Am I a pussy?

chrisaonabike

It's the L2B on Sunday, and the weather forecast is completely shite.

The prospect of getting up at 5am, stuffing down some breakfast, getting the long-suffering OH to drive me over to Clapham for my 6.30 start, starting off and then getting the fekcing pouring rain on me all bloody day is just grim.

I think I'll stay in bed and do a different training ride on another day.

What would you do?

stueys

I'm still planning to do the ride and then ride back. But if the weather is still forecast to be crap on Saturday night I suspect I'll bail. I don't mind getting caught out in the rain but planning to spend 6 hours in it doesn't really appeal.

Though my mate is sending emails which just say 'rule 5'

sunburntknees

Light rain only forecast. What's the problem???

Mikey23

You know you really want to...

Mikey23

Just a thought... Is it one of those sold out in the first day kind of jobbys, and have you deprived someone else who really, really wanted to do it of the place?

I did 9 London marathons and having got the place I made jolly sure that I did it come rain or come shine and never regretted it

Bobbinogs

Forecasts change over a few days. Stop looking for an excuse to run away from a challenge. Plan to do the ride but take a rain check the night before, if it really is a dreadful forecast then pup out but don't start thinking that way yet.

chrisaonabike

Bobbinogs wrote:

Forecasts change over a few days. Stop looking for an excuse to run away from a challenge. Plan to do the ride but take a rain check the night before, if it really is a dreadful forecast then pup out but don't start thinking that way yet.

Yes, I'm really hoping that the forecast changes. I'm really not looking for an excuse to avoid it - given that I've done this route several times recently, the distance and even the Ditchling Beacon aren't really a worry. I really wanted it as an event to prepare for the RL100 in August (which I'll do even if it is raining).

The weather might become moot though; having sat for two days with a colleague with a cold at an exhibition stand earlier in the week, I now have a raging sore throat... grrrrrrrr :evil: :evil:

slowbike

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

The weather might become moot though; having sat for two days with a colleague with a cold at an exhibition stand earlier in the week, I now have a raging sore throat... grrrrrrrr :evil: :evil:

and a blummin good ride will kill or cure ... so get the bike ready ...

oneof1982

Rule 5 definetly applies here. No question.

For those who don't know........
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

ransos1

Bobbinogs wrote:

Forecasts change over a few days. Stop looking for an excuse to run away from a challenge. Plan to do the ride but take a rain check the night before, if it really is a dreadful forecast then pup out but don't start thinking that way yet.

It depends why you're doing it, doesn't it?

dmclite-3.0

Cruds on and do it. Rule 5, don't be a douche...........

rodgers73

If the forecast was for great weather all day would you trust it 100%? Exactly. So don't expect rain all day either.

Wirral_paul

Whoever said Southerners are soft hey!! Come oop North and try some real weather. Stop being a great big girls blouse and get on with riding it.

Stedman

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

It's the L2B on Sunday, and the weather forecast is completely shite.

The prospect of getting up at 5am, stuffing down some breakfast, getting the long-suffering OH to drive me over to Clapham for my 6.30 start, starting off and then getting the fekcing pouring rain on me all bloody day is just grim.

I think I'll stay in bed and do a different training ride on another day.

What would you do?

Chris,

I have never heard so much nonsense. If you are a serious enough cyclist to enter and train for the Ride London 100, then a bit of rain in the summer should not stop you riding an event like this.

I have done 200 mile rides on two occasions in heavy rain and I have even cycled in heavy monsoon rain in the Himalayas in order to get over the Rohtang Pass.

Sorry but rain and cycling do often go together!

markynulty

Pussy. Rule 5. End of.

zardoz

No such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. So pussy? Yes! What are you going to do if it rains for the RL100?

Davdandy

I have to be honest when i have been caught out in the rain is was quite enjoyable.The only thing i didn't like was my clothing was not suited as i did not expect the rain to come and i only had my Summer gear on,but i did like it in the rain.maybe i`m just odd that way.

itboffin

Yep screw that put your feet up get some pizza & beer and watch TV

chrisaonabike

Well I'm now completely pissed off, I have to say.

