[Closed] Ride London rollcall

Mrs PP and I were at the hub at Newlands Corner. If you got there early ish she was the one on the hairpin with the loud hailer!
We were giving out food and having banter with the riders which was ace until I was soaked to the skin. I think it would have been warmer to ride to be honest! I went to the car to get a cup of tea from our flask and discovered a line of riders at the Geared up Cycles mechanic station next to the car. Three trashed mechs all in a line! I then volunteered my services as spanner monkey and spent the rest of the day fixing trashed bikes and punctures..... With mainly my Leatherman and multi tool!

Had they brought mechs, out of interest? We (in the red EZ-Ups) didn't bother, but would consider it next year, as so many got trashed. That said, most I saw had taken out their hangers too, so it seemed pretty futile.

8:15. For my sister on 26 miles of training. Myself, 3:48 with a 12 minute stop to tend to a clubmate taken out when an anonymous rider thought he'd barge into our disciplined through and off. Finished strongly pulling 10 riders along Kings Road and the Embankment, stole photo honours at Big Ben, then sprinted the mall. NP was 260 Watts, so about 4th Cat race pace. Skinsuit and armwarmers. Saved the race cape for post finish downpour and subsequent dry clothes.

Organisers were absolutely right not to take on Leith Hill descent.

And nick is the hero here. So many sideways slips, myself included, i'm not surprised it was a bad day for mech hangers.

4:21 for me. not bad for a unfit devon yokel.

strava said it was epic so must have been.

Well I think you all did exceptionally well considering both the weather conditions, your condition 😆 and other riders attitudes.
I know some of you, like me, like to crack on so well done for pacing and not getting angry at those who were, in all regards, probably out for a Grand Pootle.

Eat well, drink well and relax happy 8)

Don't wear the bloody t'shirt tomorrow on your commute though eh 😆

yep, big up to nick.
as for mrsmith, I think he is just jealous of all the nice kit and cars he saw on tele. should have tried harder at school! his dream would be to own a cervelo and a BMW!

My dream is winning a sportive riding a sky pinarello and getting on the telly, an aspirational scenario that I seem to share with many.

As for the nice kit on the telly? That was all in the peleton and the fully loaded support vehicles behind, I wonder how hard those riders tried in their GCSE's?

My dream is winning a sportive riding a sky pinarello and getting on the telly, an aspirational scenario that I seem to share with many.

...he said while twirling his moustache.

Lots of fun, gutted they took the hills out but it would have been carnage. Helped one guy fix a puncture but karma gods were looking the other way and the wife got a puncture later on. Good show all who did it.

Felt sorry for the guy who binned it into the barriers on the finish line.

Njee, maybe. I'm not sure. But like you say, it would have been pointless in all 3 cases I saw.
I guess I was next door to you then? 🙂 Didn't realise!

The comments about it not being a race seem odd given last year the winners were celebrated with their excellent times and were shown in the Metro newspaper. I don't see why this year should be any different?

Any closed road event of this scale is going to have quick people, and most of those would be well out of the way early enough to cause no hassle at all to the majority of riders. Yes, there are some people who think they are quick who start later, and cause a few issues but realistically you get that type of buffoon in all sports and many walks of life.

I met some really friendly nice people despite it being really grim weather! At hub 2 Newlands corner, I did pick up a right hand glove pearl izumi large I think it is a ladies glove nobody owned it when I went round near the end. Let me know if it is yours and I will send it to you. Also some YJ yellow lens glasses. They would have been binned if I left them there, so maybe I can reunite these with their owners?

Njee, maybe. I'm not sure. But like you say, it would have been pointless in all 3 cases I saw.
I guess I was next door to you then? Didn't realise!

Likewise! Was so busy I'm not surprised though! Interesting how rarely it seemed to just be the hanger that survived - I had two where a hanger fixed it, all the others the mech was wrecked too!

Wow... sounds like some bizarre behavior out there and some weird views in here.

As huge fan of the London Marathon... both as spectator and runner.... there are NOTHING but positives for that event.

Oh ... and why do so many mechs bite the dust?

Oh ... and why do so many mechs bite the dust?

I assume from people landing on them when they slide off.

