Ride London 100, am I in?

chrisaonabike

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

Why don't you just take up one of the numerous charity places available?

I don't really understand your point. It's a ballot - luck of the draw. Yet you seem to feel you have more of a right to a place than this woman you speak of. Why is that?

+1

There's so much "I don't understand why person X got in and person Y didn't."

It's simple: there are criteria, which weight the chances. But it's still largely down to chance. This means that even amongst those with exactly the same answers to the ballot questions, some will get in and some won't.

Seriously, there were approx 50,000 ballot applications. Does anyone *really* think that someone is going through all of them, one at a time? Of course not - the chances will be weighted so as to get the spread of ability the organisers are looking for, but a computer will generate the final list.

And this notion of "experience adds entitlement" is just silly. You might just as well argue that inexperience should add entitlement, since those that have already done loads of sportives obviously don't need any encouragement to take part in these things.

This marathon girl - she sounds like the perfect person to get a place. Fit, determined, already doing the right things. Best of luck to her.

I started cycling last October, I've done no sportives, and I didn't get in. However, I do have a charity place

Der Kaiser

My main gripe is not with the type of person who got in but the process that the ballot followed. Why was there the need to put previous events in with evidence of times?

As for the charity places I really think that some are asking far too much in such a small fundraising window. Not expecting it to be a £10 minimum amount but times are tight for everyone and £500 is a lot of money in anybodies book.

A friend of mine has tried for many years to get into the London Marathon with no luck. The going rate for charities in that is £2000.

If I had been accepted then I would have done it for charity. Not one of the big national ones but a regional one like my local hospice that cared for my grandfather in his last days

Stedman

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

Der Kaiser wrote:

I am disappointed that I didn't get in but I am really annoyed when a woman who lives across the street from me collars me to ask for advice on Training for this event. She got in through the ballot despite having never done an event of this type before. Up until getting in she didn't even own a bike. She had run the London Marathon last year and my thoughts are that because she had been in that then this helped her get into this.

I am sure she will be able to complete it because she is in good shape and has started training in earnest. I am not disappointed for me not getting in because I have only been doing sportives for about 2 years but I have fellow club members who failed to get in despite him having taken part in about 30-40 over the last few years.

My concern is that there will be quite a few pulling out before the event and more failing to complete the event.

Why don't you just take up one of the numerous charity places available?

I don't really understand your point. It's a ballot - luck of the draw. Yet you seem to feel you have more of a right to a place than this woman you speak of. Why is that?

With over 100 long distant events under my belt, I suspect that I also fall into this experience cyclist category, but I have a charity place because as I also didn’t get in through the ballot and I don’t resent this at all.

My view is that as this is an Olympic Legacy event and I would rather this is open to a wider spectrum of cyclist of different abilities. Anyway it would be rather chaotic especially around Leith Hill if we had a field of 20,000 keen sportive riders all seeking at a sub 6 hour time and besides there are still plenty of charity places available.

After the event I shall also enjoy seeing the big grins of other riders who have serious excelled themselves and anyway why can’t they also have the bragging right of cycling a 100 mile event?

Slo Mo Jones

Der Kaiser wrote:

My main gripe is not with the type of person who got in but the process that the ballot followed. Why was there the need to put previous events in with evidence of times?

As for the charity places I really think that some are asking far too much in such a small fundraising window. Not expecting it to be a £10 minimum amount but times are tight for everyone and £500 is a lot of money in anybodies book.

A friend of mine has tried for many years to get into the London Marathon with no luck. The going rate for charities in that is £2000.

If I had been accepted then I would have done it for charity. Not one of the big national ones but a regional one like my local hospice that cared for my grandfather in his last days

£500 really isn't that much of a struggle is it? A £100 from you, 20 people donate £20 each. 5 from work, 5 from family members, 5 friends and a few others.

Slo Mo Jones

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

Why don't you just take up one of the numerous charity places available?

I don't really understand your point. It's a ballot - luck of the draw. Yet you seem to feel you have more of a right to a place than this woman you speak of. Why is that?

+1

There's so much "I don't understand why person X got in and person Y didn't."

It's simple: there are criteria, which weight the chances. But it's still largely down to chance. This means that even amongst those with exactly the same answers to the ballot questions, some will get in and some won't.

Seriously, there were approx 50,000 ballot applications. Does anyone *really* think that someone is going through all of them, one at a time? Of course not - the chances will be weighted so as to get the spread of ability the organisers are looking for, but a computer will generate the final list.

And this notion of "experience adds entitlement" is just silly. You might just as well argue that inexperience should add entitlement, since those that have already done loads of sportives obviously don't need any encouragement to take part in these things.

This marathon girl - she sounds like the perfect person to get a place. Fit, determined, already doing the right things. Best of luck to her.

I started cycling last October, I've done no sportives, and I didn't get in. However, I do have a charity place

Me too. Well, I started in January, having previously been completely unfit. I missed the ballot, and from looking at people moaning online about not getting a charity place, thought that they'd all be gone too. Phoned up cancer research on the off chance that someone might have pulled out or something, and got one no trouble. £650 fundraising minimum but to be honest I'd pay that myself if I had to, just for the opportunity. I'm a newcomer to cycling and the chance to target something like this in my home town is worth £650 easy.