The weather forecast is now pretty reasonable for the first few hours tomorrow - the rain coming in from the south-west now apparently won't arrive at Brighton until after 10, by which time I'd be nearly there since my start time is 6.30.

However, my sore throat has turned into a cold, which is building up nicely, and I'm feeling crap. So miracles aside, I shall give tomorrow a miss. I've exercised with a cold before, and ended up with a chest infection that lasted a month - which would really put the mockers on the RL100.

:x :x

If it's raining for the RL100 no question - I'll be there if I'm injury and illness free.

Gizmo_

What's that miaowing noise?

chrisaonabike

I can see that no matter what I say now, I've opened myself up to unending catcalling and miaowing.

So, are there any other, say, 50-80 mile sportives over the next few weeks that would have a reasonable number of entrants - enough to give me some "event practice", and within reasonable reach of SW London?

gavbarron

Another one for rule 5. It's only water, no such thing as bad weather, just bad prep/kit choice

chrisaonabike

gavbarron wrote:

Another one for rule 5. It's only water, no such thing as bad weather, just bad prep/kit choice

Ok, ok... the point has been made

However, it's not the bloody weather now. Feel free to come over and get some germs, I have plenty to spare.

gavbarron

If you're ill then common sense has to come into it and you have to rest and recover. What sort of 'event' are you training for? Racing or just sportive? If the latter then just do club run?

chrisaonabike

gavbarron wrote:

If you're ill then common sense has to come into it and you have to rest and recover. What sort of 'event' are you training for? Racing or just sportive? If the latter then just do club run?

It's the Ride London 100 that I've really got my sights on. I was hoping to do L2B as a way of getting some event experience, that's all. 35 quid wasted is annoying but not the end of the world, I'm not raising money for charity. But I was really looking forward to it - I've done more than the distance now, several times, so the distance wasn't a worry. I was just hoping to soak up the buzz of the event. But it looks like I'll be sat here, snotting and sneezing and being very grumpy instead tomorrow

neilg7777

why not start later which you can do and just plod along with the other 20,000 people enjoying the day and taking in the buzz that way you can see what its all about with no stress. I did it last year and I reckon I cold do it with a cold as its so stop start the later you start. Good luck

Mikey23

Head cold no probs, just get on with it but be sensible.chest infection you are excused but I want to see a note from your doctor :-)

I am a bit of a wuss so I know where you are coming from. So I had to sort out the psychology. I would never enter anything I wasn't prepared to finish off and my only excuse would be serious illness or injury. If I enter anything it's on the basis that the day will turn out to be the most horrible in the history of the planet, and I would train regardless of conditions so that I was used to cold, wet, windy, hot, hilly etc. most of the time it was less than perfect but doable and it builds character. that mindset got me through several hundred road races, nine London marathons, several wet and windy cross country's ... You get the idea

If you approach it with any less than 100% commitment then you will wimp out and you will be constantly regretting your lack of achievement

chrisaonabike

Mikey23 wrote:

If you approach it with any less than 100% commitment then you will wimp out and you will be constantly regretting your lack of achievement

If it was the RL100 then I'd agree. L2B isn't a distance challenge in any way, so there's not much to regret in that sense. And I'd be taking the risk of turning the cold into something a lot worse which could potentially keep me off the bike for a month or more - I've exercised with a cold and ended up with a chest infection before, more than once (I'm a slow learner ).

So annoyed though I very much am, I think discretion is the better part of valour on this occasion.

Forecast to be dry all day now on the route -all the more gutting.

Enjoy, anyone doing it.

roger_merriman

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

I can see that no matter what I say now, I've opened myself up to unending catcalling and miaowing.

So, are there any other, say, 50-80 mile sportives over the next few weeks that would have a reasonable number of entrants - enough to give me some "event practice", and within reasonable reach of SW London?

Capital to Coast, http://www.capitaltocoast.org.uk/ see my sig.

it's not as busy and the london to brighton but on the whole thats a plus. it's nice a local since if memory serves your another TW boy.

Gizmo_

Alternatively: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/sportives, pick one.

chrisaonabike

Some great options there, cheers!