Calling all Strava users - help needed!

I've devised a new evening time trial course which starts and finishes near Denmead. It's about 9.5 miles long but I need to measure it a bit more accurately before I can raise the full Risk Assessment form and I can't because I can't download Strava onto my phone. Therefore I'm looking for a few individuals to ride the whole course when out training and to create a Strava segment for it. The start and finish lines are already marked in the road as "PNE START" and "PNE FIN" and the route is as follows:

Start by a layby in Anmore Lane, Denmead; proceed north into Broadway Lane and bear right into Day Lane. Give way at the Bird in Hand PH and turn left into Lovedean Lane; proceed north into Downhouse Road and turn left into Red House Lane at Clanfield. Give way at the junction with Hambledon Road and turn left to climb up to the Bat and Ball PH; proceed down the descent of East Lane and turn right into Brook Lane - CARE! - Give way to oncoming traffic and there may be gravel in the road at the junction. Before the foot of Grenville Hill turn left into Green Lane and then give way before joining the B2150 south bound. Follow the B2150 through Hambledon and climb up to Anthill Common to finish just before Rushmere Lane on the left. The HQ will be the public car park in Kidmore Lane, Denmead.

Dare I say it, but accurate Strava segment measurements may create a whole new way to ride time trials, thus doing me out of a (voluntary) job! Please let me know what the distance is in miles or km so I can apply for permission to use it in 2015. The overall elevation (in metres?) would be interesting too.

Over to you guys - first one to accurately measure the course on Strava will be the first unofficial course record holder of the new Circuit of Hambledon Time Trial! Any queries: 07979 503323.

Thanks.

Paul Martin
Assistant Time Keeper, PNECC

Paul
I have ridden the route this morning and made a Strava segment on the complete course. I have also uploaded it to ride with GPS http://ridewithgps.com/trips/3258243 see link for details, it comes in on both of them as 9.5 miles.
Initial concerns  over the right hand turn into Brook lane from East st, after making the turn thoughts were not as bad as first thought but still you have to slow right down to make the turn and until you are on the turn you can't see what is coming in the other direction. I would say that this turn would have to be marshalled. Also there was a give way island in green lane just before you come into hambledon, there would still be enough room to get through if a car was coming the other way but if a lorry or bus was coming you would have to stop to give way.
On both these hazards my concern would be that people may take risks as it is a race and have an accident.
Other than that i thought it was a good and fairly quiet route.
I would be interested to see what others think of the route. Here is the link to the Strava ride http://www.strava.com/activities/182810703

Dave

I've cycled the route and various parts of it many times. Its a generally light traffic and undulating route.

I agree with Dave about the right turn. It does come towards the end of a fast downhill section and would ideally need a marshall to warn of any oncoming traffic. Even with a marshall I would be a bit concerned that in a race some riders might take risks on this turn.

Riders would have to give way at the traffic island coming into Hambledon. I know its the same coming into Hambledon from Denmead (another tt route) but I would be a bit
concerned about riders taking risks if faced with a delay because of oncoming traffic.
Although right of way at traffic island exiting out of Hambledon, care needs to be taken
that oncoming traffic stop, I've nearly been hit on a couple of occasions by drivers who either didn't see me or care !

Thanks for your comments guys.  Regarding the right turn, CTT rules require competitors to obey the highway code at all times which means that any attempt to cut the apex would unlawful as well as ill-advised.  Cars must give way at the junction by law too.  This logic is just as true at Southwick roundabout on course P829.  That said, even with signage, it would be naïve of me to say that a marshal would be unnecessary and I will be insisting on one for the Risk Assessment to act as an observer and to discourage unlawful use of the road by any party.  (It is worth noting that marshals have no power to stop traffic, that the onus on knowing the way rests with the rider and that shouted instructions regarding a blind bend do not absolve the rider of his/her responsibility to ride with due care and attention.)

The traffic-calming measures either side of Hambledon should not unduly hinder a rider, subject to the requirements of the law; existing courses P812, P813 and P817 all negotiate them without incident (although perhaps only because of the rider's skill in avoiding impatient motorists - don't get me started on so-called 'traffic calming' measures grrr).

You guys are experienced riders and know all the above so I'm not try to teach you suck eggs but I've explained this is detail for the benefit of other readers.

Greg Rolfe and I will undertake a full RA and will submit it to the South DC for approval for next year.  I accept that they might not like the right turn either so we'll see.  Any suggestions for other new courses are welcome from anyone, the more hilly the better! Road Bike Only Hilly TT Trophy anyone?  

I'd quite like a road bike only hilly tt...

edit: I have no idea about rules for tt routes other than left turns are better, but I like this http://www.strava.com/routes/894196

Update:

At the request of the PNECC Committee I've been asked to lengthen the above course to 10 miles. Having looked again I've found that the only option is to extend the finish to the bus stop opposite School Lane in Denmead, the finish post being the Bus Stop sign itself.

Could I please have volunteers to measure this on Strava and to see how far it is? If I have over shot the distance, a hint as to the actual 10 mile mark would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I plotted this last year Paul.

