London to Brighton

Bikequin

Anyone else taking part in the annual nodathon down to brighton?

I'm doing it with a group of mates of very varying ability on the bike and have a feeling it'll be very amusing. Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to seeing a little bit of suffering? :twisted:

veronese68

If you don't start early enough you'll be suffering. The slow shuffle to get up the smallest bump is soul destroying, and that was before I started cycling regularly.

il_principe

Amusing is not the word I'd use... Frustrating is closer to the mark. Still, it's a nice enough walk.

EKE_38BPM

I'd do it again, but not in my carbon fibre SPD-SL road shoes, for that amount of walking, I'd go with my MTB style SPDs as they are easier to walk in.

Yukirin

yeah, I am, but they have me down for a 9.30 start! I'm more of a crack of dawn kind of guy. Looking forward to the race back home more, tbh.

edds

Yukirin wrote:

yeah, I am, but they have me down for a 9.30 start! I'm more of a crack of dawn kind of guy. Looking forward to the race back home more, tbh.

Turn up early and go to the tent and ask for an earlier time. They can give you a sticker to put over your time with an earlier time. That is what I have did my first year. Last year I did it with some guys from work and it took us almost 7 hours to get down to brighton. Painfully slowly. Much more enjoyable 2 hour 30 ride back.

Bikequin

Yep we've been allocated later start times despite asking for 6.00am - going to turn up and start at 7 though, otherwise as has been said it'll descend into a walk on the "hills".

Interesting point about road shoes that I hadn't given too much thought to, maybe a good day to switch back to my SPDs.

veronese68

Yes, SPDs at most. If not flats and normal shoes. Definitely try to stay ahead of the mass zombie nodderdom. If you have to ditch the slower ones, so be it. You can still watch them struggle to the finish as you are holding your nice cold beer.

Widgey

Im doing it with a friend (he really wanted a challenge and nagged me as "I cycle often".. 9:30 start time so im expecting the worst

Yukirin

Veronese68 wrote:

Yes, SPDs at most. If not flats and normal shoes. Definitely try to stay ahead of the mass zombie nodderdom. If you have to ditch the slower ones, so be it. You can still watch them struggle to the finish as you are holding your nice cold beer.

Hopefully I'll be fully used to my toe clips by then!

EKE_38BPM

Veronese68 wrote:

Yes, SPDs at most.

+1

Its funny seeing some who take it far too seriously. Aero helmets, tri-bars, the lot, but still nodding like the Churchill Dog.

stuaff

I've been up Ditchling multiple times on FNRttCs and other socials, and the thought of being unable to ride up even small climbs because of umpteen nodders on BSOs appals me. We (the FNRttC crew) did a charity ride last year in aid of the Marlets hospice in Hove, regulars acting as marshals- most of the 350 or so riders were fine, until the Beacon at least, but some were walking even fairly small inclines. The idea that people should train a bit seems to fall on deaf ears....

SmellTheGlove

My top tip (worked last year when I foolishly requested a 9-30 start): turn up early and find one of the roving start marshals who'll stamp your start card, then just head for the appropriate start. Even at 7am, if you join a queue for a new start time be ready for a hell of a wait. Leave after 7-30 and the crowd becomes similarly infernal.

t4tomo

unless you are fussed about card stamping just start when ever, its not a closed road. you've paid your money and got a ride number. I did it a few years back on a tandem with the Mrs. Most of my energy use on Ditchling was yelling "walk on the left" and "rider coming through etc". Won the £50 bet (for charity) that we couldn't cycle up it!

Too many people who have just pulled some heap out of the shed the day before and decided I can cycle 60 miles are the problem, along with trying to squeeze taht many riders down crowded london street and some fairly narrow country roads. Its still a nice day out in a chat to people and have a gentle bike ride sort of way.

White Horse

t4tomo wrote:

Too many people who have just pulled some heap out of the shed the day before and decided I can cycle 60 miles are the problem, .

Or we could just celebrate and highlight the fact that the majority of them manage it and use that to demonstrate to people how easy it is to leave the car at home and cycle to work or to the shops or to their friends house or the pub, etc, etc?

Green Brompton

Looks like I'll be going to this next Sunday with the Pearson crew, taking the early bird train and getting up for a 5:15 meet at Sheen :shock:

I've seen photos of how chocka it gets... I don't wanna walk up any hill!

jds_1981

Last year I must have gone up the hill at about 10/11. There were lots walking on the left and many cycling slowly on the right. Was a case of cycling slowly and getting a bit more speed up when the gaps opened.

http://app.strava.com/rides/1658156#29054710

Green Brompton

Nice. I'd like to do the return leg but I'll see how my rsi is. Knowing me, I'll probably do it. :-s

Yukirin

Green Brompton wrote:

Looks like I'll be going to this next Sunday with the Pearson crew, taking the early bird train and getting up for a 5:15 meet at Sheen :shock:

I've seen photos of how chocka it gets... I don't wanna walk up any hill!

what time are you due to start from clapham?

il_principe

t4tomo wrote:

unless you are fussed about card stamping just start when ever, its not a closed road. /quote]

This. Srsyl, you've paid up, avoid the first few miles. If you start late then you'll walk them anyway and they are no fun.

