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David Kirkby rode the stages of the new London-Paris 2008 route and knows all the climbs and corners like the back of his hand. After all, David has ridden both 2006 and 2007 events as well as guided the L2P Camps. |
Words by Adam Tranter
Ride by David Kirkby
Rider's guide to day one: London-Dover - 185km with 1400m of climbing
The route of the London-Paris Cycle Tour differs slightly for 2008, instead of heading through Surrey and Sussex to Portsmouth, this year's route first heads toward to Dorking. This market town, which lies at the foot of the North Downs will grace the L2P riders as they move further away from London into the fantastic, picturesque countryside. The riders will then climb through the byways and then descend towards Gatwick before then heading east, close to Tunbridge Wells on the way to Dover. It's a stark contrast to the start in London with plenty of farm land surrounding the quiet roads.
The first half of the ride combines some short, sharp hills with undulating and lumpy countryside. The scenery is fantastic but our ride expert David Kirkby was thinking more about energy conservation, "You need your wits about you as there are three or four descents and climbs that require competent bike skills and energy saving strategies as this is a fairly long day in the saddle. It is wise not to expend all of your energy on the first day!"
There's a few more climbs before the lunch stop, David suggests to get into a controlled and settled rhythm. There will be a long few days ahead, so those who try and ride themselves into the ground may just regret it on day three. The lunch stop at Lamberhurst comes after 102km of the 185km route, the village on the border of Kent provides a quiet stop to recuperate and get ready for the remainder of the route. Use the feed opportunity wisely, you'll appreciate it in the last 10km.
After lunch the ride will proceed to complete the remaining 83km into Dover. This section allows for some respite after the undulating roads in the first section of stage one. But if you thought we were going to let you get away with it that easily, you'll be in for a surprise when the ride reaches Goudhurst, the setting for the 2007 Tour de France King of the Mountains. The word mountains might have been used a little loosely because of Tour de France tradition, but it's still sharp enough to cause the riders problems. There should be an increase in pace towards the top despite the hill reaching its steepest, the aptly placed L2P Hill Points finish will see a flurry of jerseys chasing the points available. There's then a long and easy descent down before another L2P Hill Points finish with only 15km left of the stage. The 1.5km Capel le Ferne climb may prove difficult for many of the riders with tired legs. It's then the short downhill run in to Dover. Only 410.8km left to go.
Times, Distances and Flagged Sections