London to Cambridge sponsored ride...

turborat

I have signed myself up for this on the 22nd July to raise some money for Breakthrough Cancer and it will be the longest ride I have done for about 15 years!!!!

Has anyone entered this ride before and if so any ideas what I am in for with regards to how hard/easy the ride may be (hills, numbers of people etc)?

halfords wizzkid

Oh dear welcome to hell, nah not really, this will be my 3rd year in a row doing this ride and quite frankly its really good.

Theres a few hills which are a bit steep so hill training is a must before the ride but you also have some nice flattish areas too ideal for the sprinters among us.

The mileage i think is still 58 miles but take it easy especially as this ride tends to be on a hot day.

The number of people is reasonable say about 3000 max i think last year.

Anyways i'm doing it again and hope to see you there, good luck with it.

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z241/ashh2_album/

Greenbank

I did it last year (and my ugly mug even made it into the Bike Events magazine) and it kick started my getting back into long-distance cycling.

There are a couple of long drags uphill but nothing too silly. Once you get towards Cambridge it becomes almost pan flat.

Getting to the start at Waltham Abbey can be fun if you don't have a car. I cycled there from SW London which added another 20 miles (but was a nice warmup).

It was a good laugh and I'd be doing it again this year but I'm doing a 200 mile ride in Kent instead on 22nd July.

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If I had a baby elephant signature, I'd use that.

overmars

Well I've done this ride for at least four years now. The thing is whether it's london to Oxford/Cambridge/Windsor/Southend details of the rides all seem to merge! London to Windsor is the easiest. But all the others have their moments.

Being your first major ride in 15 years I don't see it being easy. Get in some long rides and hills asap.

Aaah! All this London stuff! I'd like to try a ride up north if I have the time.

________________________
The obstacle is the path

turborat

Thanx for the advice everyone.

At the moment I have started to commute to work which is around 15 miles and I'm also getting in a 25 mile one evening a week. All my journeys involve hills which are of all types.

I must say it feels good to be back on a bike again even if the old legs are feeling it a little at the mo.

I plan to go out this weekend (weather permiting) with my neighbour and try a very steady 35/40 miles to try and get the bum into condition and see where I'm at!!!

pauluscp

I have done this ride many times and it is one of the best organised rides down this way. A few hills, nothing to bad, so expect to enjoy yourself.

So many roads, so little time!!!

hellsbellscp

I'm doing this ride aswell and will be cycling to waltham abbey too, which adds another 14 miles to the journey.
The longest ride i've done so far is 38 miles, and I felt fine after it. I haven't had much practice with hills though and don't know if I'm going to have much spare time before the ride in july.
Do you think i'll be okay?

halfords wizzkid

yeah you should be ok, if you can't get any time into hill climbing try putting your bike in the highest possible gearing ie 53-11 and do some resistance training along the flats, it worked for me for a while.


http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z241/ashh2_album/

lkoky

I am doing this ride as well.
But this year a few colleagues and I will be cycling from Cambridge to London on 21st then back to Cambridge again on 22nd.

Phil Russell

There are some longish drags that may have you reaching for your lowest gears (depends on what gearing you have and your riding fitness). About 10 miles from Cambridge you will enter Elmdon .. a fairly stiff drag into the village. Then after passing through the village you go up a short sharp hill .. not very long but certainly you will reach for low gears ... . The joy is that you then descend downhill all the way to Ickleton. If it has been raining take care on the descent as grit and gravel can get washed onto the road so watch out for the final rh sweep in the road .. another road joins from the left and there is often a car parked virtually on the corner. Ickleton is the last feed stop (if same as last year) but you can now relax in the knowledge that it is pretty flat all the way into Cambridge from there (just a pimple to get over in Shelford as you drop to a roundabout at a location known as 'Shelford Bottom')
The only problem then is how to balance your bike at the finish as a finish certificate is thrust into one hand and a free can of drink into your other hand.
Oh .. and please stop at the red traffic lights on the way into Cambridge as there will be traffic around and the junctions will not be (or at least were not in previous years) police controlled. Some cyclists sem to assume that a charity group ride is exempt from obeying traffic lights ...
Enjoy it.

Cheers, Phil

hellsbellscp

are there toilet facilities at the food stops? And how frequent are these stops?

Greenbank

Food stops every 10 miles, all of which have toilets (if I remember correctly).

BTW, the longest ride I'd done in preperation was about 25 miles (but I'd done a lot of cycling in the dim past). The general rule is that if you can do half the distance in "training" with no, or minor, problems then you'll be able to do the full distance on the day. If 38 miles is your longest ride then you'll be fine.

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If I had a baby elephant signature, I'd use that.

halfords wizzkid

Just take it easy if it's baking hot that day, it was the hottest day of the year last year and i got serious sun burn!!

But all in all it's a great ride and i'm looking forward to it.

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z241/ashh2_album/

pauluscp

I've had a look at the railway situation for that day and it appears that there are no trains between Cambridge and Kings Cross on that day. Those of you like me who will need that service to get home will have to think again!

So many roads, so little time!!!

halfords wizzkid

check the www.natioanlrail.co.uk website for details, there is services running from Cambridge to Seven Sisters, then to Liverpool Street.

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z241/ashh2_album/