Ride London 2015

kingstonian

One of the charities I had ticked when I applied for the ballot contacted me last week, offering me a place for £45 and a commitment to raise £750. It is a charity I was planning to do a lot of fundraising for next year so had no hesitation signing up with them.

So I will be riding to raise funds for CLIC Sargent who provide help to children with cancer. A good friend of mine lost her daughter 2 years ago to cancer and this charity really helped her, so I am happy to raise as much as I can for them.

Anonymous

Nice one ;-)

Wife ran the London Marathon for them a few years back (she had a ballot place) after daughters school friend developed leukaemia.
Not sure causes get much bigger than childhood cancer.

khisanth

I had a good experience overall. Staying at the Excel was a mistake though! Handy for the registration and seeing some of the Pro riders and teams, but getting back there was horrible. followed other cyclists to the Olympic park and underestimated the time it would take to get there so was late for my slot. Thankfully they just put me in the next one and waited to go. Plenty of announcements and bit of music etc. Had no problems riding in apart from a lot of dozy riders deciding to stop in the middle of the road to talk to their friends nearly causing a pile up.

Getting back from the Mall to Excel by bike using Garmin maps was pretty much impossible due to flyovers and horrendous dual carriageways. so jumped on the DLR eventually and made it back.

signed up for the velothon

malcolmfrost

Why are Tour organizers being given places? I entered the ballot, apparently over 50,000 have now entered, but yesterday I got an email from Sports Tours offering me a guaranteed place. There are also foreign operators with places. I don't have a problem with charity places, but commercial tour companies??

paul2718

When you look at the small print the packages are for overseas competitors.

Perhaps, given it is positioned as a beginners event, they are having trouble encouraging visitors? Hence the discounts.

Paul

Dippydog3

paul2718 wrote:

When you look at the small print the packages are for overseas competitors.

Perhaps, given it is positioned as a beginners event, they are having trouble encouraging visitors? Hence the discounts.

Paul

It is not unreasonable to give a number of guaranteed places to overseas visitors. They need to plan and book travel, snd will generslly combine it with a hoidsy which brings money into the country. We can hardly expect them to book everything and then enter a ballot.

This is no different to the Cape Town event. Overseas visitors are guaranteed a place and the locals have a set number to play for.

However, it beats me why Cape Town can have 30,000 to 35,000 riders and London cuts things off way below that. If London went to 35,000 there would be less whingeing about the ballot.

paul2718

I don't think there's much whinging about overseas visitors, I think there is an issue with the balance between the ballot and the charity places.

If I ruled the world 'RideLondon' would be a part of http://www.uciworldcyclingtour.com/ with a charity ride appended. And I think with a clearer stratification between riders going for a time and riders going for the experience the numbers could be safely increased.

Looking forward to the Velothon....

Paul

malcolmfrost

This is no different to the Cape Town event. Overseas visitors are guaranteed a place and the locals have a set number to play for

But you can enter without a travel package, I know because I've done it the last 3 years and have an entry this year as well. This year, they actually clawed back some international places for locals, as the race sold out in 8 hours!!
London could definitely go higher in numbers, the roads are easily wide enough until you really get into the wilds of Surrey, when everyone will be more spread out.

Dippydog3

malcolmfrost wrote:

This is no different to the Cape Town event. Overseas visitors are guaranteed a place and the locals have a set number to play for

But you can enter without a travel package, I know because I've done it the last 3 years and have an entry this year as well. This year, they actually clawed back some international places for locals, as the race sold out in 8 hours!!
London could definitely go higher in numbers, the roads are easily wide enough until you really get into the wilds of Surrey, when everyone will be more spread out.

Yes, you are right. No travel package required.

Not really a claw back though, as the local allocation is now full, but still lots of internstionsl places. In real terms if you are an overseas visitor they will give you a place.

wallace_and_gromit

Dippydog3 wrote:

However, it beats me why Cape Town can have 30,000 to 35,000 riders and London cuts things off way below that. If London went to 35,000 there would be less whingeing about the ballot.

Richmond Park. Very narrow road, limited access for ambulances, evil surface when wet. A colleague of mine crashed there this year and it took an age for the ambulance to get through. Luckily, there was no harm done, but I think there were too many riders for this bottleneck as it was.

Plus, the road closures aren't universally popular, and more riders => longer closures => more grumbling.

Dippydog3

Wallace and Gromit wrote:

Dippydog3 wrote:

However, it beats me why Cape Town can have 30,000 to 35,000 riders and London cuts things off way below that. If London went to 35,000 there would be less whingeing about the ballot.

Richmond Park. Very narrow road, limited access for ambulances, evil surface when wet. A colleague of mine crashed there this year and it took an age for the ambulance to get through. Luckily, there was no harm done, but I think there were too many riders for this bottleneck as it was.

Plus, the road closures aren't universally popular, and more riders => longer closures => more grumbling.

Then dont go through Richmond Park.

wallace_and_gromit

Dippydog3 wrote:

Then dont go through Richmond Park.

