L2B

sithebike

I am still fairly new to cycling. I am doing the L2B this year and was just wondering how difficult the ride is.
Everybody I have spoken too talks about Ditchling Beacon so I am expecting that to be pretty tough, but what about the rest of the ride?
Currently I am riding between 50 - 70 miles a week. My longest ride so far is a 48 mile solo ride, the last 15 miles of that ride was into a very strong headwind needing to pedal going downhill!!
I know that time is running out for anymore training, so I am hoping I have done enough.

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Robsbc

The L2B route is 54 miles. Route is fairly flat, some small climbs are How Lane in Chipstead (long drag), Merstham (short sharp climb), Turners Hill (short sharp climb), Lingfield (short sharp climb) and then finally Ditchling.

50-70 miles a week is more than all of my work colleagues who are doing the ride this year. Most are only doing 30 a week and even then it's not every week. It was the same for the guys last year, they all completed but not in quick times i.e 4.5hrs plus but most had mountain bikes.

Went up ditchling yesterday and had an avergae speed of 19.2mph before I hit the bottom of the climb. I went down the offical route just after Turners Hill climb. Ditchling is 0.9 miles long with an average gradient of 10%. It's not constant gradient and has lots of turns.

On the day you will get a buzz from all the many cyclists on the road which will take away any pain as you approach Dicthling. Climbing Ditchling, you will find people walking on the left and everyone else climbs on the right hand side of the road.

You Should get good drafting affect but I spent most of the ride on the outside of the mass cyclists overtaking last year on the mountain bike.

What time are you leaving? I'm going at 7am. The later your start time the more chance of hold ups on climbs as people walk them.

sithebike

i'm leaving at 8am. Really looking forward to the ride. I live at the foot of the blackdown hills which is good for training. Not sure what the gradient is but I have plotted a route on bikely, The climb is about 1.5 miles and you climb about 300 metres

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Lefire

I did the L2B last year on my mountain bike. Hadn't done milage as high as that before so was a little aprehensive but on the day riding with other people took my mind off the distance.
The course was enjoyable and I even managed to cycle up Ditchling Beacon without stopping. That made the ride down the other side of the hill even more enjoyable.
Have fun.