L2B alternative route question

kelsen

Have been roped into doing the L2B by work and not looking forward to it with the sheer volume of people entering.

Is there anything stopping me from using an alternate route, at least for getting out of central London?

Also, what is the recommended route for cycling back? I assume you can't just cycle the reverse of the official route?

Heckler1974

Trust me L2B is insane enough when going with the flow, trying to cycle against it would be suicide.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-ki ... 4374260527 gives an example of a reverse route.

If I were you I'd treat it as a slow recovery ride otherwise you'll get frustrated as people walk in a line across every upward hill or brake to a complete stop in the middle of a descent (and every other silly thing you can think of). For a lot of people that is their one big cycle of the year and you just have to shrug and just go with the flow.

David-Witts

+1 Insane but great fun. To miss the crowds go at 6am or earlier and join ride at Tooting Bec

To cycle back go via Shoreham, Small Dole, Faygate, Leith Hill and then Northwards.

Have fun

kelsen

Thanks for the replies guys.

One of the incentives for avoiding the crowds is that someone has promised to donate a significant amount if one of us can complete the ride in 3 hrs or less. A near impossibility on the official route with a 7.30am start.

Heckler1974

kelsen wrote:

One of the incentives for avoiding the crowds is that someone has promised to donate a significant amount if one of us can complete the ride in 3 hrs or less. A near impossibility on the official route with a 7.30am start.

I managed a 3hrs 20 with a 6.30 start, so 3hrs is possible I suppose even on the official route, but you'd need to be absolutely burying it whenever a gap in the riders opens up.

That said no amount of charity cash or kudos from your work mates is worth breaking bones for, riding safely in this thing seems to involve some fairly cautious riding.

Your only real alternative if you want to ride flat out without other riders to take part in the 'unofficial' event where a group of riders head up the day before, camp on the common (or stay in a guest house nearby) and ride the route about five in the morning before the official riders start but the signage is up. Obivously this means you won't get a start or finish stamp and won't get the finisher's medal and I imagine would be frowned upon by the BHF.

kelsen

Heckler1974 wrote:

That said no amount of charity cash or kudos from your work mates is worth breaking bones for, riding safely in this thing seems to involve some fairly cautious riding.

Agreed. Probably the only way I could do this (safely) is either start in the earliest slot, or take a detour via the A23.

batch78

That said no amount of charity cash or kudos from your work mates is worth breaking bones for,

Pah, of course it is!!!

Try to get the earliest start time possible, take it sensible leaving town, then just mash it.

3hrs looks easily doable if you can clear the melee.

Heckler1974

batch78 wrote:

[
Try to get the earliest start time possible, take it sensible leaving town, then just mash it.

3hrs looks easily doable if you can clear the melee.

Two slight flies in your ointment though, the start times are handed out by BHF and are printed on your rider number so you can't start earlier than your given start time and if you start later than the 6am first start time you may well clear the riders from your start group but then you run into the back markers from the previous start group.

Three hours is doable (I've heard it done in 2hrs 45 by local club riders) and chapeau if you can, but that number of inexperienced riders in a pack doesn't make it an easy or especially safe gamble.

Last year I saw the aftermath of one accident (two people being put into an ambulance), had one of our group put into hospital (broken collarbone after being clipped by another rider and going over the handlebars) and heard about another one from a colleague who watched in horror as a rider after a good time weaved in and out of on-coming traffic veered to avoid being squashed by a bus, clipped a front wheel of another rider and sent the rider over the handlebars, cue one shattered seat post and helmet split down the middle (ooer).

There are plenty of sportives or events where you can go for a decent time in relative safety but London to Brighton isn't one of them.