Graham K reports.
The full name of the ride is the Allen Furley Memorial Up the Downs ride. Alan was one of the instigators of the Cyclists Defence Fund. I rode the event on a hot day in June.
The first leg was pretty flat though interspersed with a few sharp ups and downs which split up the audax peloton. The second leg was glorious; all bike rides should be like this! The route followed the valley of the river Lambourn through Lambourn itself and up to Shrivenham. There is a gentle climb (1%-2%?) through a wide, grassy valley for some 15 miles. Sheep grazed, kites swooped butterflies flitted and hares hared. The sun shone and a gentle breeze refreshed. The control in Shrivenham was in a pub. I did not fancy this so sneaked in, filled my bottles, grabbed a sticker for my brevet card and bought a sandwich in the Coop. I consumed this sitting under a tree on the village green. Audax does not get much better than this.
Certainly this one didn’t! The next leg was a monster: 45 miles of stiff ups and downs; 29 degrees in the shade and what shade there was served mainly to make the many pot-holed, gravelly descents more treacherous. The last shop was at 10 miles. After that there was no water available. Features included an ascent which proudly proclaimed itself at 17%, and Walbury hill – the site of an iron-age fort. I can only assume its residents didn’t welcome visitors – especially those on bikes. I did not help myself by missing a turn and adding two miles and another climb to the route.
The few cyclists I met at the control after this leg entered muttering oaths then sat in stunned silence. However, after a few pints of orange juice and a cheese roll, things started to look a little more cheery. There were now just 25 miles to go and surely there must be flatter roads soon? There were! I set off with another rider. The first 5 miles were pretty much down hill and after that it was mostly flat as we headed past the Aldermaston bomb factory. I say "mostly" because we did climb across Watership Down (no rabbits – at least not on the road 3 feet in front of me which was where my attention was mostly focused) and a lunatic 10%+ climb at Ashford Hill. We made it back to base at 5 past six feeling quite pleased with ourselves. If only the whole ride could have been like Lambourn Valley it would have been perfect!