Ride London 2016

johngti

I'm only heading in from Dartford. I'm a bit stuck as to the best option. Easiest for getting there would be the Southeastern fast train to Stratford International from Ebbsfleet. Could always head up to St Pancras after the event to get the train back but I'm not sure about riding up there (always looks bloody scary riding up there!). Alternatively I could park at the O2 but then I'm not sure what the best way back would be! Pain in the neck... Anyone got any ideas?

johngti

Scratch that. Booked in to the O2 car park, Thames Clipper back to Trinity Buoy Dock at 18.10.

My start details are:

Start Area: Pink
Wave: C
Wave Load opening time: 05:57
Wave Load closing time: 06:32
Start Time: 07:14

If anyone is going from around this way and has a similar start time, happy to offer a lift to the car park. Only booked the 1810 back to allow time to enjoy the atmosphere a bit before heading home (I'm not going to be very quick!!)

surrey_commuter

russells5 wrote:

Hi - Im also doing it for the first year - although only the 46, not the 100...
I live in SW London (New Malden) and my thoughts were to drive in and park somewhere in the City , or slightly north of the City on a single yellow line or parking bay - since there are no parking controls on a Sunday.
Given there are official car parks in that area do all the side roads get full up - I guess I would be parking around 7:30-ish

If anyone has previous experience their thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Your problem will be crossing the course there and back. Just get a cab there and cycle home afterwards, it will only be 10 miles

slowmonkey

Surrey Commuter wrote:

russells5 wrote:

Hi - Im also doing it for the first year - although only the 46, not the 100...
I live in SW London (New Malden) and my thoughts were to drive in and park somewhere in the City , or slightly north of the City on a single yellow line or parking bay - since there are no parking controls on a Sunday.
Given there are official car parks in that area do all the side roads get full up - I guess I would be parking around 7:30-ish

If anyone has previous experience their thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Your problem will be crossing the course there and back. Just get a cab there and cycle home afterwards, it will only be 10 miles

Good point this Surrey commuter. I live in kingston, and presently have a hotel room at Canary Wharf booked. If I were to get a cab in, where would be best drop off, certainly don't mind a little pootle in to stretch the legs, and it may well save me £120 in hotel bill.

surrey_commuter

slowmonkey wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

russells5 wrote:

Hi - Im also doing it for the first year - although only the 46, not the 100...
I live in SW London (New Malden) and my thoughts were to drive in and park somewhere in the City , or slightly north of the City on a single yellow line or parking bay - since there are no parking controls on a Sunday.
Given there are official car parks in that area do all the side roads get full up - I guess I would be parking around 7:30-ish

If anyone has previous experience their thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Your problem will be crossing the course there and back. Just get a cab there and cycle home afterwards, it will only be 10 miles

Good point this Surrey commuter. I live in kingston, and presently have a hotel room at Canary Wharf booked. If I were to get a cab in, where would be best drop off, certainly don't mind a little pootle in to stretch the legs, and it may well save me £120 in hotel bill.

Your magazine should have the advised drop off points. From memory we got dropped on Jamaica Rd the ride through Rotherhithe Tunnel. It is about seven miles and literally hundreds of people so good camaraderie.

Riding home is what impresses people back at work so is imperative. We went over Wandsworth Br, then over to Putney, up Priory Lane into RP.

Edit: Travelsure in Surbiton will charge about £60. Ask for a Galaxy (or equivalent) then only need to take front wheel off.

surrey_commuter

johngti wrote:

I'm only heading in from Dartford. I'm a bit stuck as to the best option. Easiest for getting there would be the Southeastern fast train to Stratford International from Ebbsfleet. Could always head up to St Pancras after the event to get the train back but I'm not sure about riding up there (always looks bloody scary riding up there!). Alternatively I could park at the O2 but then I'm not sure what the best way back would be! Pain in the neck... Anyone got any ideas?

Or cab in, the train from Charing X which is right next to the finish

joenobody

Might be a daft question, but should I carry a lock? Either for the bike park @ Excel when I register, or for any point on the ride itself when I need to stop?

mrfpb

JoeNobody wrote:

Might be a daft question, but should I carry a lock? Either for the bike park @ Excel when I register, or for any point on the ride itself when I need to stop?