I fitted a hanger to one bloke's bike, retrieved the remnants of his chain from the various orifices it was wedged into, rejoined, removed his cassette to take off the now broken spoke protector, completely tuned his gears and sorted his brake pads. The parts entailed a mech hanger and a PowerLink, it took me getting on for an hour all in. He said "I'm part of London Cycling Campaign, so I'm due a discount". He didn't receive one.

That sounds like the bike you were working on when I popped in? From what I could hear he'd dropped it whilst on a pee break.. Hope he paid full retail if he was as ride as he appeared 😉

Newlands descent was sketchy in places, particularly one of the bends when a guy on a Colnago came honing past me & ended up straight lining the corner then off up a bank 🙂

The crowds were fantastic apart from one old boy at the end of Westcott who was shouting "fp@#* off and find somewhere else next time". To which one rider responded "why? You'll be deAd by next year by the look of it!"

Class!!!

80,000 applicants (last year)

a couple of complaints

I think the figures speak for themselves

The 'Dorking, Leatherhead, Ashtead & All Surrounding Villages' group on Facebook has attracted some lovely comments including:

Gary Lee Coleman: I'm selling sticks to poke in there wheels as they ride past and drawing pins to throw at them as confetti have fun

Emily's the best:

Emily Dean: They ought to pass a mandatory road test to be able to ride on roads, then you wouldn't have them riding three abreast on winding country roads, so that drivers have to risk their lives getting round them. Have some patience, I hear you say, cyclists? If any other road user was as slow as you they would be fined.

Emily Dean: I will concede that, as cyclists clog our roads up more and more, that there should be more about them in the driving theory test too. "Question 4. If some yuppie is wearing a lot of Lycra and is chatting to his equally ridiculously dressed friend (riding side by side), is it better to A) Pootle along at 10 miles an hour until they turn off or realise they're not Sir Bradley Wiggins, more Lance Armstrong after the shame and leave the road? or B) Risk the lives of you and your passengers to try and get round them in order to get on with your day.
Also, I'm rather into football, can we shut down the roads for a kick about next weekend?

Interesting to read the thread. Had a couple of friends doing it so will be glad to hear from them tormorrow. Not surprised to hear about the grumpy old sod at Westcott he's quite well know,Milke to put notes on cars parking legally in "his" village

Note to self: remember to oil road bike chain today.

Am going to ponder today if this kind of event (closed roads good, but them being smothered in tens of thousands of other riders, some of whom are nutters, bad) is really my bag. But must not allow the weather to influence that.

Oh dear poor Emily Dean.

So, whose feeling a bit tender today ❓

So, whose feeling a bit tender today

Have some nice road rash on my hip from Wimbledon. No soreness and off for a ride.

Note to self: remember to oil road bike chain today.

Njee - Great work at Newlands, didn't see you but good effort, and odd to hear some people's attitudes when they are getting free labour!

Apart from 1 minor mechanical where my chain got stuck between the frame and small cog I had a great ride. Was with the lead group until that point (around mile 60) so then had to chase back on. In the end finished in 3:29.

Taking the hills out was the right decision. I went to Kingston after to cheer people on, mots were in high spirits and looked to be enjoying them selves, however they were still coming through about 4:30pm...

So, whose feeling a bit tender today

Feel fine actually. I was tired last night but that was more due to getting up at 3.15am!
Bike seems fine too, gave it a good dose of WD-40 as soon as I got in.

I really enjoyed that. I know there are a few comments about the negatives but I guess you always get that... Overall, really positive and the vast majority of people I saw were friendly and cheerful.

In the end finished in 3:29.

Awesome Will, top ride!

Definitely agree with the decision to take the hills out, I must admit I was surprised at the time, but having seen the standard of riding I genuinely think there could have been fatalities! A shame none the less.

Cheers Njee. I think you're right, just wasn't worth the risk at all.

I quite enjoyed it, probably more than I should have considering the conditions. I think the right decision to shorten the route, some of riding was interesting enough without those descents.

I think there would have been a lot who wouldn't have made it up the hills too based on how many I saw pushing on minor lumps - and that comes from me who is a fat lad who went up the "hill" in the big ring!

I saw some very nasty accidents too, 1 in Richmond park was serious enough for them to close the road for 15 or so minutes. A shame when something like that happens and people feel the need to lift their bikes over the barriers and go past on the grass - its not like the rest of us in the queue wanted to be stood in the rain either and I am sure the paramedics felt it was serious enough to close or they would have moved him into the ambulance where they could have worked on him in the dry.

bikebouy - Member
So, whose feeling a bit tender today

Not at all, but that's the result of pottering around without much effort.

