Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100
Comments
-
Ouch should of done more training.
Set off at 7:54 Green wave C. Absolute smashed (for me) the first 20 miles in a under an hour (22mph ave) slowed down a little after and saw the first accident of the day, a lady not in good state in the middle of the road bleeding from the head and someone supporting her neck, I hope she is ok. I managed to complete the first 40 miles under the 2 hour mark. Then it started to go wrong on the road out of Ripley (Rose Lane and Ripley Lane). The few miles of false flat were hard and my average started to drop and this is where my lack of training started to catch up with me. I'd recovered a bit by Newlands and the granny gear on the triple with a 28 on the back saved the day for the first time as I was able to spin to the top without walking albeit very slowly. I didn't bother to stop a the Newland's hub as it looked rammed thinking there would be water stop before Leith, this was a mistake on too counts, instead I headed off down the hill hitting 45mph on the way (why do people ride 4 a breast on the right hand side when left is clear???) and proceeded to head for Leith hill.
Having turned off the A25 on the road to Leith hill I totally lost it, barely able to turn the peddles and I'd run out of water the first mistake from not stopping at Newlands. However, I managed to pass the 50 mile mark inside 3 hours. Shortly after the 50 mile mark some nice people by the side of the road helped me out with Water (flavoured with lime and sugar) biscuits, sweets etc and I was good to carry on.
When I got to the left turn onto the bottom of Leith Hill we were told to slow for an accident then we stopped. A text to my wife a few minutes after we stopped at 11.37 says 56.6 miles done. It would be almost an hour before we moved again. We saw the Air Ambulance land, several police motorbikes, cars and an ambulance came passed and word from up front was that someone was having CPR at the road side (later confirmed but I've not seen anything on if the person survived or not, rumour was they did not but I hope that was just rumour). Shortly after a marshal walked down the hill telling everyone we would be on the move soon then the Air Ambulance took off.
When we started again the bunching up meant the first part of Leith Hill was walked up (my excuse anyway) and we passed several police motorbike, an ambulance and the sad sight of bike by the side of the road without its rider. Eventually I got back on bike and in the granny gear got over the hill and started the downhill. At first this was great with lots of room but then we met the diverted riders and congestion every time the road narrowed. At this point I realised that had I stopped a Newlands for water I probably would have avoided the bonk and been diverted meaning I would not of been delayed quite so much the second mistake from not stopping. That being said I have no problem with being delayed given the circumstance and I hope the person involved is ok.
After Leith was an uneventful if frustrating ride to Dorking, again people riding over on the right 2 or 3 abreast when the road is clear on the left, then onto the next delay at Dorking high street. Whoever decide to take the ride through there should be shot, simply too many riders and narrow streets meant another 15 min or so delay. There is a perfectly good route round the back that doesn't have the narrow streets so the only reason I can think to go through the high street is for the benefit of the people of Dorking and not the riders. Perhaps this was made worse by the riders held at Leith Hill meeting the diverter riders but it was frustrating.
Box hill was ok and some lovely people at the bottom filled my bottle for me. A slow climb in the lowest gear was needed but I was feeling better, hugging the left to give everyone as much space as possible. That didn't stop one rider behind constantly putting their front wheel between my back wheel the edge of the road, there was no room to get through so why do this? I may of got annoyed with them. A short stop for Lavender cake (there were no sausage rolls left!!) and tea and café and more water and off I went.
Nearly came a cropper having turned left onto Mill Way to head for the Leatherhead roundabout, I built speed on the downhill knowing the sharp uphill was coming and wanted to slingshot up it. This I managed but I didn't count on someone standing on the inside of the blind corner as I came up the right hand side of the hill (wtf??). Slammed the brakes on but as result was in totally wrong gear, I tried to change down quickly but fortunately my brain shouted "clip out" at just the right time. Then came the call to move over as ambulances and motorbikes came through. We were then stopped on the lane before the Leatherhead roundabout for around 20 mins or so. When we eventually went passed it looked like a very nasty accident on the downhill from the roundabout, a young lad with his face very smashed up was receiving attention, I hope he is ok.
