about 11 and 1/2 hours.

All that was left to do was get home. As we only had room in the support car for 4 riders at a time some of us decided that rather than wait for the car to return we would ride the 10 miles home. Now I'm not going to shame the riders who opted for a lift home as anyone who rides 86 miles offroad in a day has proved their worth. Needless to say though the real men of the Ridgeway rode home and we know who we are.

Report by Baz (ACC's MTB Committee Officer).