ABOVE: The route profile.
LATEST: GMAPS HHH Midi Route is
HERE (87
miles/140km). This may be exported as a GPX file.
LATEST: GMAPS HHH Super Max Route is
HERE (measures
as 99.74 miles/160km). This may be exported as a GPX file.
LATEST: Another version, using Bikely.com, kindly
supplied by rider, Matt Pritchard, is HERE.
LATEST: A GPX file, derived from the above (the author
takes no responsibility for errors!) is HERE
Note: the Bikely version is a tad shorter than the
GMAPS version, possibly because the quick nip up to Ecchinswell village hall
plus backtrack (northernmost tip of the course) is not included. This will be
well signed.
LATEST: LONG ROUTE MAP IS HERE,
NORTH HALF (better detail) IS HERE;
SOUTH HALF (better detail) IS HERE (big
jpg files)
LATEST: LONG ROUTE DESCRIPTION IS HERE
(sheets also to be distributed at the event)
This route has been designed to provide a genuine challenge, and
at the same time to take you through some classic English countryside.
Since the route winds its way over downland, you can expect some testing
climbs, no less than 20 in all, adding up to
7847 ft (2390m) of climbing/descending. The first miles
are downhill or fairly flat to get the legs nicely loose and warmed up.The
stiffest climb is probably the ascent of Watership Down at the northern turn of
the course. It looks forbidding from a distance, but it won't have you walking.
For 2008, we are retaining the long course exactly as used last
year, but with changes to the feed stations. We are now calling this the
HHH Super Max, measured at almost exactly 100 miles.
As this course has a 'bulge': looping beyond the Meon Valley, we now offer
riders the choice of cutting this off to complete the 87-mile HHH
Midi. Both routes now go over Watership Down at the northern
end of the course, and all the main hills except for the Bat &
Ball-to-Teglease Down section. Midi riders now ride the same roads as the Super
Max riders for all but 0.35 miles, and when they turn at Exton to climb Beacon
Hill (78.5 miles) they will find themselves in front of some of the faster
riders again. The decision whether to go for the Midi or the Super Max is now
made at 78 miles (Corhampton roundabout), where you have to decide whether it's
another 9 miles or 22!
Starting this year from a new point on the course - New
Alresford - the route goes north over rolling countryside to turn onto the first
serious hill at
Northington. Next, it tacks across to
Micheldever Station, and then north, forging up and over
White
Hill and swooping down into Overton. Beyond, lies more downland,
and it's mainly uphill to
Hannington, followed by a
plummetting descent from the viewing point on
White
Hill (another one!)to the outskirts of Highclere. From here, the
route turns west until, at Ecchinswell, it gets level with
Watership Down. Here, it turns south and takes on the
snaking climb. Over the ridge,
Nuthanger Down
stretches out. Can you keep the pressure on, or do you need to soft-pedal down
the dip slope? That's one of the questions this course asks of you. Either way,
there's a short 'dig' awaiting you a few miles on at
Cole
Henley - which won't pose problems if you have come to the event
in good condition, but if you're still getting there it'll be another little
strength sapper. The route continues southward, running for a spell
alongside the idyllic River Test, where you might catch glimpses of weirs and
watercress beds. There are further small climbs to come at
Barton
Stacey and
Windmill Hill, and a tougher
one at
Ashley Down. The route deftly skirts
Winchester. After the wooded climb to
Owslebury the
route by-passes Bishop's Waltham, launches up and over
Beeches
Hill and east to Corhampton. Looping beyond the Meon Valley, the
route winds up from the famous Bat & Ball pub (where they invented a
sport called cricket) to return over the exposed
Teglease
Down. The 1.65-mile steady climb up
Beacon Hill affords some superb views. The worst is
now over, but the run-in to Arlesford is, shall we say, interesting!
Safety is our highest priority. We use roads with very
light traffic.The course runs anti-clockwise, so that most of the turns are
left-handers. Participants are reminded that they ride at their own
risk, also that they must comply with traffic signs and generally with
the traffic laws. The course negotiates plenty of narrow lanes (the sort
with a centre-strip of grass!)as well as twisting climbs where single-file
riding should be adopted. Corners should never be taken wide. There
are very few crossroads/T-junctions around the course but extreme caution should
be taken negotiating them.There is jusst one set of traffic lights encountered
at Twyford. Don't jump them! We emphasise that a few seconds either way makes no
difference in a cyclosportive event.