How flat is the Ride London 100 likely to be?

Stedman
Stedman Posts: 377
edited March 2013 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
As a comparison the Etape Caledonian is supposed to be hilly however I have average over 20 mph and I have ridden events in Lincolnshire which have been far from flat.

In order to assess my potential time for the event, how flat is Surrey?
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Comments

  • Tom_UK
    Tom_UK Posts: 171
    Surrey has a few hills, if they use the Olympic route they will use these Staples Lane which is a 5-8 min climb and Box Hill 6-8 minutes other then that its just undulating.
  • Scozz76
    Scozz76 Posts: 27
    Have any non charity entries been confirmed yet?
  • charlie_potatoes
    charlie_potatoes Posts: 1,921
    Scozz76 wrote:
    Have any non charity entries been confirmed yet?

    I think the ballot entries will be advised on Feb 7th
    "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul
  • Stedman
    Stedman Posts: 377
    Tom,

    Thank you for your response. Box Hill does not sound too bad; however my initial google enquiry on Staple Lane indicates that this has a 20% gradient at some stage which would greatly challenge the 38 x 23 gearing I was planning to use as this puts this into the Winnatts Pass category!

    Is this correct?
  • dal105
    dal105 Posts: 31
    Staple Lane is nowhere near 20%, maybe kicks up to 10% in places, but its pretty short really - only ~2km from bottom to top, with about 100m of elevation gain.

    An average rider (e.g. me) can do it in about 7 minutes.....

    This is the profile that was recorded when the Tour of Britain went over it last year
    http://app.strava.com/activities/22257864#397825735
    ________________________________________
    Rides:
    1) Specialized Langster (green one, SS) - FCN 5
    2) Giant TCR Alliance- FCN 4

    3654186546_76b76e8851.jpg
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    dal105 wrote:
    Staple Lane is nowhere near 20%, maybe kicks up to 10% in places, but its pretty short really - only ~2km from bottom to top, with about 100m of elevation gain.

    An average rider (e.g. me) can do it in about 7 minutes.....

    This is the profile that was recorded when the Tour of Britain went over it last year
    http://app.strava.com/activities/22257864#397825735

    It's a pimple :-)
  • Stedman
    Stedman Posts: 377
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    dal105 wrote:
    Staple Lane is nowhere near 20%, maybe kicks up to 10% in places, but its pretty short really - only ~2km from bottom to top, with about 100m of elevation gain.

    An average rider (e.g. me) can do it in about 7 minutes.....

    This is the profile that was recorded when the Tour of Britain went over it last year
    http://app.strava.com/activities/22257864#397825735

    It's a pimple :-)

    Dal,

    Thanks for your detailed information on this hill which means that I don’t need to change my 11-23 cassette.
  • moscowflyer
    moscowflyer Posts: 540
    I believe there's around 4,000 or so feet of climbing involved over the route. Staple Lane definitely won't be the toughest climb though.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    I believe there's around 4,000 or so feet of climbing involved over the route. Staple Lane definitely won't be the toughest climb though.

    This guy did the whole route but with just 4 laps of Box Hill instead of 9 - total ascenet 3592 feet. So with only one lap of Box Hill I can't see it coming in at 4000 feet.

    http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/76212894
  • moscowflyer
    moscowflyer Posts: 540
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    I believe there's around 4,000 or so feet of climbing involved over the route. Staple Lane definitely won't be the toughest climb though.

    This guy did the whole route but with just 4 laps of Box Hill instead of 9 - total ascenet 3592 feet. So with only one lap of Box Hill I can't see it coming in at 4000 feet.

    http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/76212894

    To be honest I have no idea, I've just based that on rides of the same route I've seen on Strava. I'm trying to get hold of a definitive map of the route as there doesn't appear to be one on the website.
  • Stedman
    Stedman Posts: 377
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    I believe there's around 4,000 or so feet of climbing involved over the route. Staple Lane definitely won't be the toughest climb though.

    This guy did the whole route but with just 4 laps of Box Hill instead of 9 - total ascenet 3592 feet. So with only one lap of Box Hill I can't see it coming in at 4000 feet.

    http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/76212894

    To be honest I have no idea, I've just based that on rides of the same route I've seen on Strava. I'm trying to get hold of a definitive map of the route as there doesn't appear to be one on the website.

