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Following the successful Elstead Audaxes on 8 June, at which we attracted more than 100 riders thanks to the efforts of Neil McIntyre and the rest of the WSCC events team, it’s time to turn our attention to Tour of the Hills (TOTH) Audax.

As most of you know, TOTH is a 110km ride that takes in all of the main climbs in the Surrey hills, with around 2,300m of elevation. It takes place this year on Sunday 10 August, at Shere Village Hall. The event is open to all cyclists who are intrepid enough to take on the challenge, and we normally attract cyclists from across the country (and even beyond).

Entries have already started to come in and we are on track for a healthy number of participants. As well as being a very significant income source for the club, TOTH is also a very sociable occasion that brings a lot of club members together and creates excellent publicity and goodwill for the club each year.

Alongside TOTH, the club runs a gentler Tour of the Greensand ride on the same day and venue, which is also open to all comers. Further details of the Greensand ride, which normally attracts a good number of club riders from the G2 and G3 groups, will be posted on Spond nearer the time.

Entry for TOTH (the fee is £15) is via the Audax website

There are two main ways you can help:

• Volunteering for one of the roles on the day
• Assisting with publicity for the event

Please take a moment to read on and consider how you can help the club make the event a success.

Volunteers

TOTH cannot function without a small army of volunteers in the hall, and out on the course. Each year, we have had a fantastic response from club members who have taken on these roles, and our volunteers have also had a great time in the process. Since this year’s TOTH will be the 43rd edition, this is also a chance for you to become part of the club’s history!

Checkpoint Marshals

There are 6 separate checkpoints around the course, and we need at least two marshals at each one of these. Their job is to check the riders in and out, stamping their Audax cards and – most importantly – handing out jelly babies, water top-ups and encouragement.

We are also looking for someone to coordinate the marshals from the Village Hall. We have a well-drilled system for the checkpoint stations (and all the necessary equipment) so the requirements for this job are already well set out. Expert guidance is on hand for anyone who would like to give it a try for the first time!

Catering and in-hall support

Jill Ridyard is once again masterminding the catering in the village hall on the day, and will need some help both with preparing the food and drink in advance, and serving on the day. The catering is one of the main attractions of the event, and Jill will once again be managing the helpers by recruiting two shifts (morning and afternoon) to ease the load on anyone who steps forward.

There are also a few other jobs in the hall itself, including a volunteer to deal with on-the-day entries and checking in riders when they return to the hall at the end of the ride. We need a volunteer to coordinate entries for the Greensand ride too.

Please let me or Jill know if you would be available to assist on any of the above roles. To make this as simple as possible, we have set up a poll on the club’s Spond page that allows you to register your availability at the click of a button – or just get in touch direct or via your ride leader if that’s easier. It would be nice to see some of our newer members getting involved this year.

Publicity

We have already sent out emails to last year’s entrants and more than 30 cycle clubs and cafés throughout the South-East to let them know details of the event, and the Audax magazine and website also provide valuable publicity. But these mailshots can be rather hit-and-miss, and it would be really helpful if club members could use their own cycling contacts and local knowledge to ensure that we bring TOTH to the attention of potential entrants.

We are relying increasingly on social media to promote the event, this post includes the jpeg file which contains the poster we have used this year. A personal recommendation can speak far louder than an unsolicited email, so please feel free to post this on any Instagram/Facebook/website where we have a good chance to reach fellow cyclists who might be interested in signing up to ride TOTH.

Finally, there we have printed some TOTH business cards and posters that can be displayed in cycle-friendly cafés and other hot spots, so please get in touch or ask you ride leader if you would like to help in that way.

Thanks, in anticipation of your support!

Derek

The second of our new Saturday morning rides has been posted on Spond (7th June).  Please sign-up!

A relaxed and sociable G2/G3 pace which the leader will always adjust to suit the actual group of riders on the day.  A committee member will join each ride to help welcome guests and potential new members, and to encourage them to join and ride regularly with our club.  We also aim to ensure that these rides will be ones where women riders can always expect to have female company.

We have welcomed many new riders over recent years, and we thought it would be a good idea to highlight a few things about your club.  Obviously the primary points of contact are the club rides, of which there are well over 400 each year, with some 150 riders, of which around half are regularly riding at least every 2-3 weeks.  We run several different levels of ride to suit a wide range of fitness and ability, but always sporting our distinctive yellow and blue West Surrey CC kit along the many lovely lanes in our area..

There are also four key events each year which are of fundamental importance for the club.

