London To Brigton

asprilla

Sign-up for London to Brighton opens tomorrow. I'm thinking about doing it, but I've heard that it's just a horrible mess of jams and people blocking roads walking up hills.

Anyone doing it this year, can comment on previous years?

I'll probably do it anyway, just to say that I have.

holybinch

Will be in as well, even if it's damn slow, it will be a good experience I'm sure

gpsBRM

Done it last year. Waste of time from my point of view. 7hours!!!!! Not nice experience for the inexperienced rider either. Lots of bad cycling going on and people ignornant of every other person around them. That was last year though, when I done it back in '94 it was great.

Got some pics etc of it online:

http://www.anything4aride.com/BHF-Londo ... ton-09.php

antikythera

Did it a few years ago, I guess seeing some folks light-up as we were waiting for the marshalls to allow us to cross major roads was a bit of a give away...

There were two experiences that I didn't really like, the first were the small vilalges where the locals set-up stalls selling hot-dogs etc. They were extremely aggressive, in one case a little child almost knocked me off the bike trying to get me to stop (WTF :roll: )

Secondly on Ditchling Beacon‎, this is where all the motorist with BSO's turn up and do exactly the same sh*t with a bike as they do with a car. It's safer to get off and walk!

I suspect there are two preferrable options, either ignore the start time you've been given and set off as early as possible. Quite a few people I know do this. Alternatively do the same ride on another day :shock:

When I did do the ride, I rode back... that was the best part of the ride

stuaff

Good report there gps- not sure I'd agree Ditchling is an anti-climax though, certainly didn't feel like it at 8am Saturday!
Asprilla, if you fancy having a go at L2B with some lovely people on nice quiet roads, http://fnrttc.blogspot.com/

Gussio

Did it a few years back (10?) and had fun. Sure, there are lots of people on the road but if you treat it as a fun ride rather than a race it is bearable. An earlier start would be good, leaving plenty of time for fish and chips on the beach. If you decide to cycle back to London, I am sure that there will be fewer people on the roads

HamishD

Did it last year. Horrible. Walked most of the first twenty miles. Too many people and the lanes just too narrow for the volume of traffic. Think it’s OK if you start at 6 am but otherwise avoid like the plague.

gaz545

I did it in 06. very busy at points, but when your on the open road you can really sort the men from the boys.

asprilla

From what I've heard, this 'open road' is a myth.

Hmm, if it's that bad I also think it's going to be difficult to convince Mrs Asprilla to drive down and pick me up....

Clever Pun

Set off early as has already been mentioned after 8 and you'll be there all day

getting back is tough unless you MTFU and cycle back but doing 100+ miles in a day isn't easy either

holybinch

Uh. Well, pretty glad I read this thread. Now I need to find a replacement around that date...

CiB

I've done it a couple of times, which is enough. It's worth doing for the fun aspect, but as others have said it's a traffic jam most of the way. Don't expect to knock off the 53 miles in whatever time you'd normally do 53 miles. Be ready to display your track-standing skills where the route leaves major roads and enters country lanes. You can also use it as an exercise in honing your spidey skills, what with all the riders who've got no clue whatsoever about riding with other cyclists. Some of them can be a bit scary, esp on the closed roads sections.

Ditchling is a challenge as long as you can thread your way through the walkers, shouting 'coming through please' every 2½ yards.

The plus side of that tho is the drop down into Brighton down the big hill. It's a bit death-or-glory here and I've failed to hit 50 on both occasions, topping out at 48 & 49 mph respectively. And you do get the glory of hitting the finish on Madeira Drive in front of a properly appreciative audience.

Everyone should do L2B at least once. Then go and do Sportivs instead.

gaz545

failed to do 50? i hit 54mph on a bso down the big hill into brighton :P

It's all about how good your aero position is.

kelsen

gaz545 wrote:

failed to do 50? i hit 54mph on a bso down the big hill into brighton :P

It's all about how good your aero position is.

...and how fat you are. Gravity acts on fatties with greater force than it does with a smaller object.

amnezia

Its a fun ride, if you treat it as such then you'll enjoy it.

afcbian

Done it 4 times and as long as you approach it as being "a fun day out" it's fine.
If you are looking for an enjoyable ride/challenge it's a bit bobbins IMO.
Anyone who regularly does 30-50 miles will find it a pain purely based on the amount of time spent waiting around etc

asprilla

Yeah, I was hoping to do it in 3 hours, not 8, so i think I'll be giving it a miss.

