Ride London 2014
Comments
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I'm in! What have I let myself in for? Managed to get a charity place with Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. I went for them as I had Hodgkins Disease 10 years ago. I'm hoping they give me the all clear and sign me off at my check up later this month.0
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Anyone have any luck with the competition to win VIP places?
Think they are letting people know if they won one this week.0 -
If you want to sample a good pub near the end let me know. You have to know them as a lot around St James close during the weekend.
If you are cycling back to the start it is easy. Basically you turn right after the end point where you pick your bags up onto Picadilly. Cycle down Picadilly to Picadilly circus. Down to Trafalgar Sq onto the Strand and keep going in a straight line. Stratford is on the Roman Road to Colchester i.e. the A11 now known as the Mile End Road.
If you follow that route you go past The High Courts, St Paul's, The Tower and only have to suffer a mile or so of rubbish before Stratford.0 -
I'm in ("Yippee!" and "Oh what have I done!" in equal measure) and hoping to be able to drive in and park somewhere between the start and finish (hopefully near the finish).
What I really need is some group riding experience between now and then, with people with a similar ability to me. Not super-fast but moderately paced (I'm aiming for 7 hrs or under). Oh, and a better bike!0 -
Join your local club, ride with them and you'll get the feeling. Although the closed roads mean there is plenty of space. Some people want to amble along and take in the whole event .......... for others it is a chance to chain gang/peleton like the pro's.
Parking near the end will be problematic. You are best to find an NCP for the day which tend to charge less on a Sunday. Or you want to park south of the river as it is away from the madness the closed roads will cause. So Lambeth/Kennington way. It's not like the old days you will come out alive from these areas.0 -
Whatever time you are looking at it will be quicker. No stopping at lights / junctions etc means quicker!! I beat my projected time by 48 minutes last year. You will still need to train hard!!
I rode back to Stratford after the ride and there were quite a few of us so you wont get lost!!0 -
Last year the organisers arranged deals with car parks, and signed routes from the parks to the start. All booked online according to arrival direction and taste and through a centralised website. I think you can assume this will happen again.mrfpb wrote:I'm in ("Yippee!" and "Oh what have I done!" in equal measure) and hoping to be able to drive in and park somewhere between the start and finish (hopefully near the finish).
The only downside was driving into London while the previous night was still happening...
At 7 hour pace the advantage from being in a group is minor. So you don't need to make a priority of learning to hold wheels, do through-and-off, ride in really close company etc. What you need is to get used to having other independent cyclists coming past, or you going past them, or just riding along together. I would enter a couple of local 'sportive' type events and see what happens. These would also make good training milestones. You may well revise your target time substantially down as a consequence.What I really need is some group riding experience between now and then, with people with a similar ability to me. Not super-fast but moderately paced (I'm aiming for 7 hrs or under). Oh, and a better bike!
Paul0 -
I was alerted to this by a work colleague, yet another pair of charity places available. Might be suitable for anyone local/NW London (£1000 target spons though...yikes...)
http://www.brentcentre.org.uk/news/news/post/12-cyclists-wanted---take-on-the-challenge-of-a-lifetime"Consider the grebe..."0 -
Carbonator wrote:You will get a magazine in June (I think) giving final instructions.
If it's like last year you need to pick up race number from Excel from Friday before the Sunday.
You need to be at the loading area an hour before your start time (which you find out in June). You then get loaded into pens and file round to start point (although the actual start of the 100 miles is 2 miles from there).
Should be easy to get to start on a bike if 8 min away but check road closures.
As well as the start (which is a rolling start two miles from where you initially set off) there are timing mats at four points around the course. These are for video clips to be captured.
Mine were all really boring last year because I did not know what they were for.
This year I plan to sprint through them all
or just have a drink or something so they look more interesting.
Ha! That's a good point about the videos - get out of the saddle and style it out!
My family were most unimpressed by videos last year.0 -
Thanks Paul. I did an L2B nightride last year. We set off in groups of fifty and spread out pretty quickly (then congregated again at the lights). I think it's going to be more about riding in a much bigger group of people who are mostly inexperienced at group riding, like me. I have fears of crashing out in the two miles before the start line!