The rest of the ride was uneventful but not my quickest on the bike, suffering from the heat, I peddle my way home steadily but not quickly. Eventually hitting the Mall around 4.30pm and having taken 8.5 hours. If I take off the delays which were at least an hour and a half I wasn't that far off 2013 time of 6:45 and to be fair I'd of taken 7hrs at the start.
I enjoyed the day it was very hot after 2pm so finishing earlier would have been better and I should of done more training!--
Chris
Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/50 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19671103#p19671103]Greg66 Tri v2.0[/url] wrote:Did it in 4:20:14, which I'm pretty pleased with:
(I'm the Kingston Wheeler)
Are you
(A) expecting someone to attempt a pass, and taking a defensive position;
(B) a big fan of Chris Froome's riding style; or
(C) generally a bit stroppy?
That, my friend is the look of pure grit and determination!
BigMat - indeed, that was me! Decided to do it on my '88 Pearson. Didn't see many others on the ride on steel frames and friction shifters! What were you riding? It was good to pick up that group. By the time we got to the Embankment, things really moved up a gear, and with the speed and jostling for position, it was like being in a pro peloton. Awesome!
J_MCD - your late start time was probably a big factor. I did it last year with a 7.15 start time, and found it similarly difficult to find fast paced riders to ride with.
Even with an early start though this year, there were times when I was riding solo. Then there were other times when I thought that I was riding solo, until I noticed the paceline building up behind me!
I was the guy in Dulwich kit in that group - popped off the front with a couple of Finchley guys on Wimbledon hill but didn't push on as it was obviously going to be a lot faster / easier in a big bunch!0 -
I did it in 4.30 with a 6.15 start. Was absolutely brilliant. Tried to take as many turns as I could, but having been advised that people often go out too strong, I was careful to ride wheels incase I blew up. In any case I sometimes found myself being dropped by my group as I was conserving some energy on the climbs (although still making good headway!).
Did have some great solo moments where I could see the group which dropped me up ahead so pushed on to get back on their wheels. I was absolutely dead by the end so me and 2 others struggled from Putney home. Did have a great sprint finish against one other chap so looking forward to seeing that photo.
Rider to mention was the Degenkolb doppelganger. Full Giant Alpecin kit, matching Propel and even the filthy little moustache! Was a great descender, getting low onto the toptube. Not so not on the ascents!
EDIT: Sadly that guy you saw getting CPR passed away at the scene. Desperately sad.
I ended up starting at 6:16 so pretty sure we would have been riding together at some point. The Giant Alpecin guy (he reminded me of Tony Martin - similar riding style perhaps) was one of a handful of guys who were pushing it from the start to Richmond Park, dropped him on Sawyers but then joined up with a paceline that I think was from Huddersfield shortly after the fast descent in RP and he managed to catch back on. There were a couple of other guys I remember with us - someone in black / pink Rapha, an older looking Dynamo, someone in Diabetes UK kit. Were you any of them?0 -
--
Chris
Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/50 -
4:02 and holding top 50 places on the Box and Leith KOMs. 8)
That was hard and fast as expected, the first 50 miles was in a massive peloton and felt a bit sketchy, did a few turns on the front to stay safe. Kingston Wheelers and Paceline putting in most of the work out of town!
I was happy to reach Leith for the first big shake down. I started the climb quite far back and had to turn myself inside out to re-join the main bunch, hoovering up a few riders on the way but it was touch and go. Lost 9 club mates!
Strong over Box but it was Wimbledon 'hill' where the wheels nearly came off; off the back briefly and a real battle back on.
Special mentions goto:
The two cars that got on the course and tried to drive away at the speed limit, incidently slower than the peleton was moving (a bit Indinia Jones style), forcing the bunch to spread over both lanes. They got a real mouth full as they turned right across our path.