Also, be very very wary of other people on the descents. There will be 100's of people with utterly ineffective brakes and no sense whatsoever. It's a heady mix.

Green Brompton

Yukirin wrote:

Green Brompton wrote:

Looks like I'll be going to this next Sunday with the Pearson crew, taking the early bird train and getting up for a 5:15 meet at Sheen :shock:

I've seen photos of how chocka it gets... I don't wanna walk up any hill!

what time are you due to start from clapham?

I'm actually not sure but :? with a 05:15 meet I reckon 6am. I only emailed about it last night to see if I could go. Are you going early?

Green Brompton

Just read your above comments re times. duh.

Yukirin

Green Brompton wrote:

Yukirin wrote:

Green Brompton wrote:

Looks like I'll be going to this next Sunday with the Pearson crew, taking the early bird train and getting up for a 5:15 meet at Sheen :shock:

I've seen photos of how chocka it gets... I don't wanna walk up any hill!

what time are you due to start from clapham?

I'm actually not sure but :? with a 05:15 meet I reckon 6am. I only emailed about it last night to see if I could go. Are you going early?

I've booked with Mrs Yukirin a 5.30 departure time from home. About half hour from clapham, depending which roads i take. Really dont fancy a 9.30 start so wondering where is best to join the trail of early starters. Do you think its an official start you guys got?

okgo

Why do half decent riders do this?

Green Brompton

okgo wrote:

Why do half decent riders do this?

Is it not worth going at all - even early in the morning?

Green Brompton

Yukirin wrote:

Green Brompton wrote:

Yukirin wrote:

Green Brompton wrote:

Looks like I'll be going to this next Sunday with the Pearson crew, taking the early bird train and getting up for a 5:15 meet at Sheen :shock:

I've seen photos of how chocka it gets... I don't wanna walk up any hill!

what time are you due to start from clapham?

I'm actually not sure but :? with a 05:15 meet I reckon 6am. I only emailed about it last night to see if I could go. Are you going early?

I've booked with Mrs Yukirin a 5.30 departure time from home. About half hour from clapham, depending which roads i take. Really dont fancy a 9.30 start so wondering where is best to join the trail of early starters. Do you think its an official start you guys got?

Probably. They probably have club allocation. I'm reconsidering if it's a rubbish ride in masses.

okgo

Green Brompton wrote:

okgo wrote:

Why do half decent riders do this?

Is it not worth going at all - even early in the morning?

Why not go and do it tomorrow morning? You'll get far more enjoyment out of it!

I did it last year, and I wasn't a bad cyclist then, but it was just terrible, people stopping all over the place. Just rather go and do a clubrun over similar or better terrain.

Green Brompton

okgo wrote:

Green Brompton wrote:

okgo wrote:

Why do half decent riders do this?

Is it not worth going at all - even early in the morning?

Why not go and do it tomorrow morning? You'll get far more enjoyment out of it!

I did it last year, and I wasn't a bad cyclist then, but it was just terrible, people stopping all over the place. Just rather go and do a clubrun over similar or better terrain.

I'm away this weekend, so I was looking on the club calendar to see what was on and the RP TT is full... OK, might reconsider.

okgo

Don't let me put you off it, if you want to ride it with the club, then do. But don't expect it to be any better than a club-run as far as cycling is concerned.

There is also a 2nd Richmond Park TT that was almost full earlier, maybe enter that?

Green Brompton

okgo wrote:

Don't let me put you off it, if you want to ride it with the club, then do. But don't expect it to be any better than a club-run as far as cycling is concerned.

There is also a 2nd Richmond Park TT that was almost full earlier, maybe enter that?

No, tis fine. I know what I like etc, and the other morning I headed out to ride on open country miles (8 miles in got a puncture which cruelly stopped play as no repair kit - duh), and the roads were dead. Lovely. That's what it's all about :-)

veronese68

If you leave early it's fine. You're ahead of the masses and don't have to stop if you don't want to. I left at 6:30 and didn't stop apart from waiting for a friend at the top of Ditchling Beacon. The roads were closed and we had plenty of room. I really enjoyed that ride. Only problem was we got to Brighton before the pubs opened. That was riding my old Marin MTB about 10 years ago.