The Summer Sizzler, a hilly summer ride in the Chilterns which was last run in 2013, is back this year, on Sunday 15th September

It starts and finishes at Chalfont St Peter.

This year, it is running as an informal event without an HQ but there will be official timing.

Entry is free, but we are limited to 200 riders.

Please sign up via the link below if you would like to ride.

ENTER HERE

Near the start there are are public toilets and car parks as well as a Costa cafe, which opens from 7am if you would like pre-ride coffee or snacks.

There are three distances: c.160km (100 miles), 110km and 60km. All include lots of quiet lanes and some challenging climbs, including Kop Hill, which features on each version.

Start times are 8:00am for the long route, 8:30 for the medium one and 9:00am for the short route.

Full route details, start/finish location and GPX files will be available when we have finished route checking in the week before the event, but see below for a description of each route

Long route

The long route heads out via Marlow almost to Wallingford, before turning north-east to go along the main Chilterns ridge, taking in a succession of the big climbs, before heading back to Chalfont from near Wendover. It includes some of the old favourites and a few lesser-known, but still interesting climbs, such as:

  • Dark Hill
  • Freith Hill
  • Dudley Lane
  • Nuffield Hill
  • Watlington Hill
  • Ashfield Barn Road
  • Chequers Lane
  • Radnage Lane
  • Longdown Hill
  • Kop Hill
  • Dunsmore
  • Latimer Hill

The route takes in several towns and villages with facilities, including:

  • Marlow (cafes, shop, toilets)
  • Stoke Row (shop/cafe)
  • Watlington (cafes and Co-op, toilets)
  • Chinnor (cafes, shop, toilets)
  • Princes Risborough (slightly off route but lots of options plus a station if you’ve had enough!)
  • Chesham (cafes, shops, toilets + tube station)

Watlington would be a good location for a lunch stop around half way. It has a couple of cafes, the Co-Op and a cyclist-friendly pub which serves good pizza.

Medium route

The medium route largely follows the 2014 Summer Sizzler (other than for HS2 diversions and a new return route with a sting in the tail at Latimer Hill). Like the long route, it heads out to Chinnor, via Marlow and Freith Hill, but misses the section to the Hambledon Valley and Watlington. It then follows the same path as the long route along the main ridge, and back to Chalfont. It includes:

  • Dark Hill
  • Freith Hill
  • Fingest Lane
  • Chequers Lane
  • Radnage Lane
  • Longdown Hill
  • Kop Hill
  • Dunsmore
  • Latimer Hill

For facilities, it takes in Marlow, Chinnor, Princes Risborough (slightly off route) and Chesham) – see details above. Chinnor is an obvious place to stop at around half way, with a couple of cafe options as well as shops.

Short Route

The short version follows an undulating route to Kop Hill via Speen, then rolls back, downhill virtually all the way, to Chalfont.

The obvious place to make a half way stop is to continue on to Princes Risborough – where there are lots of options, allowing a rest immediately before tackling Kop Hill. There is also a Spar that you pass on the way out after 19km, and come very close to on the way back (42km), as well as shops in Speen and Lacey Green.