Prudential Ride London - start times

[Janosh]

I think you might need to increase your sample size... I think it's true to say that many of the faster riders will be in the early waves

[ChrisMCoupe]

I think the extremely fast riders (sub 4hour 30 min sort of people) go off right at the front and the rest is mixed around to balance the flow.

[Mr Will]

It is mostly sorted by estimated time but there are other riders mixed in, particularly female riders or charity riders, so that it's not all hard-core club riders for the first hour. Same with the club teams - they'll be faster than most but are distributed across the various start times.

If you are a typical MAMIL though, odds are you'll be pretty much in time order.

[Daveyraveygravey]

MEVILAZY said:

• Start Area: Orange
• Wave:F
• Wave Load opening time: 05:17
• Wave Load closing time:05:47
• Start Time:06:17

Weather looking better than from when I previously checked but not the sun from last year :-(

Should I wear wet weather gear or wing it?!?!

Snap! Might go out and buy some new over trousers tomorrow...

[Rob_T]

Looks like a wet fest on Sunday. Can't see many decent times being set which is a shame given how flat it it.

Be careful out there!

[upsidedownmark]

Still aiming to nail the **** out of it. Not really any major/scary descents en-route that I can think of... May need gills to breathe while on wheels mind

[Daveyraveygravey]

upsidedownmark said:

Still aiming to nail the **** out of it. Not really any major/scary descents en-route that I can think of... May need gills to breathe while on wheels mind

There's a nasty left-hander going down Leith Hill, for a start. If the forecast is accurate there's going to be a lot of punctures which is going to have a horrible effect...

[Dammit]

I'm in the middle of putting the cranks back on the bike with mudguards.

[nookiemon]

Just read this from the latest Pru email:

"Please be aware that one of our contingencies is to shorten the route through one of the diversion points. If the weather is particularly poor, we may use a diversion that removes both Leith Hill and Box Hill from the route for rider safety. It is very important, therefore, that you follow all instructions given to you by our stewards and marshals. "

Bah, climbs may be off the menu

[Gizmoish]

As far as I can tell the best news is that the winds in the morning will be south-easterly, switching to south-westerly.

Good little warm-up on the Freecycle today. Turn the legs over, make sure the bike's running beautifully.

I'm going for a gilet and bringing the wet-weather gloves but apart from that... bring it on.

[a boardman]

Ride cut short to 86 mile box hill and leigh hill cut out due to weather concerns.

[anonymous-user]

Good luck guys, keep it on the black stuff, it's very wet here in Ludlow....

[TheInternet]

A4 Westbound, weird.

[bigdom]

Lashing it down here in not so sunny Surrey, reminds me of the storms in Florida. Anyone who gets around today will definitely √ rule 9.

[Dammit]

It was wet, there were some big crashes and some very sketchy riding.

Drinking coffee in the warm now so it's all good.

[MEVILAZY]

Ah the smell of sewage from the flooded roads. Pretty brutal and could hardly see at times. As previously mentioned there were some big crashes even on the straights.

[upsidedownmark]

Yup, was a shade damp. Rather wanted to set a decent time for 100, so a bit gutted they shortened but I guess I can see why - was being pretty careful (for me), but still had a couple of slidey moments. Was reasonably fast all the same, fantastic to ride without having to stop for lights/and junctions

[ChrisMCoupe]

Wet, dangerous and some awful marshalling this year, especially around the flooded roads that was causing people to bunch up!

Loved every second of it though!

[Gizmoish]

Fantastic. I don't mind rain (cold is another matter...) so had a brilliant ride. I'm not fast, so stayed within my limits until the end (Victoria Embankment to the finish was... quick). Past the reservoirs and through West Byfleet was pretty biblical though, and I was glad I had the descent after Staple Hill mostly to myself...

Great atmosphere, too. I agree with the marshalling comments - saw a guy wave a car across a junction with a group coming...but can't really complain.

I know you get more punctures when it's wet, but there were an insane number. Every few yards! Some people punctured before getting out of the Olympic Park! Glad I put brand new tyres on...

Am I disappointed that the hills were cut? A bit. Because it wasn't a 100. But if I'm honest, I'm not certain I'd have got up Leith, it would have been close. If people had been zigzagging over the road like they did on Staple and I'd got blocked... But there's always next year.

[Type R Tom]

Really enjoyed it, when I found out the hills were cut I was pleased if I'm honest. Strange thing was that I finished within my comfort zone, physically speaking, so I'm now a little disappointed they weren't included. The weather was pretty special though, don't think I've been out in rain like that since riding to school! I particularly enjoyed the ride through the flooded bridge!

I had one minor off, got a bit of road rash as a souvenir, I just found you couldn't relax for a second as there was always potential for an off, saw a couple of people who really messed themselves up too.

Overall a really enjoyable day out!