RL100 - how to structure the next couple of months

chrisaonabike

Ride London is now 8 weeks away!

Just thinking about how I should structure my training rides for the final couple of months.

The last three weekends I've done this 63 mile route, taking in Leith Hill, White Down Lane, and Box Hill. Today I was a little bit faster, and felt as if I could have quite easily done another 10 miles or maybe more, if it was reasonably flat.

During the week I can mostly only get out to Richmond Park for up to a couple of hours or so, and next weekend I'm doing the L2B.

All my riding has been solo.

I'd appreciate any suggestions as to how to manage the next few weeks - should I still be pushing the distance up? Intervals in the park? Anything else?

Ta..

make mine a triple

Have you done much group riding then?

IanREmery

Notched up a 72 mile ride yesterday. New record for me, and more climbing than the 100. Doing l2b next Sunday, and will squeeze in another 70-80 miler before the big one. It's gonna hurt!

Stedman

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

Ride London is now 8 weeks away!

Just thinking about how I should structure my training rides for the final couple of months.

The last three weekends I've done this 63 mile route, taking in Leith Hill, White Down Lane, and Box Hill. Today I was a little bit faster, and felt as if I could have quite easily done another 10 miles or maybe more, if it was reasonably flat.

During the week I can mostly only get out to Richmond Park for up to a couple of hours or so, and next weekend I'm doing the L2B.

All my riding has been solo.

I'd appreciate any suggestions as to how to manage the next few weeks - should I still be pushing the distance up? Intervals in the park? Anything else?

Ta..

Training solo is one thing, however if you are looking for a sub 6 hour 15 min time, you also need to develop the necessary competence to safely ride in a large group which can only be developed with a group of other experienced riders around you, such as a club ride or chain gang.

You will also get fitter in the process as they are likely to push you harder than if you were on your own!

Slo Mo Jones

I tried to do a similar route at the weekend. However I clearly went the wrong way up Leith Hill - up Tanhurst Lane. I would not advise taking that route up. a road about 2 metres wide, with the odd Range Rover coming down the hill, a road last surfaced in 1912, and a series of flats interspersed with very short, very, very steep ramps. Unpleasant.

I'd recommend taking in Newlands Corner, which is a reasonable slope, just so you've seen all the actual climbs you'll be doing. If you turn right at Cobham, it's essentially one decent road all the way round, up Newlands Corner, to Abinger Hammer.

I'm a complete beginner - started cycling in January from being an unfit couch potato - but I've done 75 miles, including 4 times up Box Hill. I think I should be fine to pootle round slowly but surely. Difficult to find the time to get out for 5 or six hours at a time. Do you think there's much need to actually complete 100 miles before the day? I'm hoping a bit of adrenaline and drafting will get me through another 25 miles of flat. However I am a bit nervous about the group riding aspect. I've only ridden solo. Don't really want to join a club. Doing L2B this weekend, so that might help with just the experience of riding close by a million others, even if I will be "drafting" someone dressed as a giraffe or something.

Stedman

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

I tried to do a similar route at the weekend. However I clearly went the wrong way up Leith Hill - up Tanhurst Lane. I would not advise taking that route up. a road about 2 metres wide, with the odd Range Rover coming down the hill, a road last surfaced in 1912, and a series of flats interspersed with very short, very, very steep ramps. Unpleasant.

I'd recommend taking in Newlands Corner, which is a reasonable slope, just so you've seen all the actual climbs you'll be doing. If you turn right at Cobham, it's essentially one decent road all the way round, up Newlands Corner, to Abinger Hammer.

I'm a complete beginner - started cycling in January from being an unfit couch potato - but I've done 75 miles, including 4 times up Box Hill. I think I should be fine to pootle round slowly but surely. Difficult to find the time to get out for 5 or six hours at a time. Do you think there's much need to actually complete 100 miles before the day? I'm hoping a bit of adrenaline and drafting will get me through another 25 miles of flat. However I am a bit nervous about the group riding aspect. I've only ridden solo. Don't really want to join a club. Doing L2B this weekend, so that might help with just the experience of riding close by a million others, even if I will be "drafting" someone dressed as a giraffe or something.