The guy who cycled into a cone about 2 miles in
The guy who clipped a central reservation, stayed up, wobbled into 3-4 riders, managing to all stay up but I think he lost a few spokes and dropped away
The guy who skidded his deep section carbons along a high curb on Embankment, painfull noise but stayed rubber side down0 -
I did it in 4.30 with a 6.15 start. Was absolutely brilliant. Tried to take as many turns as I could, but having been advised that people often go out too strong, I was careful to ride wheels incase I blew up. In any case I sometimes found myself being dropped by my group as I was conserving some energy on the climbs (although still making good headway!).
Did have some great solo moments where I could see the group which dropped me up ahead so pushed on to get back on their wheels. I was absolutely dead by the end so me and 2 others struggled from Putney home. Did have a great sprint finish against one other chap so looking forward to seeing that photo.
Rider to mention was the Degenkolb doppelganger. Full Giant Alpecin kit, matching Propel and even the filthy little moustache! Was a great descender, getting low onto the toptube. Not so not on the ascents!
EDIT: Sadly that guy you saw getting CPR passed away at the scene. Desperately sad.
I ended up starting at 6:16 so pretty sure we would have been riding together at some point. The Giant Alpecin guy (he reminded me of Tony Martin - similar riding style perhaps) was one of a handful of guys who were pushing it from the start to Richmond Park, dropped him on Sawyers but then joined up with a paceline that I think was from Huddersfield shortly after the fast descent in RP and he managed to catch back on. There were a couple of other guys I remember with us - someone in black / pink Rapha, an older looking Dynamo, someone in Diabetes UK kit. Were you any of them?
Yep - I was in the black/pink Rapha - Older looking dynamo chap I rode with most of the way, he was strong despite his years! He took a pee at the top of Box Hill and still beat me to the finish. Were you the chap on the Viner? Think we took some turns along the A4. Good riding.
I decided to pace myself on the climbs and it seemed to do the trick. My legs were cramping extremely hard by the end of it. Coming through Dorking was agony!0 -
Strong over Box but it was Wimbledon 'hill' where the wheels nearly came off; off the back briefly and a real battle back on.
Never underestimate the Wimbleberg. Came back home to watch the pro race there (pleased to see that I could have matched the pace of the gruppetto going up it ... with fresh legs, anyway).
I was a very late call up (Friday afternoon! :roll: ) to the Peloton relay (format is that rider 1 goes the whole distance, picking up rider 2, 3 and 4, so that by the end you have a 4 man team time trial going), so I had the Hampton Court to the finish leg. Given two early punctures and the faff of picking up our teammates in very crowded hubs, we managed a respectable 5:31 (elapsed), which was good for #7 out of 70 odd teams. The end game from Wimbers to HoP is on my commute and was a real treat; slightly spoilt by the neutralisation of Putney Hill (to create gaps in traffic for the Putney High Street shoppers) and nasty crosswinds on the Embankment--the usual prevailing southwesterlies would have made for some epic times.0 -
Did it in 4:40 which I was relatively pleased with considering my lack of training. Went out too hard at the start but found a largish fairly well organised group by Hammersmith.
Unfortunatly didnt find many folk to work with for the rest of the day and could've done without the headwind on the Embankment but overall had a enjoyable trouble free ride.
Chapeau to the large chap with the 'Fat Bloke at the Back' jersey on going at a respectible pace up Leith.0 -
I did it in 4.30 with a 6.15 start. Was absolutely brilliant. Tried to take as many turns as I could, but having been advised that people often go out too strong, I was careful to ride wheels incase I blew up. In any case I sometimes found myself being dropped by my group as I was conserving some energy on the climbs (although still making good headway!).
Did have some great solo moments where I could see the group which dropped me up ahead so pushed on to get back on their wheels. I was absolutely dead by the end so me and 2 others struggled from Putney home. Did have a great sprint finish against one other chap so looking forward to seeing that photo.
