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Action Medical Research Surrey 100

by Holly Blades

Words and Images by Caven O'Hara: Looking at the map for either route you could have been forgiven for thinking that with the lack of major climbs, the exception being the well-known Box Hill, this would be a jaunt around the Surrey/Sussex countryside. Well it was lovely scenery but it wasn’t an easy ride, this was the tougher, lumpier side the area has to offer.

Essentials:
Distances: 100Km or 100miles
Start: Surrey Police HQ, Mount Browne, Sandy Lane, Guildford, Surrey
Transport: Guildford railway station 1.8 miles
Feedstops: 2 or 3 (fab lunch)
Timed: Yes
Signs: Black arrows on yellow background with logos to ensure the sign is the right way up (blue background used to distinguish split)
Road: Country lanes, main roads and plenty of rolling terrain

Action Medical Research is a charity that saves and changes the lives of children, whose motto is ‘We suffer so they don’t have to.’ Anyone riding the Surrey 100 today would certainly have done so but in aid of a great cause. The one point where the suffering halted was the lunch stop at the little hall in the village of Dunsfold. It was a feed stop like no other, the trestle table literally bowed under the weight of the offerings on top - but more of that later.

The choice of the Surrey Police HQ as the start/finish point was well chosen. Ample parking was available down the road at the park and ride. Registration was quick and easy, you were given your number with timing chip attached and a card with emergency contacts.

Rolling out from Mount Browne in smallish groups the route turned left off the main road and immediately started climbing towardsLooseley Park. The property has been the home of the More and More-Molyneux families for almost 500 years.

With that history in mind we then wound our way through several Surrey villages as we headed towards Hindhead and the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Crossing the A3 and the newly opened tunnel that has allowed the road to become a dual carriageway all the way from London to Portsmouth, we headed further south through Haslemere and onto Woolbeding, the day’s first feed stop.

The route up till this point had proven to be fairly lumpy with the climb up to Hindhead the only real ascent of note but the legs were feeling the constant effort. The village hall in Redford was an ideal setting for the first stop, toilets and plenty of choice of drinks - hot and cold - food including jelly beans meant there was something for everyone. There were still plenty of miles to cover before we hit the southern most point of the ride at Midhurst. Skirting through the town we headed east on the A272 past Cowdray Park, the home of British Polo.

The up and down nature of the course continued as we peeled off the A272 and headed north. The split came in the village of Chiddingly with those doing the metric 100 turning left and those doing the 100 in old money going in the opposite direction. There was one surreal moment when passing a field of sheep, a rather tall and gangly animal turned out to be an ostrich.

The legs were starting to feel rather tight and it was with great relief that the final feed stop for those on the shorter ride hove into sight. Leaning the bike against the hall wall I topped up my bottles and grabbed a packet of crisps, thinking the fare was of the usual variety. Not at all, one of the other riders came out with a plate of food that looked distinctly at odds with what you normally find.

As mentioned earlier, the table was groaning under the weight of the feast. Pasta dishes, salads, bread, cheeses, quiche, sausage rolls were all on offer. Not to mention the cakes on the other side of the room. It was difficult not to cram some delights into my pockets.

The day’s second big feast was not far off. The climb of Winterfold Hill, a 1:7 climb that tops out at 21 per cent was not to be under-estimated at this stage in the ride. With legs seriously protesting it proved to be a real test of will and leg power. Over the top a second delay for a slow puncture on the front wheel offered some respite. The final push back through Albury and Shalford proved to be as much of an effort.