Newlands was horrible. Having witnessed a bad accident caused by damp roads on Leith 3 weeks ago, I don't mind admitting I was shitting myself down there, a nervousness which didn't really clear until Dorking.

Shame about the litter, why can't people just stuff it back in their jersey?

"@edds: The number of gel wrappers, inner tubes and CO2 canisters in Richmond Park this morning is disgusting. @RideLondon should be ashamed."

https://twitter.com/edds/status/498735165628489728

Likewise I was not at all comfy coming off Newlands.

And those new 'slick' tiles at Kingston marketplace, with sheet water overlaid, added a certain frisson.

Point of order: the cover of 'final instructions' clearly shows Dorking Cock roundabout, I was hoping for a photo-op, but we were diverted left down London Road.

@mrsmith agreed re litter, no excuse for that. Am even a bit embarrassed, and I didn't drop any.

Litter problems are ammunition for the haters too.

Hang about, was the route shortened?? I've had a mate braying that he got within 4 minutes of the time I recorded last year (4hrs 36mins) and claiming that it was a superior ride due to the horrendous conditions...
So how long was it? and what was missed out?

Very glad now that I got an early start time, just hearing chat in the office about waist/thigh deep flooded roads at Richmond Park and Norbiton (?), and remembering that the first proper stormy bit started just after I started the Newlands corner descent.

I didn't have any big problems with a headwind on the way down, sheltered by the trees from the cross wind on the way over to Dorking, then a shove in the back on the way up. Worked out well for me.

Another one of those harsh examples where the faster/fitter people have a much easier time of things!

I felt alright on the descents - 46cm bars, discs, 28c tyres and a heavyish/predictable steel frame certainly helped.

So how long was it? and what was missed out?

86 miles, they missed out the hills! Box and Leith were avoided.

Hang about, was the route shortened?? I've had a mate braying that he got within 4 minutes of the time I recorded last year (4hrs 36mins) and claiming that it was a superior ride due to the horrendous conditions...

I hope you pointed out that time is irrelevant as it isn't a race 😉

It was shortened this year to 86 miles, with the bigger climbs removed.

yeah kudos, you need to dispense some neck winding-in advice there!

Agreed too on the litter. Disappointing. Saw a guy in full Sky kit on a Dogma toss a bottle to the kerb after only about 20 miles. ❓ Maybe he'd just always wanted to do that.

My pro moment was collecting a gel handed to me as I rode passed a feeding station 🙂

Well if you are not suffering today then you shoud've tried harder 😆

The litter dropping is totally awful, sometimes we are our own worst enemy.
However I can't think for one moment that it's anyone on here, so that's fine, it's all the other buggers.. 🙄

Ahhh the world loves a bottle(bidon) tosser 😆

So now we all know what drowned rats feel like, eh?

6 hours 40 minutes pedalling time here (must get fitter). Stopped a couple of times to get some food down me. Longest stop at Richmond Park, off the bke and edging slowly forward. People grumbling. Everybody shut up when we went passed the ambulance stretchering in the poor bloke. About 20 minutes of delay...

Pain relief gel into the right hip just past Leatherhead.

BIG UP to the charity teams placed at strategic points to keep up the energy.

Likewise - pretty irritated at the litter left on the road.

100 road miles still not ridden. See you next year!

86 miles, they missed out the hills! Box and Leith were avoided.

So it was a flat 86er? Right, time to unleash a can of whoopass on his facebook ramblings! 😀

nope, definitely not here, I hate it. All wrappers up the shorts or back in the jersey pockets.

Worst shorts tucking moment was retrieving the end of a choc cliff bar that I'd not been able to finish before. The wrapper had already gone in the pocket, last third went up the shorts.

Coming back to it later, fishing out a brown lump from my shorts, seeing streaks of it on my leg, then eating it... 😕 bleurgh. Tasted good though!

Shame about the litter, why can't people just stuff it back in their jersey?

To quote a well known phrase; I counted them all out, and I counted them back in. Four SIS gel wrapper. I agree, leave nothing behind. I had two modest pockets and no seatpack, and I had no problems not dropping litter.

So it was a flat 86er?