Rider to mention was the Degenkolb doppelganger. Full Giant Alpecin kit, matching Propel and even the filthy little moustache! Was a great descender, getting low onto the toptube. Not so not on the ascents!
EDIT: Sadly that guy you saw getting CPR passed away at the scene. Desperately sad.
I ended up starting at 6:16 so pretty sure we would have been riding together at some point. The Giant Alpecin guy (he reminded me of Tony Martin - similar riding style perhaps) was one of a handful of guys who were pushing it from the start to Richmond Park, dropped him on Sawyers but then joined up with a paceline that I think was from Huddersfield shortly after the fast descent in RP and he managed to catch back on. There were a couple of other guys I remember with us - someone in black / pink Rapha, an older looking Dynamo, someone in Diabetes UK kit. Were you any of them?
Yep - I was in the black/pink Rapha - Older looking dynamo chap I rode with most of the way, he was strong despite his years! He took a pee at the top of Box Hill and still beat me to the finish. Were you the chap on the Viner? Think we took some turns along the A4. Good riding.
I decided to pace myself on the climbs and it seemed to do the trick. My legs were cramping extremely hard by the end of it. Coming through Dorking was agony!
Yes that was me. I seemed to lose most of that bunch that formed after RP on the fast stretch leading to Newlands, down to me and one other by the top of Newlands and then I dropped him on the descent (he then caught me and dropped me just before Leith Hill and I never saw him again!)0 -
Sounds about right. The small chap from Imperial completely blew up on that first hill after some great turns on the front, I was wondering if he could hold that pace!
Was a good ride all in all. Could have trained better for the longer distance (was doing regular-ish 50s, lots of 30s and the odd 70 which seemed fine) and hills, but really struggled with cramp.0 -
I Did it in 5h04mins
Left at 6:12 Blue C
I strarted cramping already in Richmond Park so ended having to take it a bit easier from there onwards.
Below is Short clip of the limehouse tunnel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTtGmrVzLF8
The guys that did in less than 4h30 is that without stopping?Big Gear Rider
Pearson Touche SS/FG
Felt F50 -
I did 4.27 and didn't stop. Did cramp up bloody badly through Dorking but didn't unclip (but basically rolled to an almost standstill several times). Just stretched on the bike. I probably need to put something more than just Robinsons in my bottle. I didn't actually run out of liquid (downed a pint of water at 4.30am before my 15 mile ride to the start, then drank little and not too often) and ate 4 Eat Natural bars, one every 20 or so miles and a gel at Parsons Green (mostly to be Pro and grab one from the helpers!).
It was pretty emotional at times, and agonisingly painful towards the final 20 miles and I would say the cramping up probably cost me about 5-10 minutes, as I was dropped by some good groups I was working with.0 -
Bloody hell! Sub 5 hours is pretty impressive in my book. I was tanking it (for me) and did it in 5:45... :oops:Shand Skinnymalinky
Argon 18 Radon0 -
Then that's amazing. Likewise I was spanking it (for me). It's a personal challenge. A friend did it in 3.59 and similarly smashed it!
Depends on your own fitness/training/experience/ambition. Still wondering if I want to do it again next year.....probably!0 -
The finish times are largely down to the individual's ability to ride on somebody's wheel rather than pure fitness. Those with racing experience will have an advantage over those who are not used to ride in the middle of a large bunch. Nobody could get anywhere near those 25 mph averages if riding solo or even as a small "sunday ride" group, even with closed roads. It's the peloton's effect, you end up going 25-30% faster than solo.
Any idea what the PROs averaged on the much hillier course they did?left the forum March 20230 -
I definitely want to do it next year, really enjoyed it (apart from the last 10 miles or so) and as it's been said, for me to win all I have to do is better my time. Would love to get below 5 hours next year and I think it's doable with a bit more hill training and better drinking on the bike to prevent the cramp.Giant Defy Advanced 0 - Best
Planet X London Road - Wet
Montague Fit - Foldy thing that rarely gets used these days0 -
Any idea what the PROs averaged on the much hillier course they did?
