Post Ride London 100 - time, thoughts & experience?
Comments
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This is the fastest time that I have seen:
http://results.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/2013/?content=detail&fpid=search&pid=search&idp=000017195DB36C0000022148&lang=EN_CAP&event=I0 -
I passed his Royal Boris-ness on Box Hill - I asked him when the chiselled whippet was coming out but didn't get much of a response...
Managed it in about 5.15 moving time. An absolutely awesome event, better than my expectations. I was hoping for around 6 hours; after about 4 miles I checked my Garmin and was doing close on 21 mph with the guys around me, so thought "I'll keep this up for an hour and see how it goes" and then I just kept it up. Had cramps in my quads after Leith Hill which was worrying, but the crowd kept me going.
Passed a couple of Pinarellos going up Newlands, thinking yeah I'm the man, and then got wasted by a dood on a fixie. Kudos.
Didn't spend a lot of time less than a metre from the right hand kerb. Brilliant. Ignoring traffic lights. Brilliant. The bunch going both sides of roundabouts. Brilliant.
So intense, your brain is working so hard you almost don't notice the physical side. You need eyes in the back of your head, things if front of you go from being no problem, loads of room to aw shit, what's going to happen here in the blink of an eye.
Changes? More loos (or tell you there are some in the loading area with no queues, unlike the ones before the loading pens.) Loo roll! Was desperate to go before the start, but with no loo roll and no way to wash your hands...you just have to carry the extra weight...And tell people to move left if they aren't passing. So many near misses because dickheads were a metre to the right of the centre line, with no-one to the left of them and no-one in front of them.
I got so carried away I was applauding the crowd for applauding us! I was even trying to get them to applaud more (cringe!)
Knackered but still buzzing. Well done to the organisers and the crowds lining the route. Bring on 2014, hopefully I won't have to raise £750 in sponsorhsip again!0 -
DaveP1 wrote:I passed his Royal Boris-ness on Box Hill - I asked him when the chiselled whippet was coming out but didn't get much of a response...
Managed it in about 5.15 moving time. An absolutely awesome event, better than my expectations. I was hoping for around 6 hours; after about 4 miles I checked my Garmin and was doing close on 21 mph with the guys around me, so thought "I'll keep this up for an hour and see how it goes" and then I just kept it up. Had cramps in my quads after Leith Hill which was worrying, but the crowd kept me going.
Passed a couple of Pinarellos going up Newlands, thinking yeah I'm the man, and then got wasted by a dood on a fixie. Kudos.
Didn't spend a lot of time less than a metre from the right hand kerb. Brilliant. Ignoring traffic lights. Brilliant. The bunch going both sides of roundabouts. Brilliant.
So intense, your brain is working so hard you almost don't notice the physical side. You need eyes in the back of your head, things if front of you go from being no problem, loads of room to aw shoot, what's going to happen here in the blink of an eye.
Changes? More loos (or tell you there are some in the loading area with no queues, unlike the ones before the loading pens.) Loo roll! Was desperate to go before the start, but with no loo roll and no way to wash your hands...you just have to carry the extra weight...And tell people to move left if they aren't passing. So many near misses because dickheads were a metre to the right of the centre line, with no-one to the left of them and no-one in front of them.
Another change - getting back to your start point after the event, I felt very much left to myself. The online TFL info was very fragmented and I ended up having two routes both of which were shite. Went round and round Limehouse looking for signs for Rotherhithe (went through the Link both ways even though bikes aren't allowed but I was too knackered to care).
I got so carried away I was applauding the crowd for applauding us! I was even trying to get them to applaud more (cringe!)
Knackered but still buzzing. Well done to the organisers and the crowds lining the route. Bring on 2014, hopefully I won't have to raise £750 in sponsorhsip again!0 -
A fantastic day on the bike thanks to some great weather and a superbly run event - well worth every penny of the entry fee and capped off by getting round in just under 5 hours.
Still buzzing
Nice one Boris!0 -
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Amazing to ride on closed roads through London, was surprised at some of the roads they closed A4, A24 etc. It took me a while to get used to running the red lights, I kept reaching for the brakes!
Official time was 04:08:420 -
VeloPeo wrote:speshsteve wrote:doug5_10 wrote:Anyone see any salabritees or Boris? Was he actually trying to complete the course in shorts, tshirt, bumbly bike and bmx helmet or just posing for the start?