Also with four children I can't take much time out at the weekend for sportives. I'm looking at local groups who go out early and that I can keep up with.0 -
How many waves are there for this..?
My wife got a place in the ballot and I am now riding for a charity. How do we go about ensuring we are in the same wave as we want to ride it together..?0 -
max_power_nz wrote:How many waves are there for this..?
My wife got a place in the ballot and I am now riding for a charity. How do we go about ensuring we are in the same wave as we want to ride it together..?
There are LOADS of waves. After you start out though it is a good mile or so before you cross the 'actual start line'. Loads of people were waiting around before the line to meet up with people in waves behind them.0 -
E17Blade wrote:max_power_nz wrote:How many waves are there for this..?
My wife got a place in the ballot and I am now riding for a charity. How do we go about ensuring we are in the same wave as we want to ride it together..?
There are LOADS of waves. After you start out though it is a good mile or so before you cross the 'actual start line'. Loads of people were waiting around before the line to meet up with people in waves behind them.
Ok, thought there would be a huge number of waves but wasn't sure how the start worked. I'm assuming once waves are set, there is no changing so wondered where/how to meet other riders.
I'll just put down the same(ish) completion time and hope that we're not too far apart from each other. Wouldn't want to wait for an hour or so at the 'start line'.
Cheers.0 -
Help the Hospices has some places still. You need to raise £750 in sponsorship. I rode for them last year, but I can't commit to raising that much again this year. Was a fantastic event to ride.1998 Kona Cindercone in singlespeed commute spec
2013 Cannondale Caadx 1x10
2004 Giant TCR0 -
Lads, how many RideLondon 2014 posts do you want, there is already one in Sportives/Audaxes/Training rides, I'm merging this with the existing one0
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Thanks velonutter, I put in a request last week for a single sticky thread for this. Good to have a single go-to place for comments and discussion. Last year the multiple threads got bit ridiculous.
Still not done a ride longer than 15 miles this year. I need to get out there and get back on my usual hills.0 -
I set off near the back last year and spent most of the day riding on my own. Never seemed to form any big groups not sure if it was different nearer the front. Part of that could be due to my speed, only average about 14-15 mph and may have been a bit to slow to really get into any decent groups.
Fantastic day out and can't wait to do this again though0 -
Be interesting to see when they are letting us tandems loose.
A bit wary about riding with lots of solos - other experiences suggest that people may do things like try and whip up the inside on corners (tandems turn like trucks - it might look like there's a gap, but it'll soon disappear when I turn in!).
However, we're willing to tow everyone across the flat bits (tandems cruise at higher speeds compared to solos), but only as long as you all just get on with it on the hills (tandems don't climb very quickly compared to solos!).
I've got all sorts of exciting plans and goals for this year - but I am strangely looking forward to this!0 -
Veronese68 wrote:I'm in! What have I let myself in for? Managed to get a charity place with Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. I went for them as I had Hodgkins Disease 10 years ago. I'm hoping they give me the all clear and sign me off at my check up later this month.
Might have a favour to ask you Steve...0 -
If it is the same as last year, two lines starting alternately roughly 500 each a minute apart. About 2 miles between the start and where the official timed start. I think the only way to start together will be to linger there but they could give you almost 2 hours difference. I remember coming out the Olympic Park and there being a big almost 180 left hand turn onto a 3 lane carriageway and thinking good place to meet. Maybe look on Google earth nearer the timemax_power_nz wrote:E17Blade wrote:max_power_nz wrote:How many waves are there for this..?
My wife got a place in the ballot and I am now riding for a charity. How do we go about ensuring we are in the same wave as we want to ride it together..?
There are LOADS of waves. After you start out though it is a good mile or so before you cross the 'actual start line'. Loads of people were waiting around before the line to meet up with people in waves behind them.
Ok, thought there would be a huge number of waves but wasn't sure how the start worked. I'm assuming once waves are set, there is no changing so wondered where/how to meet other riders.
I'll just put down the same(ish) completion time and hope that we're not too far apart from each other. Wouldn't want to wait for an hour or so at the 'start line'.
Sorry, did this on my phone and couldn't see I had typed itnto the quote.0 -
If both riders had a Garmin 810, and a smartphone in their jersey pocket, could they track each other?