Maybe for the Excel - which will be on a different day. Not on the ride. Put one in your kit bag to use if you want to lock up at the finish, eg while you go in search of food. There really isn't anywhere to leave your bike when you start, except outside the loos. No one will be there who isn't registered.

denkfaul

JoeNobody wrote:

Might be a daft question, but should I carry a lock? Either for the bike park @ Excel when I register, or for any point on the ride itself when I need to stop?

You won't need one for Excel, there is secure parking at the entrance of the exhibition where they'll label your bike and give you a token. You won't need one on the route itself, unless you have a £5000 bike and need a long poo. Pretty unlikely to get nicked. If you're planning on hanging around after the ride finishes they have secure parking too so you should be okay, but I take a small cafe lock in a bag that gets taken from the start to the finish in the truck so I can leave it there for a few hours with a bit more piece of mind.

joenobody

Thanks

Thigh_burn

Thigh_burn wrote:

For anyone that used train last year, do you reckon arriving at Stratford at 7.05 (train 3), is too late given my Wave (closing time: 07:38) and Start (08.27) times? It says on the website to allow 25mins from Stratford to the start, which means I arrive at the Wave 8 mins before it closes. Thanks.

Just bumping this query from upthread re travelling by train. Am I cutting it too fine?

slowbike

I'd say that's cutting it too fine - although I don't think it's 25 mins from the station to the start there's going to be a lot of movable bollards in the way (other riders!)
Can you get an earlier train?

I'm not bothering with public transport - they won't get me there in time for the start and by the end I think I can manage a slow ride home (well - back to my vehicle!)

capt_slog

I'm staying in Shoreditch the night before. I've checked the route in to the start, and it looks to be 3.5 miles of roads and paths which WILL be open on the day. If anyone is local to there and thinks differently, please let me know

kingstongraham

Going from North Kingston... If I'm getting dropped off, is it worth trying to get any closer than Hammersmith or somewhere like that? Or do I just ride to the start like a proper big boy?

camerauk

I'm staying at my daughters in Addlestone and have booked a car park place at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre so will ride in and back from there although will have to find my own way back from the finish in The Mall! Will have to plan a route and load it onto my Garmin
Got a start time of 6:53 with load time of 5:36-6:11 in Orange H so looks like a early start for me

Thigh_burn

Slowbike wrote:

I'd say that's cutting it too fine - although I don't think it's 25 mins from the station to the start there's going to be a lot of movable bollards in the way (other riders!)
Can you get an earlier train?

I'm not bothering with public transport - they won't get me there in time for the start and by the end I think I can manage a slow ride home (well - back to my vehicle!)

Thanks - that's what I feared.

No, no earlier train that's convenient unfortunately. The timing of those trains is a bit weird, all seem bunched for late leavers, but given the last depart is at 0900, they're cutting it mighty fine.

I may look into Ubering it and getting dropped off. Can't face riding in that early.

slowbike

As your load time starts at 07:03 ... I'd want to be in the area by that time ...

anyone know how many in a wave - 1/2 hour to load the wave is a long time - so I guess quite a few

surrey_commuter

Capt Slog wrote:

I'm staying in Shoreditch the night before. I've checked the route in to the start, and it looks to be 3.5 miles of roads and paths which WILL be open on the day. If anyone is local to there and thinks differently, please let me know

Sounds about right and no roads closed riding in that way. You should ride on the road (like a man). It is delightfully eerie riding through the empty streets of London ina an ever growing peloton as dawn breaks

surrey_commuter

KingstonGraham wrote:

Going from North Kingston... If I'm getting dropped off, is it worth trying to get any closer than Hammersmith or somewhere like that? Or do I just ride to the start like a proper big boy?

Hammersmith is not much closer and in the land of road closures. If you can escape from North Kingston (aren't you surrounded by closed roads) then go in on the A3 and head as far east as you want, London Bridge is about 7 miles to the start through Rotherhithe Tunnel. Depending on what you call North Kingston it will probably be just under 20 miles to ride there.

surrey_commuter

Thigh_burn wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

I'd say that's cutting it too fine - although I don't think it's 25 mins from the station to the start there's going to be a lot of movable bollards in the way (other riders!)
Can you get an earlier train?