I passed him after a couple of miles and he looked finished...poor guy literally looked ruined and I just hope they kept the defribllator close by.
http://results.prudentialridelondon.co. ... AP&event=I
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013 ... ling-event0 -
4hrs 31 mins 52 sec! Thanks to Dorking CC who invited me in for the day. Monster peloton. Men of diesel. Unlike London Dynamos who never took a turn on the front. Loved the event from start to finish.0
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Some fantastic times! Wish I could have done it. Next year!
Well done all! 0 -
I did it in a little over 6 hours- would have been quicker were it not for crashing before the start- I remembered I was using clipless pedals, but it was too late; having lost all forward speed and with nowhere else to go but down I fell over, in very slow motion, in front of everyone. I badly sprained my wrist and bruised my ego!0
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I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would do it again.
The start and finish were very well organised, plenty of space and well sign posted from the A11, everyone started on time. The luggage lorries were manned when I left my bag there.
Most of the hills (including Sawyer's...) were relatively slow moving. A few people were walking up Newland's Corner and Leith Hill but they not causing congestion.
Someone crashed on the descent from Leith Hill; ambulance and stretcher brought out - I hope they are ok.
Amazing level of support from people who had roads in their area massively disrupted by the event.
The only thing I would fault were the feed and water stations. I stopped at Newland's Corner and it took me 20 minutes to get food and drink refills because of congestion and zero signage or instructions from marshals as to what was where. And no bins whatsoever. Box Hill water stop was not in the NT car park as expected but tucked behind a village hall and there was only one guy filling water bottles - so another 10 minutes spent there.
Cycling through the Limehouse Link, over Hammersmith Flyover and whizzing down Putney Hill and down Putney High Street through a red traffic light were especially awesome!0 -
I thought it was brilliant
Organisation at the start was good (although if it was raining could see QEOP becoming a mud bath), good route, great support, riding on closed roads is great fun
& the medal is good quality too.
I didn't use any of the rest stops (travelled self sufficient), thought I might need to stop for water, but in the event it was a bit cooler and I started with 2 litres so no need
Leith Hill was a bit slow, but rideable (there were a few walkers), box hill was super, dancing on the pedals
This was my first cycling sportive (done L2B before) although I've done lots of big running events & i have nothing but praise for the organisers0 -
I was unlucky in the ballot, but decided to contribute and volunteered at the Hampton Court Hub food/water station, dishing out the supplies.
Wasn't expecting it to be too busy being only 25 miles into the ride, but it was. From about 7:30am until 9:30am it was non stop, filling water bottles, cutting bananas, and telling people the High5 powder was approved by Lance :shock:
Our Hub was well organised and so no one would have been kept waiting. Did notice that the queue for the toilets was long at one stage. As someone said elsewhere, gents urinals would have worked better in conjunction with the executive sit down toilets.
Had a great time. Laughed and joked with all the cyclists.
Finished about 11:30am so went to the Portsmouth Road for a bit, then cycled home and watched the Classic in between snoozes.New Malden to Epsom Downs
60 percent of the time, all of the time
Wilier Triestina
Canyon Ultimate CF SLX
Rose Xeon CW-3100 Di20 -
Managed a 6 hour, which was my target, so very happy
Thought organisation was amazing - deliberatley avoided Newlands hub for fear of congestion, and went to Holmbury which was quiet, stocked with powdes and gels, and no bog ques. Second stop at leatherhead hub similarly civilsed. Gels on the roadside in last 15 miles a nice touch as well.
Logically must have passed BJ at some stage - guessing he was stuffing up on cake somewhere
Favorite comedy moment was passing a larger lady on the flatter beginning bit of Leith -
"someone tell me this is Box hill please" she asked
My reply - "No, sorry - this is leith - Box is much easier"
"Oh great - thanks" she replies
Then the punchline - "Yes - but Im afraid this is going to get a whole lot harder now"
Large lady exits stage left, whimpering - Guessing she was one of the pushers!
Favorite moment otherwise sprinting down the Mall - Amazing0 -
thefilbertfox wrote:I was unlucky in the ballot, but decided to contribute and volunteered at the Hampton Court Hub
Hats off to you! This world could use a few more people with such a great attitude. Instead of being disappointed you got involved.