If they could then the faster rider just goes in the later slot and catches the other one up 0 -
AM I missing something? It's a ride around Surrey. Box Hill is NOT the Iseran/Tourmalet or even Cragg Vale. 200km? that's an ordinary audax that a lot of people do a lot of weekends throughout the year at considerably less cost. Good day out for the wannabees/nevercouldhavebeens but let's not make it out that this is some brutal endurance ride.M.Rushton0
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mrushton wrote:AM I missing something? It's a ride around Surrey. Box Hill is NOT the Iseran/Tourmalet or even Cragg Vale. 200km? that's an ordinary audax that a lot of people do a lot of weekends throughout the year at considerably less cost. Good day out for the wannabees/nevercouldhavebeens but let's not make it out that this is some brutal endurance ride.
Yes, yes, yes.
I can ride 100 miles in my sleep. I'll ride my first double century of the year this weekend (bit behind on training this year! (but very true)).
I can be very dismissive of sportives - but this one is different as it's huge and the roads are closed.
Yes, some people are going a bit nuts, and the amount some charities are wanting people to raise is considerable.
I'm looking forward to it.0 -
mrushton wrote:AM I missing something? It's a ride around Surrey. Box Hill is NOT the Iseran/Tourmalet or even Cragg Vale. 200km? that's an ordinary audax that a lot of people do a lot of weekends throughout the year at considerably less cost. Good day out for the wannabees/nevercouldhavebeens but let's not make it out that this is some brutal endurance ride.
Who said it was a brutal endurance ride?
What it is is a 100 mile closed road blast around some cool locations.
Make of it what you will, but I find it fun and worth making the effort to get on the start line for
Guessing you did not get in?
No worry, you can just do an audax with the cars instead.................just like anyone doing RL can.0 -
Carbonator wrote:mrushton wrote:AM I missing something? It's a ride around Surrey. Box Hill is NOT the Iseran/Tourmalet or even Cragg Vale. 200km? that's an ordinary audax that a lot of people do a lot of weekends throughout the year at considerably less cost. Good day out for the wannabees/nevercouldhavebeens but let's not make it out that this is some brutal endurance ride.
Who said it was a brutal endurance ride?
What it is is a 100 mile closed road blast around some cool locations.
Make of it what you will, but I find it fun and worth making the effort to get on the start line for
Guessing you did not get in?
No worry, you can just do an audax with the cars instead.................just like anyone doing RL can.
I am with you on this. Did my first closed road event recently and loved it so today I signed up for a charity place on the London one. I have never seen Box Hill by bike or by car. Not that fussed about it. Looking forward to seeing London on a bike without fear of death though.0 -
The prospect of riding my regular commute AND Sunday jaunt combined on closed roads is, well, rather tasty. Of course it isn't the most challenging route. Missed the point. Riding through the streets of London on closed roads is the bit I'm looking forward to most.. (Apart from waving to the kids as I ride through Kingston :-)0
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Wife just got an email saying she has won one of the competition V.I.P. places they offered a couple of weeks ago :P
Think she may find it a bit of a brutal endurance ride 0 -
Perspective is required. Any healthy person should be able to complete the RideLondon 100 without any significant training. It will obviously hurt a bit but it's clearly not a challenge that requires months of dedicated effort to contemplate.
The challenge is to do it well, to ride it fast. The real appeal is that the closed roads make a very fast 100 possible. It's an excellent event for that reason. The endurance isn't the hills, which verge on the trivial, it's the other bits, where you have to pedal the whole time.
And the best bit is straight-lining the Embankment or taking the direct route when turning right at roundabouts. It's not an experience you can get going racing as an amateur, fun as that is.
Paul0 -
Guessing you did not get in?
No worry, you can just do an audax with the cars instead.................just like anyone doing RL can.[/quote]
Sportives? done them. Closed roads - done that. Ride around Surrey? not a box I need to tick and I don't need to come from Manchester to ride there, plenty of quality riding around here thanks.M.Rushton0 -
mrushton wrote:Sportives? done them. Closed roads - done that. Ride around Surrey? not a box I need to tick and I don't need to come from Manchester to ride there, plenty of quality riding around here thanks.
How about just don't do it then?
Do you want to list every other event you do not need/want to do, or is it just this one?0