I'm not bothering with public transport - they won't get me there in time for the start and by the end I think I can manage a slow ride home (well - back to my vehicle!)

Thanks - that's what I feared.

No, no earlier train that's convenient unfortunately. The timing of those trains is a bit weird, all seem bunched for late leavers, but given the last depart is at 0900, they're cutting it mighty fine.

I may look into Ubering it and getting dropped off. Can't face riding in that early.

If you are dropping a bag you need to add a few mins for that. I am sure people joined our wave late and worse case scenario you just start half an hour later. So same colour but next letter.

Thigh_burn

Surrey Commuter wrote:

If you are dropping a bag you need to add a few mins for that. I am sure people joined our wave late and worse case scenario you just start half an hour later. So same colour but next letter.

Ah hadn't thought of that - are they relatively relaxed you going later? (I've seen mixed reports about trying to get into an earlier wave).

Although frankly I'd like to get a move on and get going.

drlodge

I had an early start last year and there was so much traffic along the A11 (bikes not cars) I was actually late and started in a group about 20mins later than I should have.

Cliveyp

Great news for me today.....my physio assessment has put my knee pain down to a quad strain and cartilage inflammation, so nothing as major as my GP first suggested. It also means that, carefully at first, I can get back on my bike! I need to start slowly - and that was stressed - but at least it lets me start getting the legs rolling again so I can start ramping back up to the right mileage. Might be a bit late in the day with it only being 3 weeks away, but i'm not targetting any super-low times so i'll just be happy to make it there!

Cliveyp

drlodge wrote:

I had an early start last year and there was so much traffic along the A11 (bikes not cars) I was actually late and started in a group about 20mins later than I should have.

I'm looking to head up the A11 for my late start (8:52 depart). Should I give myself extra time or is it likely to be a bit quieter by then?

milemuncher1

Cliveyp wrote:

drlodge wrote:

I had an early start last year and there was so much traffic along the A11 (bikes not cars) I was actually late and started in a group about 20mins later than I should have.

I'm looking to head up the A11 for my late start (8:52 depart). Should I give myself extra time or is it likely to be a bit quieter by then?

Add a couple of minutes to the time it would normally take, just to allow for negotiating the herd. That should be enough I.M.E.

Cliveyp

Milemuncher1 wrote:

Cliveyp wrote:

drlodge wrote:

I had an early start last year and there was so much traffic along the A11 (bikes not cars) I was actually late and started in a group about 20mins later than I should have.

I'm looking to head up the A11 for my late start (8:52 depart). Should I give myself extra time or is it likely to be a bit quieter by then?

Add a couple of minutes to the time it would normally take, just to allow for negotiating the herd. That should be enough I.M.E.

I'll target to arrive a few minutes before the wave opens, that way i've got plenty of time. 8)

surrey_commuter

Thigh_burn wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

If you are dropping a bag you need to add a few mins for that. I am sure people joined our wave late and worse case scenario you just start half an hour later. So same colour but next letter.

Ah hadn't thought of that - are they relatively relaxed you going later? (I've seen mixed reports about trying to get into an earlier wave).

Although frankly I'd like to get a move on and get going.

Completely relaxed about starting later... Just stay in the same colour wave

surrey_commuter

I really can not eat when I wake up that early. As I had a lift from somebody starting earlier I had a nice sit in the sun and ate my way through a couple of bacon bagels and a litre of Ribena. A nice way to prepare.

A good tip is to leave some food and drink in your bag so you have it at the finish

DAZZ_A

If you miss your Green starting wave must you stick to the same colour for the next wave?

I'm assuming it's not allowed to jump in the next starting group ie. Red for example?

surrey_commuter

DAZZ_A wrote:

If you miss your Green starting wave must you stick to the same colour for the next wave?

I'm assuming it's not allowed to jump in the next starting group ie. Red for example?

Sticking to the same colour is not a problem. I don't know about changing colour.