(hope your volunteering helps you get in next year)When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.0 -
A really fabulous day the event organisation for a first year was excellent the start and finish areas especially. The course did get a bit congested in Richmond Park and on Leith and Box Hill which hampered progeress slightly. Support out on the course was great and obviously not as the killjoys would have you believe that 100% of locals were against it!
The hubs maybe could have been a little better organised although had I realised that the drinks stations would also have High5 powders available I would have stopped at just drinks stations .I'm sure some lessons will have been learnt and these aspects will be better next year.
The marshals and other helpers deserve a special mention perhaps this is the true 2012 legacy of volunteering. Well done guys!
And finally whatever your politics and whatever you may think of Boris, he has done more for cycling especially in London than all the rest of them put together. So credit where it is due, well done Boris!0 -
thefilbertfox wrote:I was unlucky in the ballot, but decided to contribute and volunteered at the Hampton Court Hub food/water station, dishing out the supplies.
A massive thank you to you and all the other volunteers - I only stopped once for water but was met by a sea of friendly faces and the guys handing out bags and medals at the end were fab. The team handing out gels past Wimbledon on the final bit was very welcome - I managed to grab a gel from a young girl whilst going at about 35kph without both of us ending up in a heap.
Chapeau to everyone involved, a great day out.0 -
I did it in 6hr 27min, and I was expecting it (from my previous average speeds on long rides) to take me 7hr 30min so I'm properly chuffed - I know its nowt compared to everyone else on here but given that I've only been cycling a year, never done a sportive before, never done more than 60-odd miles, I'm really pleased. Plus I managed to raise £2000 for charity!
The ride itself was amazing, the pace was really high, flying along the closed roads, either side of roundabouts pro-style! Was really apprehensive about the hilly section, not done any of the three before - Newlands was fine, Leith Hill was a bit of a killer but was flying past plenty of people which I didn't expect and Box Hill was just fantastic, smooth road, everyone chatting away, like MattPillanger I clicked up and couple of gears and started dancing on the pedals, especially when the spectators were telling us that Boris was just around the corner. Poor lad looked knackered but everyone was giving him huge encouragement, must have been great for him!
I've not done a sportive before so have nothing to compare it to, but I thought the organisation was brilliant, used a couple of the hubs to fill up bottles (and meet the family who were stationed in Leatherhead) but that's it. Marshalls were brilliant (except the one I saw fast asleep at the bottom of the Leith Hill loop!) The best bit was the crowds, constant cheering and clapping all the way along, signs, megaphones, cowbells going up the hills (helped me pretend I was going up Alpe d'Huez!).
What an amazing day.0 -
Getting to the Olympic park could have been easier, but I saw people being dropped off on residential streets within a mile of the start which proved that with a bit of research it was possible to get very close if you stayed off the major roads. On the A1010 from the Excel there were small yellow signs on lampposts saying 'To the Start' which helped but could have been larger.
Once at the Olympic park the bag drop was well organised and manned when I was there. There are never enough loos at big mass participation events and this was no different.
The loading waves didn't appear to be strongly policed, I saw a few people in my wave with letters further down the alphabet. Understandable really, if you want to ride with someone or don't want to be at the back then we would try our luck.
The neutralised section worked well, spaced riders out and gave others the opportunity to wait for friends before the official timing began.
My only niggle would be the signing of the drink stops so riders could prepare for them, I didn't see much to say drinks in 1km or 500m which might have alleviated some of the congestion or riders swerving over the roads. Some of the stops were chaos, Newlands Corner particularly. I saw at least 10 riders from a Tri club stood having a chat in the conveyor area, perhaps holding their annual committee meeting. No amount of preparation can overcome the stupidity of people.
Leith Hill was a little congested when I went up but the walkers had stuck to the sides and it was quite civilised. If there was a gap to go through I just asked/told the riders in front I was going through it. I too saw the crash on the descent, very sobering but still didn't prevent riders flying down too quickly to be able to warn slower riders in front of them on narrow sections.nickponty wrote:Marshalls were brilliant (except the one I saw fast asleep at the bottom of the Leith Hill loop!).
I saw that guy too really made me laugh, it was just before we turned left at Forest Green and the climb of Leith Hill. He wasn't even trying to be discrete he was flat out on sawdust or something.