Well they did 200km, and Drucker finished in 4:47:46. To me that makes approximately 42 kph, which in turn is around 26 mph.Shand Skinnymalinky
Argon 18 Radon0 -
They finished a minute slower than me 8)Any idea what the PROs averaged on the much hillier course they did?
Granted, they did another 25 miles...
So a shade over 26mph average0 -
The finish times are largely down to the individual's ability to ride on somebody's wheel rather than pure fitness. Those with racing experience will have an advantage over those who are not used to ride in the middle of a large bunch. Nobody could get anywhere near those 25 mph averages if riding solo or even as a small "sunday ride" group, even with closed roads. It's the peloton's effect, you end up going 25-30% faster than solo.
Any idea what the PROs averaged on the much hillier course they did?
Yeah I totally agree with you ....however myself and a friend rode on the front of the Mallorca 312 after the mountains for more than a hundred miles at or close two 25 mph avg. OK there was one or two very sort periods of help from other duo's but no more than 5 ish miles, we crawled over the mountains at 10 mph Max on purpose then went balls out.
It's possible if you have a well match buddy or two eat well, feed well and keep within your pacing, we did but it took a lot of effort not to go to hard and blow out.
All that being said I've riden from here in Windshire to central London three times now solo and never slower than 20 mph avg (moving).
I'd still take a good group of people I know everyday over solo.Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.0 -
8h 42
Rode with the wife as her domestique and she did it on 8h 09 with lots of stops to make sure her body held out ok. Moving time of just over 6hours so she did a 15 mph average which is fantastic.
One patchy bit where she dropped me on box hill (I was chatting and didn't notice her moving up) and she skipped the cafe where I had been making plans for a sausage roll for about 25miles, but we were friends again when the box hill hub charged me £3 for toast butter and ketchup having run out of everything else. Comedy hardship!
The 2 girls riding for our charity who were 100mile virgins also did brilliantly. Would highly rec doing it 'helping' slower less confident riders around. Puts a totally different perspective on the day and chatted to some great characters....http://www.georgesfoundation.org
http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/0 -
The finish times are largely down to the individual's ability to ride on somebody's wheel rather than pure fitness. Those with racing experience will have an advantage over those who are not used to ride in the middle of a large bunch. Nobody could get anywhere near those 25 mph averages if riding solo or even as a small "sunday ride" group, even with closed roads. It's the peloton's effect, you end up going 25-30% faster than solo.
Any idea what the PROs averaged on the much hillier course they did?
Swifty's Strava route has it at 25.5mph, with a max of 54.6mph :shock:
have to admit seeing all the times and keep thinking how on earth do people maintain 20-25mph averages over 100 miles, its like blimey am I just doing this cycling thing completely wrong to be that slow in comparison, I dont think Id make it in any less than 7hrs, is it really just the peloton effect that speeds them up ?0 -
The finish times are largely down to the individual's ability to ride on somebody's wheel rather than pure fitness. Those with racing experience will have an advantage over those who are not used to ride in the middle of a large bunch. Nobody could get anywhere near those 25 mph averages if riding solo or even as a small "sunday ride" group, even with closed roads. It's the peloton's effect, you end up going 25-30% faster than solo.
Any idea what the PROs averaged on the much hillier course they did?
Swifty's Strava route has it at 25.5mph, with a max of 54.6mph :shock:
have to admit seeing all the times and keep thinking how on earth do people maintain 20-25mph averages over 100 miles, its like blimey am I just doing this cycling thing completely wrong to be that slow in comparison, I dont think Id make it in any less than 7hrs, is it really just the peloton effect that speeds them up ?
