Ride London 2019 anyone?

joe_totale-2

You can take bikes onto the regular trains. Depending where in Newham you are there may well be a station close by with trains running to Liverpool Street which is close to the Guildhall where I see there is a Freecycle festival zone as well as the course.

There's also Rapha and Cafe Du Cycliste near Liverpool Street in Spitalfields market if you want some fancy kit.

cougie

I'd hire Boris bikes for the free ride. Then you only need to take the little bike into town.

daniel_b

Joe Totale wrote:

You can take bikes onto the regular trains. Depending where in Newham you are there may well be a station close by with trains running to Liverpool Street which is close to the Guildhall where I see there is a Freecycle festival zone as well as the course.

There's also Rapha and Cafe Du Cycliste near Liverpool Street in Spitalfields market if you want some fancy kit.

Thanks Joe, good call on the trains, had not considered that.
Will have the gf with me, so no fancy kit shopping :-(
Though I do need to duck off to the Excel centre......

cougie wrote:

I'd hire Boris bikes for the free ride. Then you only need to take the little bike into town.

This has briefly crossed my mind - the only negatives I can see, is that with a nearly 6 year old, it would be good to have the option to tow her around the route when she inevitably gets tired - that can't happen with a hire bike.

And also, as they may be heavily in demand, it might be a challenge to find two.

elbowloh

I didn't enter the ballot this year because I've only ever got a place once before (2014 when it rained a lot became the Surrey 84 and I had puncture before the start and my pump broke....)

Anyway, I then randomly got a message about doing it for charity, applied and ended up getting a place today riding for Bliss.

So here i am doing the ride. Wasn't expecting that really.

essexian

I applied for both the 100 (turned down again...5th time running) and the 46. However, I haven't heard anything about a place in the 46 yet. Have places been allocated? If not, they are leaving it a bit late this year!

Cheers.

daniel_b

Which bike to use for it: Road bike or aero road bike?

joe_totale-2

I'd go aero. Leith Hill is the only part of the route where you may wish you had the lighter bike but for everything else the aero gains would give a bigger benefit.

harry-s

It depends what your goals are.

If you want to go round for the experience and aren't bothered about the clock, then assuming your road bike is more comfortable, use that one.

If you're intending to go balls out for a time, then I'd agree that the aero bike might win you a few minutes. Personally I don't think it's a suitable ride for a TT type of effort, it's not safe enough IMO. What time are you off?

daniel_b

Thanks chaps - my aero bike weights basically the same as my road bike, and is ridiculously comfortable, especially in the drops.

Can't quite explain it myself, maybe it just fits me well - it does wear 25's as opposed to 23's on my road bike.

Should be attempting a 50 mile, maximum output kind of effort in the next 3 weeks, so will have a good guage for the comfort over a longer distance then.

I've trained a lot, and continue to do so, so a decent time (for me) would be nice, though I also want to do it again, so a bit of both I guess, to be greedy!
I still do not know my start time - I'm a member of a local club who get allocated team slots, so I have one of those, and paid for the entry last week, so not sure when I get sent the details.

cruff

Harry-S wrote:

It depends what your goals are.

If you want to go round for the experience and aren't bothered about the clock, then assuming your road bike is more comfortable, use that one.

If you're intending to go balls out for a time, then I'd agree that the aero bike might win you a few minutes. Personally I don't think it's a suitable ride for a TT type of effort, it's not safe enough IMO. What time are you off?

Don't think the OP is suggesting he's going to ride a TT bike - just an aero road bike. If your aero road bike is as comfortable as your regular road bike, and weighs the same... why would you ride the regular one anyway?

Tashman

I don't suppose anyone is heading up to this from the Brighton lewes area? Just trying to work out the logistics for the day.

daniel_b

Cruff wrote:

Harry-S wrote:

It depends what your goals are.

If you want to go round for the experience and aren't bothered about the clock, then assuming your road bike is more comfortable, use that one.

If you're intending to go balls out for a time, then I'd agree that the aero bike might win you a few minutes. Personally I don't think it's a suitable ride for a TT type of effort, it's not safe enough IMO. What time are you off?

Don't think the OP is suggesting he's going to ride a TT bike - just an aero road bike. If your aero road bike is as comfortable as your regular road bike, and weighs the same... why would you ride the regular one anyway?

It is indeed just my aero bike, and was out on it for a rolling rapid 65 miles on Saturday, and was ridiculously comfy, so decision probably made I think.
No start time yet, gather I should find out anytime soon hopefully.

Do you have to stick numbers on you\your bike\helmet, or is it safety pins on the jersey, and cable ties on the bike?
I won't take my best kit if I have to slather it with glue type stuff is all.

captain_kirk

Has anyone received their ride time yet? I'm surprised that with just over 3 weeks to go I don't know when I'm starting (I imagine it'll be a late start as I'm slow!)

cruff

Captain_Kirk wrote:

Has anyone received their ride time yet? I'm surprised that with just over 3 weeks to go I don't know when I'm starting (I imagine it'll be a late start as I'm slow!)