Since then I've seen charities offering a place for £350 fundraising minimum. If you can't find that from somewhere you need shooting.

AndypG800

Saw this on a promotional email from wiggle today


Wiggle & dhb are proud to be announced as Official Suppliers of Prudential RideLondon. Wiggle is the Official Sports Retailer of the event and dhb is the Official Cycle Clothing supplier and will be producing the official event merchandise.
To celebrate the appointment, we are able to offer you the opportunity to take part in Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and be part of the UK’s largest ever sportive and The Mayor of London’s first mass participation legacy event from London 2012.
If you are up for the challenge of riding this 100 mile iconic course, within the nine hour time limit (at a cost of £48) then email events@wiggle.co.uk by Wednesday 12th June. Hurry as places are limited and will be on a first come first serve basis!

morley

andy - no idea who you are, but thanks for your post. Thought it was a spoof, but have just got a place via wiggle. Thanks very much.

AndypG800

Your welcome and glad somebody benefited from it.

rich_e

Would also like to say thanks for the heads up, as I got a place yesterday through Wiggle too!

I did wonder though because it had been like a week and I couldn't find any reference to it. There is an article now on the Ride 100 website to say that Wiggle/DHB are official suppliers and will have tie-in clothing later this month.

The event itself isn't really as far away now as it once felt!

IanREmery

Rich_E wrote:

Would also like to say thanks for the heads up, as I got a place yesterday through Wiggle too!

I did wonder though because it had been like a week and I couldn't find any reference to it. There is an article now on the Ride 100 website to say that Wiggle/DHB are official suppliers and will have tie-in clothing later this month.

The event itself isn't really as far away now as it once felt!

I clocked up 72 miles yesterday (previous best was was 54), the last 20 miles were agony, and on the 100 we'll be hitting Leigh & box hill around then... This is definitely gonna hurt!!

MattPillinger

I was fortunate to get a Wiggle place too and done my online payment stuff this morning.

I presume in a few days we'll all get the magazine that successful balloters got in February with all the useful info on when we pick up race packs etc, hopefully with a 50 day training programme in :?

I reckon I can complete the course in about 6 hours as I sit here today, that is what I put on my application, but guess it will all depend on a) how much you get dragged along by the pelaton and also how hard it is to find free space to ride in the first 10 miles. I did L2B a few years ago and didn't really get riding until about 15 miles in because of the volume of riders

By my reckoning there will be an average of just under 3 people starting every second between 6 & 8 (20k/2/60/60) which is hard to visualise, but as the first few K look to be on fairly main roads I think the pack disperse fairly quickly and should be good.

pipipi

I missed out on the first ballot, but thanks to the Wiggle promo I have got in this time. Very excited to be doing it.

Just wonder why the places are available now? Is it due to places being returned by some of the charities who couldn't sell theirs?

theotherjake

I'm in via Wiggle the second time round now. I guess the charity places didn't sell, strange as I got turned down by Action for Children (min £500). Their loss.

Really looking forward to it. I'm also doing the FT London Cycle sportive as a training ride/recce.

rich_e

It's possibly not necessarily because charities have returned unused entries. I remember back in February they said that they deliberately oversubscribed, so that any places which people had to drop out from, or decided they no longer wanted to take part would not get filled by someone else.

Presumably the clothing and supplier deal was something which hadn't been finalised way in advance of the event, so as part of the PR for Wiggle being an official sponsor, they have rightly given them places which they can use to promote their brand.

Of course they wouldn't be allowed these places unless there was space. No doubt by now there may already be a number of drop outs. I did say back during the ballot reveal stage that there might have been many people who got caught up in the Olympic Spirt and wanting to do it, without really thinking about the logistics of getting there, given its a crazy early start on a Sunday morning in London.

I suppose with charity places, its only going to be the charities and the organisers who know how those went and if they all sold. The one thing that is clear is that its being run by the same people and billed as the London Marathon on a bike, so I think the charities were certainly given the indication that it would be the same affair. While with the Marathon, charity places go in seconds, with this first cycling event, it looks like people aren't snapping it up to the cover the high required sponsorship level and there was obviously a lot of charity places made available.

theotherjake

How early is the start?

drlodge

Set off between 6-8am, so its early...

pipipi

Good points Rich.

So maybe the charity side of this will grow over a number of events, so in a few years time there will be a ballot entry or £1000 charity entry.

rich_e

I suppose it depends on how it goes.
From the publicity perspective, the weekend is being billed as as festival of cycling in the Capital, they are making a big deal of it and its supposed to be getting TV coverage too. I'm sure there will be a few Celebrities and known public figures riding too, but they've not announced who any of those might be, like they do the Marathon.

pipipi

There's plenty of time for celebrities to be announced, if there are any. I don't hear about who's running the marathon until the actual day, but the athletes tend to be discussed a few days beforehand.

Maybe the charity places are being released because the people can't raise the cash? Whilst I agree that some people may have signed up without really knowing how far 100 miles is, it may be the fundraising that has really hit home.

Hopefully the bikeradar riders are raising the money required!

Gizmo_

My place will be coming up for grabs at some point ... Can't do it with a broken hand.

simonhead

I am on target to raise the money however i am with one of the cheaper charities (£400), I wouldnt have bothered if it was £600+. I heard a rumour that Will Carling and a load of ex rugby players are taking part.