See link

https://www.strava.com/segments/7941704

It worked out as 9.5 miles only though Dave. Your strava segment starts and finishes at my original locations. I need to know exactly how much further we'd to go to make it 10 miles exactly. My guess is opposite school lane.

I'm no TT expert as my time from yesterday with show!!!!  However would you want a finish outside the school, it is at the bottom of a steep hill, with a sharpish left turn immediately after?  If you did want to add a bit of distance you could go a bit further into Clanfield and then take the next left, albeit a hairpin back on yourself.

Yes, we discussed that option last night at Club. Bearing in mind the school would not be in use during an event and its entrance is nowhere near the finish, that isn't the issue. As the start cannot be moved the actual 10 mile point is unknown and a strava or garmin measurement, adjusted for elevation will reveal all. We are 99% certain to extend the course into Clanfield but only to add distance and so to make the 10 mile point occur on a level piece of road and before the descent into Denmead. The Club's TT officials look close to nailing this now.

Has anyone suggested a start on East Street, Hambledon heading North East, left turn at the Bat & Ball onto Hyden Farm Lane, left turn at the top onto Droxford Road, left turn at the cross roads onto un-named road by Teglease Copse, follow road to right and head down Sheardley Lane, left turn onto B2150 opposite Long Road, over Grenville Copse and follow towards Denmead - that is easily over 10 miles so you have scope to fiddle with start and finish positions. Should be a good 160 metres of climbing in there too!

I believe it's also 10 miles if you start at the 100 Acres lay-by and head East on the B2177 to Staplecross taking a left turn up Shoot Hill and following this to the Chairmaker's PH before turning right onto Forest Road (yes right turn but good visibility and generally light traffic), head East to the double mini roundabout on the outskirts of Denmead before taking a right turn up Bunker's Hill (right turn is on 2nd roundabout), follow the road back to Southwick before left turn on to High Street, head down to Southwick roundabout before taking 3rd exit and following B2177 back to 100 Acre's to finish.

The HRC Hilly 39K followed some of these roads although it went straight over at Bat and Ball, went down to Clanfield then left at the Rising Sun. The junction at the top of Sheardley Lane has some narrow blind angular junctions and riders could pick up considerable speed on the descent past Wallops Wood Farm before reaching the 60 mph traffic on the B2150 - one failure to give way and goodnight Irene. The Hilly 39K carried on down Watton Lane and riders had to brake hard at the bottom anyway to come around on themselves and take the B2150 through Denmead and onto my proposed new course, finishing before my r/h turn. The 39K is dead due to the lights and car parking in Denmead which is now a no-go area. To conclude, with some adjustments, something may be doable. Oh and the 39K carried on over at the top of the climb from Clanfield and went to East Meon then up Teglease and crossed straight over the Leydene - Old Winchester Hill road. p.s. where would the signing on be?

As for the other course I think the proximity of the Chairmakers and associated users could make it risky. I don't think the good people of Southwick would like riders racing through the village plus cars spilling out from the Red and Golden Lion pubs. It the same reason my proposed course doesn't go through Hambledon Village centre.

Or starting in the lay-by on the A32 at Wickham heading North to the outskirts of Droxford before (sharp) left turn onto South Hill leading to Swanmore Road leading to Droxford Road leading to Gravel Hill leading to High Street (all this is one road really) before left turn onto Prickett's Hill, left turn onto Blind Lane leading immediately to Frith Lane...finish at 10 miles (near Hospital Road at summit) - U-turn and short freewheel back to Wickham Community Centre.

Paul Martin wrote:As for the other course I think the proximity of the Chairmakers and associated users could make it risky. I don't think the good people of Southwick would like riders racing through the village plus cars spilling out from the Red and Golden Lion pubs. It the same reason my proposed course doesn't go through Hambledon Village centre.

Surely all of our supporters will be in the beer gardens long before we arrive and still there after we've finished?

The important considerations are the inevitable risks that racing cyclists take and the ignorance of the average motorist. Narrow lanes can prove fatal so field of vision is an essential consideration. The start location must be able to accommodate accumulated riders waiting to start and ideally be away from residental property so as not to upset the locals. Downhill sections are fraught with dangers due to speed and other road users. The finish line must work for the timekeepers. Car parking and possibly toilets are another thing to think about. Finally try to do all the above in 10 miles and get CTT + Police sanction!

Okay chaps, the saga continues:

I went down to look at the revised finish - the one Graham had identified as being only a few tens of metres south of the original 9.5 mile one - to find that there is no pavement on either side on the B2150 and that the line of sight for the timekeepers is pretty poor. Nonetheless I have marked out mk2 finish at the northern end of the new bus stop and another mk3 finish a bit further south by a drain opposite the end of Uplands Road. This is not much better so Graham is going to re-measure based on the course turning left off of Brook Lane a little before Grenville Hill and going behind the fenced house to shorten the course at that point and to push the finish line a bit further south but still before the descent to Denmead.