Spring Classic?

Rides can be so frustrating, like buses they seem to all come along at once! No sooner than I'd arranged to take a week in Mallorca with Fasthawesy, than I got an invite to the Tour of Flanders. What to do? To be fair doing both seemed somewhat unfair to the family, after a bit of thought I opted for sunshine rather than cobblestones, I'll get enough of them in Paris Roubaix!
Not going to Flanders left Easter weekend free, and with a couple of weeks to go I floated an idea that's been in my head for a while; Not the "Tour of Flanders". For those of you who know Kent you'll be aware of the North Downs, a ridge of steep hills running West to East across the county. The plan was to organise a low key sportive up and down the Downs, in a similar fashion to the RVV's assaults on the Flemish Ardennes.
The God's obliged on the day with perfect Flandrian weather; wind and later rain. 19 brave souls met at the Bredhurst Bell, to be given their route sheets, with the instruction "Be back here by 2pm if you want chips!" Starting off in two groups we initially warmed up with the easy ascent to the top of the downs to plummet down onto the Pilgrim's way near Boxley, much of our ride was to be on this ancient road, as we deviated up, down and back onto it. We were soon onto the climbs proper, Cold Blow Lane, Hollingbourne, Marley Lane/Flint Lane, Hubbard's Hill, Hart Hill/Stone Stile Farm Hill, Charing Hill half way up as a "treat" we turned left onto The Wynd 1:3 and slippery this was Koppenbergesque, and really got the legs burning. For respite we had a rolling section to follow down to Eastwell Manor, again finding the Pilgrim's Way to the foot of the inframous White Hill by the top of this beast we were down to six, and only half of the climbs done!
The return to Bredhurst was almost a return along the outward route, this time the climbs were; Hart Hill, Rayners Hill, Lenham Hill, Stede Hill and Broad Street Hill, the connection along the tops was a nasty potholed road called Warren Street, and it was up here that as we waited around a corner an apparition wobbled into view, it was SiMo, a broken man, who we filled with gels and sent back along the top to meet us at the pub. With about an hour to go, just as predicted a storm hit us, bringing the temperature right down and smothering us in "Kentish toothpaste", with numb feet and hands we tackled the remaining few miles, finishing with a puncture and the sting in the tail, another White Hill. at 1:6 it was just what we didn't need after 70 odd miles of hills.
Finally we made the pub, of our 19 only four made the full route, and never has a pint and chips felt so good or been so richly deserved. So "Cheers" Sam, Chris and Fasthawesy. I'm sure to do it again next year with a few tweaks and hopefully some more guests.

Including ride from home and back 80 miles, 15 climbs, 6900 ft climbing!

http://connect.garmin.com/player/28716779