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/family-devastated-after-woking-cyclist-7593599

Sounds like someone had a bit of a bad day. Could happen to any of us at any time.

TiRed, did you have anything else other than the 4 gels?

Not questioning your littering, just interested in the nutrition/energy!

wml - that is desperately sad, especially that she thought she'd see him at the top, and then couldn't be with him.

@wanman - very sad, just saw headline on BBC. Will make a donation to his justgiving page, he was riding for charity.

^^ Yup brought a tear to my eye that story.. 😐

TiRed, did you have anything else other than the 4 gels?

That nutrition in full:
Night before: Risotto, garlic bread and a Peroni beer.
On morning: Two weetabix, a banana and a gel for breakfast.
On the line: Small chocolate crepe made by my own fair hand the day before.
SIS gel every 40 minutes. Stored under shorts, empties placed in the rear pockets.

For the full 100, I also carried a SIS energy bar, a small malt loaf and some shortbread, but never felt the need for them.

And a very sad turn of events. RIP. Donation made.

Such sad news about that poor guy. Will be making a donation too. can't even imagine how his GF felt when he just didn't turn up at the top.

After loosing a bottle just outside RP I only had 1 650ml bottle for the ride and 3 gels...

Always laugh at the High5 "3 gels an hour" instructions, I've never done that though, think i'd be off my face!

Yes agree on all the advised servings - a bottle of High 5 every 20 minutes, plus a gel. 😯

They had so much High 5 left over, I came away with a bin bag of gels and sachets - appeared to be about 80 gels, plus 50 or so drink sachets. Win.

Thoroughly enjoyed it and managed to raise over £1400 for an MS charity into the bargain. I had my doubts as the heavens opened on us in Kingston (and we could see the earlier riders coming home on the other side!) and while standing in the rain in Richmond park after a pile up, but based on that alone I think it was a good call to remove the hills, they would have been carnage.

Very sorry to hear about the guy who collapsed at Newlands corner. I now realise I cycled past it happening. Have made a donation to his charity.

Credit is due to all the spectators and charity cheering teams who turned out in support and all those marshals and mechanics who did a superb job.

The High 5 was amazing - I didn't bonk at all, but instead felt like Lance after a fresh transfusion!

I did it. All in all I thought it was a great event and the opportunity to ride on closed roads through London was great. They def made the right call to take out the two big hills. I had trouble with punctures - fixed first one in torrential rain then thought 'hmm, I didn't check the tyre to see what caused that' shortly followed by puncture 2. Both caused by a piece of stanley knife blade in the tyre! I ran out of CO2 and had tow walk about a mile to get it sorted. Ho hum...

Thoughts are with the fallen rider, RIP.

Sad news about the guy who died 🙁

This is fun to look at for events:

http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer

Put in the id for your Strava activity then select your mates and watch yourselves race around.

awesome. Thank you, mudshark! I'll have a look at that when I get home - don't need to be premier, do you?

I started with a friend, lost her at 25 miles ish, but we finished 8 seconds apart. I'd love to know if we passed each other and didn't notice.

Same for another friend, wasn't expecting to see him, but it turns out he rolled over the start 15 seconds behind us, so he must have been standing a few metres away for 45 mins or so.

awesome. Thank you, mudshark! I'll have a look at that when I get home - don't need to be premier, do you?

no

7.10 start here and I was amazed to see the average speed creeping up to 21 mph through the City for very little effort on my part. Rain started after Richmond Park and reached biblical levels out in Surrey. I was shocked at the numbers of riders who punctured so dreading the same happening to me.... which it inevitably did at about mile 60. Pulled out the tube, checked the tyre carefully, refitted it easily as everything was soaked then cracked open a CO2 cylinder only to find that the trigger thingy was leaking gas so instead of going carefully I had to dump the lot into the tyre in a hurry. Luckily I hadn't trapped the inner and it all worked and stayed inflated. Only took 2 tubes and 2 cylinders so didn't want to have to do it again. Spent the last 20 miles (as I've posted elsewhere) enjoying the sight of a woman cyclist with spectacularly long, well muscled legs, which helped a lot. Now I've seen the pics I realise she was also on my wheel some of the time, probably enjoying my full mudguards, not my legs!

Was very impressed with the Castelli rain jacket, which I'd never used in anger before and which kept me bearably dry and not too sweaty while not being flappy at all. If nothing else the ride has taught me not to fear heavy rain!

