FKT: Ollie Garrod - Thames Down Link (United Kingdom) - 2020-06-12

Athletes
Route variation
Standard route
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Unsupported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
1h 44m 29s
Report

Spontaneous crack at the Thames Down Link, making the most of the "un-lockdown". Having done parts of the route quite a few times from Kingston south to Dorking, I thought it might be worth having a go the other way round. Makes for a tough ride for the first few miles, up to Mickleham and then some of Stane Street down to Ashtead encompasses some slightly sharper hills. But it's a nice rolling downhill final section through Horton park, Berrylands and finally into Kingston

Weather was forecast to be a bit iffy, with some storms around but got lucky with some decent spells of "almost" sunshine. Hugely overdressed in a top sleeve top, sweating like an absolute pig by the end!

A couple of minor deviations, adding a couple of extra loops on Epsom Common (by going all the way round the Stew pond rather than taking the shortcut which the official route does), and in Berrylands (by going for a brief while on the wrong side of a stream, before doubling back and reassessing!)

Mostly a well marked route, albeit slightly confusing in places, with the Chessington Countryside walk, London Loop, and Hogsmill nature trail - plus a few other minor paths, all crossing over with similar looking sign posts. I completed this using Garmin route, and used the GPX file attached to the route on FKT as my guiding hand, which mostly matched well to the physical posts

Completely unsupported with nothing but a phone, tummy rumbling a bit by the end - in need of breakfast!