Did anybody else see the guy with the front and rear facing Go-Pros on his helmet, music playing through speakers and riding most of the time no handed?
From Kingston to the finish there were lots of people out by the roadside clapping and cheering, hours before the pro race was going through and it was a real boost to see that. Went as hard as I could along Whitehall and the Mall, just wanted to finish and get off the saddle. Finished in 6hrs 38 having stopped for a long time seeing friends and family on route, moving time was 5hrs 53.
Overall a well organised event, so much was right and what was wrong can easily be corrected. Thoroughly enjoyed it and hoping that I can get a place for 2014. My next ride on roads that aren't closed is going to be a blow.0 -
Excellent organisation, amazing crowd and volunteers, we were flying through some of the villages at 7am and there were people out cheering.
Seen a couple of nasty crashes, one in particular after only 7 miles nearly took me and my mate out but we managed to avoid. Un-fortunately it took 6 people out behind us, hope they were ok...
Avg 18.7 which I couldn't quite believe, especially over 100 miles and with the closed roads and the TV helicopter flying low over Leigh Hill it will be the closest feeling to how the pros ride.
Cant wait to try for next year!!0 -
Thoughly enjoyed it - 5:32 for me. Was in the first wave of groups to go through town, couldn't believe the pace.
Got a bit carried away until RP when common sense kicked in and told me to back off, otherwise I'd have been in all sorts of trouble later on.
The crowds through the towns and along the Mall were incredible, combined with the closed roads it gave at least a fleeting feeling of what it must be like to ride in a proper pro race.
Only downside for me were the club riders playing at being pros - (London Dynamo I'm looking at you, as usual) some very aggressive/selfish riding and crazy overtaking moves pulled.
Given that that the whole width of the road was available was it really necessary to blast past within 5cm of my bars then cut in, nearly taking my front wheel out? It's not as if I was riding particularly slowly nor in the middle of the road, blocking your way through. :roll:
Oh, and the number of gel wrappers left on the road - fucking disgraceful.0 -
Option Click wrote:Oh, and the number of gel wrappers left on the road - ******* discraceful.
+1
Is it really that difficult to stuff the wrappers back into a jersey pocket? By the time I'd done I had four used gels, three empty packets of sweets and two energy bar wrappers in there. No mess, and hardly going to hold me up is it?!0 -
I managed a virtually completely solo 5 hrs 7 mins (barring Richmond Park and the approach to Newlands Corner), which I was pretty shocked by as I was an hour and half faster than my previous 100 milers, now I am a bit gutted I didn't go under 5 hours, I eased up between newlands corner and box hill as I thought I'd set off too fast. The route was too easy really, but I had an fab time.
Closed roads were excellent and vast majority of people rode sensibly, riding on the left. passing on the right. It was the groups I had more of a problem with some were so desperate to hold the wheel of the person in front they cut right across my line before they are passed me, one group slowly pushed me into the gutter as I had to get out of the way of one rider after another. Other groups just formed a mobile chicane whilst wiggling all over the road. Plenty of club jerseys were guilty of this, so much for conventional wisdom...
Only stopped once at Newlands Corner, but was in and out inside 5 mins with 2 water bottles filled and a banana, I thought it was reasonably slick.
Few silly things, one thing I have never had to worry about before, crossing the centre Cats-eyes on fast descents, tried it once, never again! and I was wheelsucked from Leatherhead to Kingston, not a problem in itself, but he had the noisiest bike I had ever heard, squeeks, rattled, clicks, the whole lot. Annoying. i tried to shake him by cranking up the pace, but I couldn't shift him0 -
I have to agree with comments about London Dynamo. When I headed into the blackwell tunnel there was a 12-man LD train coming by and the moment the rest of us jumped on they backed off immediately and didn't do any work on the front for most of the route, bar 2 riders I saw. It was down to the rest of us to pull 'em long.
There were a few escapees who tried in the first 80km but were reeled in - up and until Leith Hill (before I flatted) we were all still as a peloton but I would imagine it would soon have broken up on the Leith Hill ascent.0 -
I loved the whole day. I was hoping for sub-8, and in the end did it in sub-7 - official time 6:53. Occasionally I sat out of the wind for a bit but mostly it was solo.
It was my first century ride, and my first sportive, so I wasn't sure how I'd get on - so I'm really pleased.