Also impressed with the Veloflex open tubulars (clinchers) that I bought a few days before for £52 the pair from Ribble, they ride fast, grippy and super smooth.

Finished in 4.40 actual riding time, I'm happy with that as a 58 year-old! Don't think I'll try for 2015 as the logistics and expense of getting self, bike and family down to London on the train were a ball ache.

This is Marianne Vos for those that kept up with her for a bit:

http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#178137763

Yes, the Marianne Vos flyby thing is quite cool, can see the jump in my average speed where I joined her peloton for 15-20km. 🙂

I've been given a list of the top 2000 finishers by time. 3:55:41 is the time and is the 2000th.

fastest 3:23:23
100th 3:30:43
500th 3:45:55
1000th 3:55:41
1500th 4:03:38
2000th 4:10:21

2000th and a bit then for me.

I've been given a list of the top 19084 so [i]ner[/i]!

"knocked up a quick and dirty macro to pull from the results site at 15:37 Sunday"

19084 time - 9:01:20. Impressive enduring that weather for that long!

What position is 4:17:41 then?

Or could you send it to me? Address in profile.

dont you know its not a race?

but whats a 4.21 count for roughly.

Laura Trott was 4:23. She may not have been racing....

Must have stopped at some point then as the wiggle peloton passed me at speed about halfway round. Didn't have the legs to hang on....

It was definitely not a race but if there is one thing that event told me it was that I should get out and race.

My time just under four hours but I was waiting for my mate quite a lot as he was having a bad day. I kept putting in little efforts on the small rises and before I knew it he was off the back.

There was a really good train that came past me on the A24 from Dorking and I would dearly have loved to keep on them but didn't want to leave my mate.

Not sure how quick I would have been had I not waited. Maybe 3hr 45mins?

I really should go and do a 25TT

mudshark, 5 seconds quicker than me! 2718 - 2720 all got your time.

jambo, 3056 - 3178 got 4:21:something.

While we're on ifs and buts, what do you reckon spds would have got me over flats and running trainers? (apart from hurty knees!)

9 hours. that is true dedication.

Think that was the person or people from my GF's club. They stopped to given the poor chap CPR who later died. Stayed with him for a while and then rode back with the broom wagon chasing them. Kudos.

Loads of people were coming through as the broom wagon was loading up at Newlands, desperate to continue. One bloke even turned down the broom wagon and rode back on his own, fully accepting he was effectively out.

where was Newlands? Was it the feed station at the top of a hill about halfway round?

I didn't really have much of a clue where I was in the middle part of the ride

where was Newlands? Was it the feed station at the top of a hill about halfway round?

Yes that was it.

SO much of the ride is a blur to me. It all passed by in a druken haze of adrenaline fuelled excitment. I can't even remember crossing the Thames on the way out or passing by Hampton Court!

One bloke even turned down the broom wagon and rode back on his own, fully accepting he was effectively out.

People like that were the real heroes on the day. Those people that you saw on £100 Halfords specials in trainers and tracky bottoms; that's a real achievement to have ridden that course like that.

The most amazing think I saw though, in the photographs not on the road, is the guy doing it all on a BMX. Yes really! I will try to dig the photo out.

Here you go.

[img] [/img]

Stone me if he didn't do it in 5hrs 45mins as well!

More pics of him [url= https://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event.py?template=MPX2&new_search=1&event=Sports%2FCPUK%2F2014%2FPrudential%20RideLondon-Surrey%20100&match=9459 ]here.[/url]

impressive. did anyone else see the chap in gold lamee. I thought it was jimmy saville...

5:45 is a 15mph average? That seems mental on a BMX!

5:45 is a 15mph average? That seems mental on a BMX!

So mental you could quite understand if actually he'd done it by hitching lifts but we know he didn't!

In the other pictures he does at least have his seat up but still, can't quite fathom how strong you'd have to be to be able to do that.

I think this event needs more people like that.
In the marathon you see loads of people in fancy dress, or pushing a tennis ball round the course with their nose...
It would be nice if it evolved into something like that rather than a 20,000 person TTT.
I might consider doing something daft like that for charity next year.

That's the stated aim of the organisers. They want it to be one of the largest mass participation fund raising events in the UK.

but whats a 4.21 count for roughly.