Good question -I was aiming at sub 6 hours and smashed it (for me) in 5:25. Group riding definitely helps but so do closed roads and adrenaline. For me I MTFU'ed beyond belief and pushed myself to a place I did not know existed.0 -
The finish times are largely down to the individual's ability to ride on somebody's wheel rather than pure fitness. Those with racing experience will have an advantage over those who are not used to ride in the middle of a large bunch. Nobody could get anywhere near those 25 mph averages if riding solo or even as a small "sunday ride" group, even with closed roads. It's the peloton's effect, you end up going 25-30% faster than solo.
Any idea what the PROs averaged on the much hillier course they did?
Swifty's Strava route has it at 25.5mph, with a max of 54.6mph :shock:
have to admit seeing all the times and keep thinking how on earth do people maintain 20-25mph averages over 100 miles, its like blimey am I just doing this cycling thing completely wrong to be that slow in comparison, I dont think Id make it in any less than 7hrs, is it really just the peloton effect that speeds them up ?
Some very fast sections. I clocked 53.5mph which I think is a record for me. I have had faster readings previously but have put those down to GPS data issues, but this seems legit, some stretches where I was blasting along in 53/11!0 -
BTW - the name of the cyclist that died has been released (at the request of his family).
He was Stephen Green and had ridden it in the first year. His virgin giving page is here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/StepGreen
I'm sure his family would get a small amount of solace if people were to rally around and donate...http://www.georgesfoundation.org
http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/0 -
Some very fast sections. I clocked 53.5mph which I think is a record for me. I have had faster readings previously but have put those down to GPS data issues, but this seems legit, some stretches where I was blasting along in 53/11!
Agreed. Coming down a few of the hills, I span out, and thought that my chain had come off. Then again, my biggest gear is a 52/13. I never thought that I'd need a bigger gear than that, but riding in a peleton going downhill, I can now see why the pros go for even bigger rings. I've got a spare 53 ring that I can put on, but given my bike uses a 7 speed freewheel at the back (not a cassette), I can't go any smaller than 13 at the back.1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
What was the fastest time ?0
-
What was the fastest time ?
03:57:17
Spreadsheet here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MEvGXz4s_3VeYCs50LhALfbSrB95krIYUQ7BtpcmCcU/edit#gid=5168515391938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
Here's my times, as you can see 55 to 75 mile segment I really got held up! But for that I would of been around the 7 hour mark. I have to say considering how I felt on the bike I'm very happy with last 25. Does any know where the timing point were on the route?
Time Miles MPH Time Miles MPH 00:49:42 17 20.52314 00:49:42 17 20.52314 01:25:47 26 18.18535 00:36:05 9 14.96536 02:50:47 47 16.51215 01:25:00 21 14.82353 03:32:31 55 15.52819 00:41:44 8 11.50160 06:58:26 75 10.75440 03:25:55 20 5.82760 07:37:17 85 11.15282 00:38:51 10 15.44402 08:40:12 100 11.53403 01:02:55 15 14.30464
--
Chris
Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/50 -
Does any know where the timing point were on the route?
Start 0:00:00 0.0 mph Burlington Road 0:46:20 21.0 mph Hampton Court Road 1:12:31 21.7 mph Newlands Corner 2:13:04 20.8 mph Leith Hill Summit 2:37:48 19.4 mph The Cresent (B2122) 3:37:38 19.0 mph Kingstron Market Place 4:06:16 21.4 mph The Mall 4:46:19 23.4 mph
0 -
And there's another good reason for doing it - the feeling of riding in a massive group without the pressure of a real race ...The finish times are largely down to the individual's ability to ride on somebody's wheel rather than pure fitness. Those with racing experience will have an advantage over those who are not used to ride in the middle of a large bunch. Nobody could get anywhere near those 25 mph averages if riding solo or even as a small "sunday ride" group, even with closed roads. It's the peloton's effect, you end up going 25-30% faster than solo.
Not sure about the risks though - all it needs is some pillock to wobble and it's carnage...0