Annual Dinner (to be held at Hoebridge Golf Club on Fri 14 March) is a great opportunity to meet up in a friendly, lycra-free environment and let your hair down (at least those lucky enough to have some!).  You can meet riders from other levels as well as your regular riding buddies, and hear all about their cycling adventures over the last year, and their plans for the coming one.  Non-member guests are very welcome.  If you haven’t already done so, please reply to the email invite from Keith Stainer or accept on Spond and we’ll contact you.

The AGM (Normandy Village Hall, 10am Sat 10 May) is the key meeting to appoint members of the Committee, hear about our achievements during the year, and our healthy financial status. It’s the perfect opportunity for members to raise any issues they have or suggest improvements or changes for the club to consider.

There are then the club’s two Audax (Long Distance Cycling) Events – The Elstead Event on Sun 8 June, and the Tour of the Hills (TotH) on Sun 10 Aug.  As a club, and that means individual members acting on a voluntary basis, we organise and manage these very popular events. They attract riders from all over the South East and farther afield – last year there were some 80 riders on the Elstead Events and just short of 100 on the Tour of the Hills. As well as being great events, they publicise the club and also generate a financial surplus which is essential to the financial health of our club – this enables us to do things such as running first aid courses for riders; providing first aid kits; and subsidising the Annual Dinner.

However, we can only run these events if members volunteer to help. Neil McIntyre has posted a request on Spond for volunteers to help with rider management and catering for Elstead, but the bigger challenge is with Tour of the Hills. This event needs volunteers not only in Shere Village Hall to register riders on the way out and return, but also at the many Marshall Points around the course and to provide the catering at Shere, which is widely recognised by visiting riders as amongst the best at any Audax event!  The TotH has been run for the last few years by Derek and Jill Ridyard, but they’re going to take a well-deserved rest after this year’s event. John Carolin is going to take over Derek’s role organising the event, but we need volunteer(s) to continue with the very well-oiled machine that is the catering operation. If anyone is interested in volunteering or joining the Events Committee team, in any capacity, please let us know.

Thanks for your attention, and look forward to seeing you out on a ride or hopefully at the Annual Dinner!

We have been approached by a couple of organisations offering opportunities for charity rides:

London to Brighton Bike Ride Challenge

15th June 2025

Be part of this legendary bike ride and immerse yourself in a heartfelt community. Setting off from Clapham Common, enjoy predominantly closed, traffic-free, tarmac roads.  Cycle 55 miles through glorious city scenes and breathtaking views of the South Downs. Once you’ve conquered Ditchling Beacon, you can revel in the downhill ride towards Brighton Beachfront, where you’ll receive a celebratory welcome.  

Why This Matters  

Suicide is the leading cause of death for those under 35 and men under 50. The age group with the highest rate of suspected suicide throughout 2024 was those aged 45 to 64. Grassroots Suicide Prevention is dedicated to changing this through education, awareness, and empowering communities to have life-saving conversations. We have trained over 65,000 people to have lifesaving conversations, enabling beloved fathers to access vital tools and resources. Our award-winning Stay Alive App has been downloaded over 800,500 times. 

Why Your Club Should Get Involved:  

Team Spirit: Strengthen the bonds you’ve already built, share the challenge and support one another

A Worthy Cause: Every mile you cycle will help raise awareness and critical funds for suicide prevention, truly making a difference in people’s lives.  

Challenge and Achievement: It’s a challenge that will push you, and one that you’ll be proud to accomplish together. 

What You’ll Get as Part of Team Grassroots:  

• Free branded cycling jersey  
• Regular check-ins and fundraising tips  
• Access to an exclusive Fundraising Hub  
• A spot in our Suicide Prevention Training  
• Registration is £35 & the fundraising target is £400

Whether you want to combine your fundraising targets as a team or keep them individual, signing up early gives your supporters plenty of time to help you hit your goal. 

Cycle Surrey Hills

Sunday 13th April 2025

As in previous years, we are raising funds for two local charities, Crossroads Care Surrey and East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services, both of whom benefit hugely from the generosity of the riders who take part in the event – all the entry fees are donated to the charities.

Cycle Surrey Hills is a friendly, smaller-scale event, it’s well-signposted, has decent refreshments both en route and at the finish, which is in the lovely rural grounds of St Teresa’s School, Effingham

There is a choice of three routes – 27k for families (including children over 12), 59k for intermediate riders and, for the first time, a new 100k route for more experienced riders. Those of you who ride the area will know the challenges involved!

More details and the entry form can be found on the website – cyclesurreyhills.co.uk.

We do hope to see you and friends on Sunday 13th April.