| Riders | John & Andrew |
| Distance | 72.97 mi |
| Time | 6h02m33s |
| Average Speed | 12.08 mph |
| Ascent | 1473 m |
| Run.GPS Training Profile | |
As planned we went out for a good training run on Sunday. The weather was cool and cloudy to start with but it soon brightened up to a lovely afternoon with a northerly breeze. It was hard to decide whether it was jacket on or off weather as the wind did have a chilly bite.
We met in Long Crendon and headed south through Thame town centre and out along the B4445 to Chinnor. Pretty uneventful cycling with the Chiltern ‘mountains’ directly ahead of us. We crossed the Ridgeway and then needed to climb up Chinnor Hill, a pretty steep and steady climb to gain 200 m (600 ft) of altitude. We declined the turning along Bledlow Ridge and headed to the more minor road through Crowell Hill and Radnage. This single-track road seemed to attract a number of cars as we descended steadily towards West Wycombe.
We climbed back up the adjacent valley to Saunderton. We stopped briefly at the bottom of what looked like a minor hill on Small Dean Lane, its looks were deceiving. It was short but boy was it steep, we reckon that was probably the steepest hill we have encountered whilst training. From the map I’ve calculated it as 1:5 and it was a job keeping the front wheel down! From the top we had an undulating ride to Speen which had a steep hairpin approach.
After the climbing it was a gentle descent into Great Missenden and a coffee-stop at the caf
