After a three-year gap due to the pandemic, a devil of a ride known as HOTA rose from the ashes in England on Sunday for cyclists in search of a hellish day on the bike – and free beer if they finish.

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For a dozen years, UK cyclists have called Hell of the Ashdown (HOTA) the hardest early season sportive in England, offering amateur cyclists the opportunity to show off the results (or lack thereof) of sweaty indoor winter training sessions.

Organised just south of London by the Westerhame Cycling Club, Hell of the Ashdown torments riders with 100 lumpy kilometres and 1850 vertical metres of Kent and Sussex’s steepest, most challenging and narrow back lane village roads, including 11 leg-breaking categorized climbs referred to as “Hills.”

The daunting reputation of this event does not deter riders, in fact it attracts them like bees to honey.   The 2022 edition sold-out early with 1500 riders starting their hellish 3-8 hour journey early Sunday morning.

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Complete Hell of the Ashdown results HERE.

PHOTOS: HOTA, Twitter