    With 20,000 riders, I cannot see how the organisers will let us have 4 goes at Box Hill! I also suspect that they likely to keep the rest of the detour on the flatter side in order to speed up the times of the fun riders.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    Stedman wrote:
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    I believe there's around 4,000 or so feet of climbing involved over the route. Staple Lane definitely won't be the toughest climb though.

    This guy did the whole route but with just 4 laps of Box Hill instead of 9 - total ascenet 3592 feet. So with only one lap of Box Hill I can't see it coming in at 4000 feet.

    http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/76212894

    To be honest I have no idea, I've just based that on rides of the same route I've seen on Strava. I'm trying to get hold of a definitive map of the route as there doesn't appear to be one on the website.

    With 20,000 riders, I cannot see how the organisers will let us have 4 goes at Box Hill! I also suspect that they likely to keep the rest of the detour on the flatter side in order to speed up the times of the fun riders.

    I think you're right.
  • young dog
    young dog Posts: 64
    Those Surrey hills..... Real killers! :D
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    young dog wrote:
    Those Surrey hills..... Real killers! :D

    Alpe d'Box Hill - whisper its name :lol:
  • young dog
    young dog Posts: 64
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    young dog wrote:
    Those Surrey hills..... Real killers! :D

    Alpe d'Box Hill - whisper its name :lol:
    Just turning up on the day and riding. Don't need to go to all the fuss of entering . Wearing my USPS kit and a Lance mask. Go Lance :wink:
  • Stedman
    Stedman Posts: 377
    young dog wrote:
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    young dog wrote:
    Those Surrey hills..... Real killers! :D

    Alpe d'Box Hill - whisper its name :lol:
    Just turning up on the day and riding. Don't need to go to all the fuss of entering . Wearing my USPS kit and a Lance mask. Go Lance :wink:

    We had two characters that did just soon after the start of last years 52 mile Great Manchester Cycle event. We nearly had a nasty pile up when a large group of us came around a bend at 20 mph and met these slow cyclists immediately in front of us.
  • Edward H
    Edward H Posts: 38
    Hmn... We won't be slow!
  • young dog
    young dog Posts: 64
    Neither will me or my riding partner. Don't you think the sportive scene is breeding a certain type? Why pay, so that some organisers can make loads of money?
  • Stedman
    Stedman Posts: 377
    Charlie Potatoes wrote:
    Scozz76 wrote:
    Have any non charity entries been confirmed yet?

    I think the ballot entries will be advised on Feb 7th

    I have just checked the Ride London 100 web-site and the following message is now posted:

    "You will be informed by the 15th of February 2013 of the outcome of your ballot application".

    For whatever reason, it appears that they have moved the date again.
  • moscowflyer
    moscowflyer Posts: 540
    Stedman wrote:
    Charlie Potatoes wrote:
    Scozz76 wrote:
    Have any non charity entries been confirmed yet?

    I think the ballot entries will be advised on Feb 7th

    I have just checked the Ride London 100 web-site and the following message is now posted:

    "You will be informed by the 15th of February 2013 of the outcome of your ballot application".

    For whatever reason, it appears that they have moved the date again.

    Magazines were sent out yesterday, they then email everyone on the 15th so anyone who never got a magazine for whatever reason will find out for sure by then.

    Why they couldn't have just emailed everyone anyway, I don't know. But people will start to find out from today.
  • moscowflyer
    moscowflyer Posts: 540
    edited February 2013
    The route can be seen here by the way;

    http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/P ... Routes.htm

    Looks like Newlands Corner, Leith Hill and Box Hill (once) are as good as it gets in the Surrey Hills. 9 hours is the cut off point as well.
  • moscowflyer
    moscowflyer Posts: 540
    So, anyone worked out the total elevation yet?
  • EPO Delivery Man
    EPO Delivery Man Posts: 271
    Could an average rider who does about 15-16mph complete this easy enough? How difficult will this route be do you think?
    Also, do you think there will be fun riders doing it that wont take it so seriously? like the London Marathon
  • Pumpkin Positive
    Pumpkin Positive Posts: 392
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    So, anyone worked out the total elevation yet?
    It's about 1165m of elevation - not a lot of climbing over 160km. I don't know the area well but I do seem to remember some steep sections on Leith Hill.