There's always one who's into lateral thinking. Good point! Other than the novelty of riding through central London itself - fixing a puncture outside the Ritz was surreal - the route is fairly uninspiring, so routing round the park wouldn't detract from the experience.

secretsam

I'm in on behalf of the MS Society. Am surprised how little climbing there is on the route, does it actually travel round the Netherlands?!??!!?!?!?!?!

itboffin

SecretSam wrote:

I'm in on behalf of the MS Society. Am surprised how little climbing there is on the route, does it actually travel round the Netherlands?!??!!?!?!?!?!

i had a place last year and applied for this year but haven't heard anything so i can only assume i've not been successful this time, there was talk at work about doing a company charity team which would be interesting especially if they plan to ride as a group :roll:

team relay seems the way forward

southdownswolf

Notification date is early February.

brettjmcc

Unless you had to defer 2014 and you are already in

southdownswolf

brettjmcc wrote:

Unless you had to defer 2014 and you are already in

I did last years "aquathlon" hopefully this year will not be a repeat and may have more than 100ft of ascent....

brettjmcc

southdownswolf wrote:

brettjmcc wrote:

Unless you had to defer 2014 and you are already in

I did last years "aquathlon" hopefully this year will not be a repeat and may have more than 100ft of ascent....

I did the inaugral one in 2013, but had to defer last year, so it ended up being a blessing in disguise. If it's good weather again this year, I will claim myself as the talismanic reason and request a free entry place every year (until it rains) :P

Mikey23

Weather could be worse... Not quite sure how though

tlw1

Mikey23 wrote:

Weather could be worse... Not quite sure how though

ice, but that's about it

minley1

I have entered the ballot for this, I have never done this sort of organised ride before, in fact the furthest I have ridden is just under 35 miles, I am reasonably fit, but like many, with work and family life I'm short on free time to ride/train, I currently alternate my ridding between Road and off road, off Road using geared and Singlespeed.
Any suggestions for trading for this, or is it a case of just getting out and doing the miles?

Stedman

minley1 wrote:

I have entered the ballot for this, I have never done this sort of organised ride before, in fact the furthest I have ridden is just under 35 miles, I am reasonably fit, but like many, with work and family life I'm short on free time to ride/train, I currently alternate my ridding between Road and off road, off Road using geared and Singlespeed.
Any suggestions for trading for this, or is it a case of just getting out and doing the miles?

There is a general rule that if you are fit enough to cycle 65 miles before the event, then you will be fit enough to go on and complete the 100 miles. If you are short of time then back to back day ride should also be a good enough test.

Even if you are starved of time, it is the quantity of training sessions turning your legs on a bicycle (and not necessary time) which matters. I am currently on a turbo to make up for the time that I can put in on the road and I am due to do a 100 km reliability trial this weekend. There is also the The Time-Starved Cyclist's Training Formula: how to find TIME to train for 100-miles - and NOT get divorced! Kindle book by Rebbeca Ramsay which may help.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Time-Starve ... B00BBADT1A

Anonymous

minley1 wrote:

I have entered the ballot for this, I have never done this sort of organised ride before, in fact the furthest I have ridden is just under 35 miles, I am reasonably fit, but like many, with work and family life I'm short on free time to ride/train, I currently alternate my ridding between Road and off road, off Road using geared and Singlespeed.
Any suggestions for trading for this, or is it a case of just getting out and doing the miles?

Rollers would be good for getting some low hassle (cheap, compact and just put your bike on them) home based miles in whilst improving your handling skills.
They are also more enjoyable and take up less of that valuable time than a turbo IMO.
Buy some used ones and try for yourself rather than listen to the people that are going to say they are hard to use.
If you find them hard just re sell.

Go on strava (if you are not already).

Do some group riding if you have not already done so.
Ideally go out with a club, or just enter a sportive (with decent numbers) prior to RL.

Make sure your saddle fits you and you have decent padded (ideally bib) shorts.
Its not just those extra 65 miles you need to train for, its also the 3 or possibly 4 times longer you will be seated :shock:

Try to find time for at least one or two longer rides of 80 miles or more.
Training to 65 may mean you can do 100, but is the goal just to do it, or to enjoy it also?

minley1

Thanks for the replys/advice, on Strava already, rollers or turbos had crossed my mind, so could try that, often thought of doing a club ride, as all my riding is done solo, but worry that my comparable lack of pace may annoy others In the group, based in Fleet, so need to see what clubs are about.
Ultimately I want to enjoy it, which is why I cycle anyway. So just need to knuckle down and get on with it.

gotwood25

It would appear that the ballots have been drawn and your status has been updated to whether you are 'Approved' or 'Rejected'. I'm in! :-)

Stedman

gotwood25 wrote:

It would appear that the ballots have been drawn and your status has been updated to whether you are 'Approved' or 'Rejected'. I'm in! :-)

How do you find your status?

gotwood25

Go here https://regonline.activeeurope.com/register/login.aspx?EventId=1589802 enter your credentials and a few lines down you should see the status of your ballot.

Stedman

Status: Cancelled. So it does not look as though I am in again (via the ballot) for the third year!

It will just be my luck that my wife and step daughter will get a place.

NeXXus

Cancelled also.

stepdavi

3rd year applied, 3rd year rejection. Stuff ride London. Ballot? More like B#llocks.