RideLondon2020

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icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
Hi all,

My youngest was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a few weeks ago, so I have signed up (gulp!) to do the RideLondon 100 for Diabetes UK...
So, how hard is it? Any mahoosive Ditchling Beacon type hills to look out for?

I did London to Brighton in 5.5 hours and the 59 mile track for Ride New Forest in 5 hours. Anyone know if this sort of timing is reasonably to be able to finish the RideLondon? I am planning on buying / hiring a lighter bike than my trusty folder, which should help quite a lot (hopefully). I also have 6 months to try and reduce my own load so as to speak...

Hints and tips gratefully appreciated!
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Three hills of note: Newlands Corner, Leith Hill and Box Hill. Leith is both steepest and gets crowded, but L2B in 5½ makes me think you'll be fine even if congestion means you walk it.

When you get your start time, work out your time cuts and average speeds required and I think you'll be fine. Remember closed roads flow faster. Plenty of past experience discussions on here. From memory, it's flattish from the start to the Limehouse Link tunnels and again to Hampton Court, so by the first cut there, you'll know if it's all good or if you need to shorten.

ObNote: I'm not allowed to ride it but have supported three friends doing it several years.
 
Pah, Ride London is flat in comparison to a northern sportive in the North Yorkshire moors or Peak District or dales. Even the so called hills are not really hills but feel like hills because they are so congested.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Pah, Ride London is flat in comparison to a northern sportive in the North Yorkshire moors or Peak District or dales. Even the so called hills are not really hills but feel like hills because they are so congested.
Pah, hills are easy because you spend half of them freewheeling down and recovering. If you want tough, do the Tour of Cambridgeshire. Stop pedalling and you stop. That's tough. Longer than most northern sportives and almost no shelter from rain, wind or sun either for you northern flowers. ;)
 
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icowden

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
I didn't get up Ditchling :wacko:...

I have improved my hillabilty a little since then though (although if it comes too far into the ride, I might not make it!)

Those little Kingpins are about 5kg lighter than my big ol' Tern. I feel more encouraged now, that I have not bitten off more than I can chew!
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
As others have said it's not a particularly difficult ride. Based on your remarks about London to Brighton it appears you averaged 10mph. You can expect to up that to 12mph on closed roads.

That will probably work out at 9 hours in the saddle. My advice would be to train up to riding 80 comfortably and the rest will come on the day.

Long way on a folding bike.
 
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icowden

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
Yup - I averaged about 12mph in the New Forest and 10mph on London to Brighton. New Forest is quite flat.
I was OK after 60 miles, just had a sore knee on the left hand side which I think was from turning my leg out too much.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
You really need to be able to do it in sub 8 hours in case you get a late start and to protect against bottlenecks which are common due to crashes, walkers, just congestion. So ideally you'll need. To be able to do 14mph average which isn't too big an ask on the course with closed roads
If time is tight, it is possible to bypass several parts of the course including Leith and Box Hill. Given your location, it'll be easy to practice on the actual course. Walton to Dorking is not far at all. Indeed the course goes through Walton!
 
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lazybloke

Considering a new username
Location
Leafy Surrey
Probably difficult to increase your speeds on the folder, so do sort out that other bike and see how your training goes.
I went from mountain bike to 80s racer and got a significant speed increase overnight. That only improved with training, and the speeds I achieved in the 2016 event were beyond anything that I'd expected; closed roads really do help.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Surrey County Council surveying on whether to keep supporting the event https://www.surreysays.co.uk/deputy-ceo/survey-on-prudential-ridelondon-surrey/
Interesting

Views are now being sought on the event to inform an SCC Cabinet decision on whether the event continues in Surrey from 2021 until 2025. If the Cabinet agrees not to host the event in Surrey, we are committed to run the event for the last time in 2021 in order to enable the event organisers enough time to find an alternative host.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
I think an alternative host would be a good idea, I got a bit bored with route last time I did it, a change of route would be nice.
But how alternative? Outside of London? That would lose the cachet of the tourist landmarks and Cardiff and Birmingham have struggled with their closed road sportives and other closed road ones (like that one down on the South coast last year) seemed to stir up a hornets nest of pitchfork waving villagers.

From London to somewhere else? You'd need a doable escape route through the conurbation so going north or south would probably be harder than going west as at present, or east. Maybe Ride London Essex? There is a hill in Essex - North Hill near Little Baddow. I've ridden up it, and lived to tell the tale.

I do wonder whether closed road events may make cyclist haters hate cyclists all the more. Or perhaps haters are just gonna hate.
 
The event has got the green light from TFL for the next ten years, so the start / through London, out to somewhere, then back to Buck House is nailed on, it’s where the route goes, once out of London that may have to change. A favoured change would take it down to Brighton, then out into Sussex and back.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Don't think you could get from central London, to Brighton and back within 100 miles. The most direct routes would come in at around 110-120.

If they can figure out a route through Sarf London there's plenty of good riding (and probably plenty of angry residents) They should definitely include Toys Hill on the way back :evil:
 
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