The support from the locals was great; the organisation was amazing overall, I thought, considering that it was the first one.
I stopped at Hampton Court hub but not Newlands Corner or Leatherhead; the only drinks station that wasn't quick was the one on the Box Hill descent. They'd had problems running out of water, they said ( :shock: ), and it was a bit of a bad show to take up so much space with the paid-for food/drinks stall. It was also a bit rubbish to have to cross the incoming line to get back out again.
I was relieved that the vast majority of riders were pretty responsible. The only exceptions I encountered were a few lunatic descenders (no surprise at the crash coming down off Leith - hope all concerned are ok), and a group of about eight guys in club kit ('BYTES'), of whom two, sad to say, I'd describe as complete cnuts. On the road from Hampton Court to Weybridge they obviously thought it was funny to p!ss about, riding side to side and pretending to push each other off (yes, actual contact). With a surrounding group they could have caused quite a pile up if the fun had gone wrong. And then one of the group was so entertained by that, that he didn't see the traffic island in front of him till the last second - and narrowly missed me as he swerved violently to the right hand carriageway. Tw@ts.
As someone said, the number of discarded gel wrappers was disgraceful. But other than the niggles, and there will always be those, I had a fantastic day, exceeded my own expectations, and was hugely impressed with the organisation.
Kudos to Boris for completing, roll on 2014.Is the gorilla tired yet?0 -
I came from O2 which was good for parking. Blackwall Tunnel was spooky! Kept wondering if I really should be riding through it..lots of signage after that towards to the start.
Start area was pretty good. Bag handling was being manned at 5am. Big queues for loos. I'm sure some troughs would take care of some of the guys.
Once into the loading area there were loos, with paper, without the queues. But maybe that's because everyone had already been. Saw people climbing over fences to change areas. Wish I had though of the so I could have ridden with my friends (next year)
Sadly saw 6 punctures on the way to the official start, I need to take about 8 minutes off my Garmin for my 102 mile ride ;-) There didn't seem to be much fanfare at the real start, just a ramp that activated the transponder.
Lots of official people out with cones to supervise the road junctions. Really well organised. I would hate to be having arguments all day with people who were driving around getting angry.
Lots of supporters, even at 7am, people in pjs and cups of tea. I tried to wave to as many as possible. Some people were stood at corners which is a great place to view, but I couldn't wave back trying to concentrate on steering.
I was surprised so many people were stopping at the first drinks station (or maybe just for the loo). I was worried how busy the first ones would be so had enough food to get me to Hub 3 without stopping. That sounds like it was a good plan seeing the comments here on the waiting times.
I didn't realise Newlands counted as a hill! A bit frantic with three directions, left for relay, right for drinks, and straight on for straight through. Probably lots of people getting tired, and although they would normally signal when you're tired and thirsty and trying to understand what the sign says then there are bound to be crossed wires.
The closest I cam to crashing was coming down Newlands. Really fast. Someone drops a water bottle which just skids along the road ahead of me. Strangely it seemed to keep going at the same speed for ages and I couldn't decide which way it was going to eventually spin off, but I avoided it. Plenty of other nice water bottles for spectators to pick up!
Leith Hill was busy. I know what people mean about push on the left and only overtake if you're faster, but I think we all need to be a bit more patient. I am sure there was a point where person A was overtaking person B who was overtaking person C who was overtaking person D. And that doesn't leave anyroom for person Z who may be much faster. Coming down Leith was scary.
Box Hill was similar. Just busy. And another drinks station at the top when people are tired and not concentrating on their riding.
A great finish coming back into London, but I could have done without the cramp climb up to Wimbledon Common. Ouch!
Lots of cheering and people handing out gels. Sadly lots of those gels then seemed to be chucked on the floor 100 yards later. Is it that bad with the Marathon?
Finish was slick and got my bag back quickly. Then got to Blackfriars for the free boat ride back to O2, another great bit of organisation!
Overall I really enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who organised it and supervised and helped out. Can't wait for next year!Giant TCR2 and lovin it!
http://www.trainerroad.com/career/pipipi0 -
5:23 for me, including the 20 minutes I stopped at hub 3 for bottle refill, snacks and stretching very sore and tired grumbling legs!
