Jeremy had done 4 rides in as many days, a 25-miler around the Gaddesdens, the usual Wednesday night MTB-Berkhamsted blast, up to the Monument Café, Ashridge for a fry-up, and a boozy lunch at the Bridgewater Arms with Ann. But despite the tired legs the idea of the Evans Ride in Dorking was too tempting. The 6am alarm was a bit severe but by the time we arrived at 8.30ish the Evans gang had set everything up as efficiently as ever, including the tea urn, and we soon set off on the 25-mile (medium) loop from a school on the outskirts of Dorking town.

We kind of knew what to expect, having tackled the same area with Dan and Claire just a few weeks before but were kind of glad they were on a plane to Whistler as Dan would have soon taken us off the beaten track and onto some of his fave singletrack and scary bombholes.

The route was definitely a bit of a rollercoaster (750m+ ascent over the whole route) and about 6 miles in we wondered if it was all going to be up-hill (we'd already done at least one severely steep get-off-and-push gradient and a few rooty, rocky just about do-able slopes), but then we reached a clearing that was the summit of Leith Hill, and it was followed by a gentle descent down a well-worn track which allowed us to gather ourselves for Hill Number 2 (Holmbury Hill). Leith Hill was the highest hill but the rest of the trail had its own charms - plenty of climbing, the long middle ring grind upwards seems to be a local speciality, but the ascents were split by some sudden technical downhill sections with drop offs and steps, and longer, rolling sections, all through shady forest terrain.

As we crossed the A25 and checked the supplied route map we realised we only had about 4 miles to go, which gave us the energy to kick up the final hill (Evan's trademark sting-in-tail), across the railway line and back to the Dorking finish line. 

So Jeremy's tired legs had nailed another classic ride but tomorrow they'll have a day off, it is Sunday after all!

Timings below.................