    I've drawn out an approximate route here. http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_2739201.html
  • moscowflyer
    moscowflyer Posts: 540
    Well Rob Spedding of C+ did two thirds of the route and says his Garmin spat out 3,200 or so feet of elevation, but I don't think that included an incline past Wimbledon Common shortly after Box Hill, so I'm guessing 3,500 feet in total at least.

    There's a nine hour cut of point so 11.1mph ave IF you were to do it all in one go without stopping. 15-16mph ave will see you through no problem, it's just whether you've got the legs to carry you around, most of the climbing doesn't start until the 60 or so mile mark I believe.

    There will be lots of 'fun riders', it 'should' all be done in waves of expected finish times though, so the quicker riders start first.
  • moscowflyer
    moscowflyer Posts: 540
    Pumpkin Positive wrote:
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    So, anyone worked out the total elevation yet?
    It's about 1165m of elevation - not a lot of climbing over 160km. I don't know the area well but I do seem to remember some steep sections on Leith Hill.

    I've drawn out an approximate route here. http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_2739201.html

    Cross post. Cheers for that, pretty much ties in with what I thought then.
  • EPO Delivery Man
    EPO Delivery Man Posts: 271
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    Well Rob Spedding of C+ did two thirds of the route and says his Garmin spat out 3,200 or so feet of elevation, but I don't think that included an incline past Wimbledon Common shortly after Box Hill, so I'm guessing 3,500 feet in total at least.

    There's a nine hour cut of point so 11.1mph ave IF you were to do it all in one go without stopping. 15-16mph ave will see you through no problem, it's just whether you've got the legs to carry you around, most of the climbing doesn't start until the 60 or so mile mark I believe.

    There will be lots of 'fun riders', it 'should' all be done in waves of expected finish times though, so the quicker riders start first.


    Thanks mate.
  • Stedman
    Stedman Posts: 377
    EPO Delivery Man wrote:
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    Well Rob Spedding of C+ did two thirds of the route and says his Garmin spat out 3,200 or so feet of elevation, but I don't think that included an incline past Wimbledon Common shortly after Box Hill, so I'm guessing 3,500 feet in total at least.

    There's a nine hour cut of point so 11.1mph ave IF you were to do it all in one go without stopping. 15-16mph ave will see you through no problem, it's just whether you've got the legs to carry you around, most of the climbing doesn't start until the 60 or so mile mark I believe.

    There will be lots of 'fun riders', it 'should' all be done in waves of expected finish times though, so the quicker riders start first.


    Thanks mate.
    I get the impression that this course is only 60% of the elevation of the Etape Caledonian and it is possibly the same as the Great Nottinghamshire Bike 100 last year.
  • Pumpkin Positive
    Pumpkin Positive Posts: 392
    Stedman wrote:
    EPO Delivery Man wrote:
    MoscowFlyer wrote:
    Well Rob Spedding of C+ did two thirds of the route and says his Garmin spat out 3,200 or so feet of elevation, but I don't think that included an incline past Wimbledon Common shortly after Box Hill, so I'm guessing 3,500 feet in total at least.

    There's a nine hour cut of point so 11.1mph ave IF you were to do it all in one go without stopping. 15-16mph ave will see you through no problem, it's just whether you've got the legs to carry you around, most of the climbing doesn't start until the 60 or so mile mark I believe.

    There will be lots of 'fun riders', it 'should' all be done in waves of expected finish times though, so the quicker riders start first.


    Thanks mate.
    I get the impression that this course is only 60% of the elevation of the Etape Caledonian and it is possibly the same as the Great Nottinghamshire Bike 100 last year.

    I reckon it's about the same as the Etape Caledonia. The organisers massively overstate the amount of climbing in the Etape. My garmin recorded 1115 metres of ascent on the ride last year.
  • bikergirl17
    bikergirl17 Posts: 344
    This is not a hard route -- I suspect the hard bit will be the sheer number if people as sections are very narrow particularly in Surrey where the pavement isn't great.

    The first section to Surrey is undulating (if that) and frankly quite mundane if you're just doing it as a training ride. After box hill it really is just a fast fast run into London (fingers crossed a tail wind!), with a few minor rolling bits. On a pace line you'll fly.

    Hill wise the steepest part is around leith hill -- and we're talking short climbs. Again my concern here is stupid reckless cyclists as its 2-3 across max assuming we have the entire lane.

    I would be very surprised if this is even over 3500 feet.

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