I saw a Twatter post the other day that suggested Monday 15th. All queries to RideLondon via email and social media have, as usual, gone unanswered - but I think this bloke had rung them and been given that date

Tashman

Cruff wrote:

Captain_Kirk wrote:

Has anyone received their ride time yet? I'm surprised that with just over 3 weeks to go I don't know when I'm starting (I imagine it'll be a late start as I'm slow!)

I saw a Twatter post the other day that suggested Monday 15th. All queries to RideLondon via email and social media have, as usual, gone unanswered - but I think this bloke had rung them and been given that date

That's the info I've had from Prostate Cancer UK who I'm riding with/for.

Yost

I believe they don’t offer the bike shuttle service back to Stratford any more? I will need to get back to Stratford International after the finish - can anyone recommend the safest route back, even better if you have a GPX file?

essexian

Getting back to Stratford International.... if you are knackered, then why not take the District Line to Bow Road and then just follow the A11/A118 towards Stratford. Bikes are allowed on the District Line. Indeed, last year on the tube i took back to Liverpool Street there were at least 10 bikes in my section of the tube.

Yost

essexian wrote:

Getting back to Stratford International.... if you are knackered, then why not take the District Line to Bow Road and then just follow the A11/A118 towards Stratford. Bikes are allowed on the District Line. Indeed, last year on the tube i took back to Liverpool Street there were at least 10 bikes in my section of the tube.

Cheers!

sherer

I’ve said this to the organisers every year.. I realise they can’t close the roads, but they could easily do a sign posted route back to the official car parks.. it’s even worse when you find out the signs for the event are still up well into the evening

benmac75

I've had the email to confirm registration this morning. They seem to have streamlined it from when I last did it so more is done online rather than at the collection point at the Excel. It seems to have worked but now says I'm awaiting an email with final details etc. I assume that'll have start time etc in it. No email has arrived yet.

Ben6899

Daniel B wrote:

Do you have to stick numbers on you\your bike\helmet, or is it safety pins on the jersey, and cable ties on the bike?
I won't take my best kit if I have to slather it with glue type stuff is all.

One to tie-wrap onto your bars and one to stick on your lid. I didn't use the lid one.

daniel_b

benmac75 wrote:

I've had the email to confirm registration this morning. They seem to have streamlined it from when I last did it so more is done online rather than at the collection point at the Excel. It seems to have worked but now says I'm awaiting an email with final details etc. I assume that'll have start time etc in it. No email has arrived yet.

Likewise, it said an e-mail had been sent, but nothing through yet, guess their server has a lot to chomp through.

Ben6899 wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

Do you have to stick numbers on you\your bike\helmet, or is it safety pins on the jersey, and cable ties on the bike?
I won't take my best kit if I have to slather it with glue type stuff is all.

One to tie-wrap onto your bars and one to stick on your lid. I didn't use the lid one.

Awesome, bike alone it is then :-)

fenix

Is the timing chip in the bike number then ?

Cliveyp

Last year we had a sticky helmet number, a cable-tied handlebar number, a pinned jersey number, a smaller stick-on frame number and the timing chip was in a seat-post sticker iirc....

Helmet sticker is a mare for left-over glue.

I filled my pre-registration email in as soon as it arrived in my in-box earlier but still no final email. I'm hopeful it arrives soon!

Tashman

I've forgotten my password and the reset process isn't generating the necassary email at the minute. I guess as you say their servers are dealing with plenty of traffic. Seems a real ballache to get a start time though.

Ben6899

Fenix wrote:

Is the timing chip in the bike number then ?

I forgot - there's a sticky number for your seat post. That's the timing chip.

No jersey numbers last year - at least the photos of me and my mates, we don't have jersey numbers.

Tashman

Tashman wrote:

I've forgotten my password and the reset process isn't generating the necassary email at the minute. I guess as you say their servers are dealing with plenty of traffic. Seems a real ballache to get a start time though.

Now have 1/2 dozen reset emails
Maybe I should learn some patience! now awaiting final email too

Cliveyp

My timings have arrived....you have to find it yourself from a table of rider numbers this year, they don't tell you in the email.

Finally a decent start time for me though, after 08:52 the first year and 07:46 last year, i'm at 06:20 this year. Will miss breakfast but will have a nice clear time around the climbs all being well!

Tashman

Orange K for me - 08:04 start time. Having never done it before I'll be just going with the flow

kingstongraham

Cliveyp wrote:

My timings have arrived....you have to find it yourself from a table of rider numbers this year, they don't tell you in the email.

Finally a decent start time for me though, after 08:52 the first year and 07:46 last year, i'm at 06:20 this year. Will miss breakfast but will have a nice clear time around the climbs all being well!

When I did it I was in one of those early starts - felt a bit crazy for the first few km, but managed to do 40km in the first hour which is quick for me. I think you'll notice the difference. Enjoy the clear roads!