(My target was 5:30 so I'm happy with that)
Initial fears about sheer weight of numbers at the start were unfounded as the start pen system and staggered start seemed to be working well. Blue load J rolled away and we soon found ourselves on three empty lanes of A12 going into the City with acres of space. No traffic - bliss..
Highspot(s) has to be the spectators and whizzing by advertising boards on the way back into town. Pretending I was in the pro race and loving it - I definitely picked up the pace and forgot the cramps;)
Big thanks to all those leading monster trains as the pace out of town in some groups was just amazing! (Yes I did take my turn - which probably explains why I died horribly up Leith Hill and never fully recovered!)
I entered via a charity, Guide Dogs, so had a fluffy Labrador puppy toy attached to my helmet which seemed to amuse a lot of spectators and got some very witty remarks from guys going past!
Comedy moment has to be spotting a guy in red polka dots getting off to push up a hill - The irony not lost on those aound me at that point
I thought it was well organised and considering the numbers, th organisers had thought of a lot, if not all, of the potential problems and implemented solutions (Notification of street furniture was top notch)
My girlfriend, also doing the ride, said she encountered Mr loudspeakers and said everyone around him was p#~sed off with him!
The organisers can think of everything, but the general public can be a pretty wierd bunch
Anyone see the dred-locked lurker riding along, clearly not registered or anything and not caring?!?
Chris0 -
pipipi wrote:Lots of cheering and people handing out gels. Sadly lots of those gels then seemed to be chucked on the floor 100 yards later. Is it that bad with the Marathon?
I must admit due to the number of wrappers on the floor I assumed that it was an approved drop zone, so for the first time I threw the gel wrapper away. There was certainly a 100m section which was almost yellow.
If not, I sincerely apologise for littering, as it's something I hate.0 -
choll15 wrote:The organisers can think of everything, but the general public can be a pretty wierd bunch
Anyone see the dred-locked lurker riding along, clearly not registered or anything and not caring?!?
Not sure if it was the same guy but on the long drag home there was a guy who obviously wasn't entered who sat halfway back on my right for about three miles, but really close so I couldn't move across without worrying about touching wheels. I ended up having to drop right off the pace to get rid of him, and he then went up the road and sat halfway back in between two women obviously riding together. They sensibly did the same as me and dropped right off and let him go - neevr know quite what people like that will do.
Also saw a young-ish lad and his mate trying to keep up going into Kingston the way out, but on one bike - his mate was sat on the handle bars!0 -
I was hoping to go round in 7 hours, but managed 5:56, which I was chuffed with. Had a heavy fall in that as well, somewhere just before Byfleet, where my inexperience and crappy bike handling skills led me to clip a kerb and down I went - severe road rash up the calf, hip, arm, and shoulder. Thank goodness for helmets. Mine was scraping along the pavement for about 5-10m - I'd have half a head today had I been without a helmet.
That meant an extra, unscheduled stop at the top of Newlands, for some first aid (well, I wanted some first aid but the st johns ambulance people would only help me if I had half an hour to spare), and some bike repairs. Thanks to the fella who helped me re-align the handlebars - I'd taken all the skin off the ends of my fingers and was having some difficulties.
I thought, for a first go at organising one of these, it was excellent. Same small issues with water stops, and there were about 1/3 the requried number of toilets in the waiting area. But overall, it was great. Especially like the medals - very substantial and excellent for pretending to be olympiccy. I had to get a charity place this year (£1250 for Cancer Reasearch UK) but will definitely go in the ballot for next year.0 -
choll15 wrote:I entered via a charity, Guide Dogs, so had a fluffy Labrador puppy toy attached to my helmet which seemed to amuse a lot of spectators and got some very witty remarks from guys going past!
Ha, one of those was me, yes made me smile.
I did a 5:07 including a water refill/toilet stop just after the Leith descent. Garmin had me at 5:03. Happy to break my centurary PB, but slightly gutted I didn't find those extra 3 mins LOL
Really impressed with the organisation. It is definately a quick course for anyone trying to manage a sub-5 especially as the conditions were pretty much perfect. I am going to try and enter next year.
I found getting from and back to the car park easily, though it was from a link put on here to routes Garmin had done. I think they will improve year on year, just like the Marathon has done. The head organiser was saying on the news last niight that orgnising the marathon road closures was peanuts compared to his 8)0