GMRK

If you're on an MTB or Hybrid you can ride back up the Downs Link from Shoreham, catch a train to London half way at Christ's Hospital or continue to Guildford:

http://explore.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/os_routes/show/1263

Bikequin

I did this last year and will be doing it again this year - as has been said its not a tough ride and you won't do it quickly, but if you treat as a fun day out then I think its worth doing - its not everyday that you get to cycle on closed roads. I imagine all the people posting horror stories set off quite late in the day - set off early and you'll be fine.

il_principe

It's an experience I don't care to repeat, ever, not even if you paid me. It's not an event for cyclists, it's an event for people that 'knocking about in the garage.'

bradford

I did the ride in 08 and found it to be a good experience.Well apart from a few people crashing and some log jams that is? But that is to expected really with a lot of once a year cyclists about ! What a great buzz dropping down into Brighton and finishing on the seafront.Would have done it last year but couldn't get a place on the ride,will try again this year! But doubt i will get a place :roll:

kelsen

Il Principe wrote:

It's an experience I don't care to repeat, ever, not even if you paid me. It's not an event for cyclists, it's an event for people that 'knocking about in the garage.'

What, doggers?

afcbian

Now, L2B offroad in Sept...............that's a decent day out

Big Shoes

It is not the event for anyone who 'wants to do it quickly' or anyone who has no intention of getting sponsored, it is a charity ride for people of all shapes, sizes and skill levels trying to raise money for a very important charity.
The people who piss me off are the ones who complain about the person in front of them riding badly who is probably doing it for charity. if everyone who did the ride got sponsored or had to raise over say £150 each, just think how much money they would get!!
I do it every year and I get sponsored, and i treat it as a good, fun day out with friends.

bradford

Big Shoes wrote:

It is not the event for anyone who 'wants to do it quickly' or anyone who has no intention of getting sponsored, it is a charity ride for people of all shapes, sizes and skill levels trying to raise money for a very important charity.
The people who wee-wee me off are the ones who complain about the person in front of them riding badly who is probably doing it for charity. if everyone who did the ride got sponsored or had to raise over say £150 each, just think how much money they would get!!
I do it every year and I get sponsored, and i treat it as a good, fun day out with friends.

Well said! Alot of my relatives have died from heart disease,so raising money for this charity is what it's all about really.

afcbian

bradford wrote:

Big Shoes wrote:

It is not the event for anyone who 'wants to do it quickly' or anyone who has no intention of getting sponsored, it is a charity ride for people of all shapes, sizes and skill levels trying to raise money for a very important charity.
The people who wee-wee me off are the ones who complain about the person in front of them riding badly who is probably doing it for charity. if everyone who did the ride got sponsored or had to raise over say £150 each, just think how much money they would get!!
I do it every year and I get sponsored, and i treat it as a good, fun day out with friends.

Well said! Alot of my relatives have died from heart disease,so raising money for this charity is what it's all about really.

+1 to both of those.
It's a fun day out, if you want to ride fast do a sportive

Bassjunkieuk

Asprilla, whilst I haven't done the L2B (for the same reason's most have mentioned on here) I have done the Capital to Coast ride a couple of times.
Similar distance (60 miles) but a lot quieter due to a smaller turnout. Starts at Esher College and ends in Hove and last years ride went over Box Hill and down Zig Zag Road which was a real treat!
I set off pretty early and didn't bother with the rest stops as I was carrying a couple of large bottles and some Clif Bars and had a pretty much clear run from the half way point :-)

Eau Rouge

bradford wrote:

Well said! Alot of my relatives have died from heart disease,so raising money for this charity is what it's all about really.

The BHF run a lot of cycling events to raise money
http://www.bhf.org.uk/GET_INVOLVED/TAKE ... RIDES.Aspx

If L2B is more a mix of walking/queueing then perhaps one of the others would be a better choice to go on.

spen666

Big Shoes wrote:

It is not the event for anyone who 'wants to do it quickly' or anyone who has no intention of getting sponsored, it is a charity ride for people of all shapes, sizes and skill levels trying to raise money for a very important charity.
The people who wee-wee me off are the ones who complain about the person in front of them riding badly who is probably doing it for charity. if everyone who did the ride got sponsored or had to raise over say £150 each, just think how much money they would get!!
I do it every year and I get sponsored, and i treat it as a good, fun day out with friends.

So you will be happy for me to get saponsored for charity and drive my car badly as well? So why is it ok for cyclists to do this?

Its great and laudable that people are raising money for charity and enjoying themselves. This however does not excuse dangerous actions, lack of consideration for others and generally creating danger to others

spen666

Big Shoes wrote:

It is not the event for anyone who 'wants to do it quickly' or anyone who has no intention of getting sponsored, it is a charity ride for people of all shapes, sizes and skill levels trying to raise money for a very important charity.
The people who wee-wee me off are the ones who complain about the person in front of them riding badly who is probably doing it for charity. if everyone who did the ride got sponsored or had to raise over say £150 each, just think how much money they would get!!
I do it every year and I get sponsored, and i treat it as a good, fun day out with friends.

So you will be happy for me to get saponsored for charity and drive my car badly as well? So why is it ok for cyclists to do this?

Its great and laudable that people are raising money for charity and enjoying themselves. This however does not excuse dangerous actions, lack of consideration for others and generally creating danger to others

amnezia

Asprilla wrote:

Yeah, I was hoping to do it in 3 hours, not 8, so i think I'll be giving it a miss.

Its not hard to do it in 3 hours