Way to the Sea 200km Food Control at 150KM
The 2022 edition of The Way to the Sea is now planned for Saturday 2nd July. This will be a 210 km audax that will start beside the Cutty Sark ship in the naval centre of Greenwich and visit some of the historic parts of coastal Kent, before returning to London via some lovely lanes through the North Downs. There will be three checkpoints along the route were there’ll be people stamping brevet cards (Nurstead, Isle of Grain and Minister on Sea) to make it a very sociable ride.
The theme of the ride is the sea. From the start in the World Heritage site of the naval college in Royal Greenwich, to the coastal landscapes of the Hoo Peninsula, the end of the world feel on the Isle of Grain where ships come to overload the LPG, a 50 km tour of the Medway Estuary to get to the next checkpoint that is only 6 km away as the crow flies, a sighting of a Cold War submarine, historic Rochester, the vertical lift bridge to access the Isle of Sheppey and a control looking over the sea with views of Southend in Essex. The second part of the ride back to London is vastly different. This is all about small tree lined lanes, typical Kentish oasts houses and a tough climb over the North Downs with a final pleasant approach to London. To maintain the nautical theme the finish will be at The Old Brewery in the naval college.
Way to the Sea Finish control
This would be a great ride for anyone who is either stepping up the distance and/or has never done an audax before as there will be plenty of support and daylight. In 2021 one person who finished the ride had only started cycling the spring of 2020. Other people on the 2021 version had never ridden 200 km before. If you do not even know what an audax is then take a look at this video “What is an Audax“
The route from the 2021 ride is here: Link to GPX Route and the 2022 route won’t be much different.