If you are planning to cycle at a slow steady pace, drafting / group riding will not be an issue. The concern is about those who are fit enough to ride quickly within a group (at 20 + mph), but who are dangerous because they have not had the necessary schooling and experience to deal the dynamic group riding hazards and protocol.

In answer to your initial question, if you can already ride 75 miles and can ride up Leith Hill, then on the day you should easily complete the 100 miles at a quicker pace than you currently do.

make mine a triple

[quote
If you are planning to cycle at a slow steady pace, drafting / group riding will not be an issue. The concern is about those who are fit enough to ride quickly within a group (at 20 + mph), but who are dangerous because they have not had the necessary schooling and experience to deal the dynamic group riding hazards and protocol.

This is an excellent point and is much overlooked when people are discussing this event IMHO, This event is going to be unique, but not wholly in a good way.

This event will have attracted a much higher proportion of first timers and new riders, some of whom may never
have ridden in a group at all, There will be some pretty large groups forming, with some in those groups impatient to hare off/ weave through riders around them aren't going as fast as they think they can ride which is liable to spook others in to overreacting / braking & you can guess the rest.

I am expecting the first 10 miles or so may involve self preservation more than anything else

I am also a relative newbie and am now up to 70 mile + rides so the physical side of the training I am happy with, but i am fully aware my group riding experience is very limited. So as of last week i joined a local club to make sure i have a grounding in how to ride in a close bunch.

You are far better off learning to bunch ride with a club group where you are the only unknown quantity, than turning up a start line in London and trying to learn to ride in a group for the first time with strangers whom you have no idea what experience they have.
I guarantee a proportion of riders will assume riding in a pack 'just happens' thinking long as they are fit enough to keep up that's all you need to worry about.

Avoid riding behind wearers of Rapha/Team GB/Yellow/KOM/W Champ/Full Matching Pro Kit

paul2718

The route issued recently indicates there are 2km of 'neutralised' distance between the start and the actual start. I think this is dual carriageway so that might spread things a bit.

If 20000 riders start over 2 hours the first will be about 80km away when the last starts. So that's 4m of linear road space each. It shouldn't be a problem...

Paul

kidfelt78

I've been gradually/weekly increasing my distance but taking in lots of hills, it seems to be working but I'm not sure if I need to hit the 100 prior to the event. If I carry on as I am I would hopefully do that within the next 3 weeks - all being well and no bonking (not the good sort obviously)!

paul2718

So as of last week i joined a local club to make sure i have a grounding in how to ride in a close bunch.

I think this is a really sensible approach.

But, a club ride is likely to be organised and routines will be followed, people will know each other, even if only as 'the newbies' and work together, ride no more than two abreast, etc. I think the RL100 will be relatively chaotic, the whole road will be available, it will be a new experience even to many experienced riders.

So I think skills worth working on are things like looking around without wobbling, taking a drink without looking down or slowing down. Or wobbling. And if you can get used to having other riders in very close proximity to all sides even better.

It's not a race, but it's going to be more appropriate than usual to pretend...

Paul

Stedman

paul2718 wrote:

It's not a race, but it's going to be more appropriate than usual to pretend...

Paul

Although the word race is carefully not mentioned, the organisers have stated on their website that "Slower cyclists can enjoy a challenging ride while faster riders will relish the opportunity to pit themselves against the country’s top amateurs".

Chris87

If you can ride 63 Miles of the route solo you will be fine.

The most important thing is to get out with other riders and learn to ride in a group. The biggest issue I can see with Ride London is that there will be accidents and near misses caused by people not used to riding in close proximity. With the amount of people riding this is inevitable. You clearly have the right fitness level so now just need the experience.

The three climbs on the route are nothing to worry about, newlands is barely a bump, leith hill is probably the "hardest" climb but is still nothing to worry about, and box hill you just have to pace yourself.

Also for anyone worried about it there will be escape routes set up for anyone that is not going to complete the route in the allotted time. It means you won't do the full 100miles but you will still get to the finish line.