Prudential Ride London - start times

[Steven2mum]

For you guys that done it last year how difficult would it be for someone else just to join in without a entry pack?

[Rob_T]

Not sure that's the spirit or the attitude really...

[Gizmoish]

Steven2mum said:

For you guys that done it last year how difficult would it be for someone else just to join in without a entry pack?

If you was to done that, they'd spot you not having a number.

[upsidedownmark]

Not to mention that there's a fair few of your fellow riders who might be inclined to push you into a barrier

If you want to ride the route, just do it another day - most of it you can ride any time.

[Teddingtonian]

I might be wrong but it looks to me from the literature that the start line this year is the start line - ie no 2-3 mile run in. Anyone else got anything on this?

[ecs]

Steven2mum said:

For you guys that done it last year how difficult would it be for someone else just to join in without a entry pack?

Was chatting to someone a few weeks ago - he said that he joined the route a few miles on from the start just after everyone had gone through. He said he rode the whole route

[Dan Trent]

Greetings all,

I'm in this, Yellow start area, Wave G, 0745h start time. Officially doing it via Skoda's media entries and we're being supplied with suitably branded kit but am minded to wear my PH jersey and slip the Skoda one on anytime we do anything official!

I'll be on my Trek Madone (black and white with bits of green) and, if my usual style is anything to go by, flying for the first 20 miles and then gasping for the remainder. Pacing myself is not my forte but I'm going to have to try and be sensible! Anyway, if anyone spots me on the road give us a wave and if we end up creating a PH peleton then all the better.

Good luck with the training all those doing it and hopefully see you out on the route somewhere along the way!

Cheers,

Dan

[Gizmoish]

Black M, 0647 start. Yowch.

Training? What training. I'm still a stone heavier than I should be. At least I've done more than 100 miles this month.

[PeteB0]

Orange wave D for me, 6:12 start time which is about the same as last year.

I'll be riding a white 'dale with a red BHF jersey on

[Daveyraveygravey]

Teddingtonian said:

I might be wrong but it looks to me from the literature that the start line this year is the start line - ie no 2-3 mile run in. Anyone else got anything on this?

I read that too, want to check it though. I'm orande D at 6.17 so may see some of you en route. Look out for a Blind Veterans top - it's a Union Jack more or less!

[Mr Will]

Gizmoish said:

Black M, 0647 start. Yowch.

Training? What training. I'm still a stone heavier than I should be. At least I've done more than 100 miles this month.

I'm on a 0650 depart (Yellow D), will keep my eyes peeled for you. Will you be in PH colours?

[Dammit]

Black wave alpha for me at 6am. I'm going to have breakfast this year, come what may.

[Janosh]

Urgggg, 6.10 start, cycling to the start from Holland Park.... I guess I'll need to fit lights!

[scubadude]

Anyone else riding to the event from Dockland area?

[Bollah]

Dan Trent said:

Greetings all,

I'm in this, Yellow start area, Wave G, 0745h start time. Officially doing it via Skoda's media entries and we're being supplied with suitably branded kit but am minded to wear my PH jersey and slip the Skoda one on anytime we do anything official!

I'll be on my Trek Madone (black and white with bits of green) and, if my usual style is anything to go by, flying for the first 20 miles and then gasping for the remainder. Pacing myself is not my forte but I'm going to have to try and be sensible! Anyway, if anyone spots me on the road give us a wave and if we end up creating a PH peleton then all the better.

Good luck with the training all those doing it and hopefully see you out on the route somewhere along the way!

Cheers,

Dan

Another one here who is Yellow area, Wave G with a 7:45am start time. I'll be wearing a Whizz-Kidz top and be on a B'Twin Triban 5

[Gizmoish]

Mr Will said:

Gizmoish said:

Black M, 0647 start. Yowch.

Training? What training. I'm still a stone heavier than I should be. At least I've done more than 100 miles this month.

I'm on a 0650 depart (Yellow D), will keep my eyes peeled for you. Will you be in PH colours?

No PH jersey - possibly my TeamGB Olympic one depending on weather etc. if we're starting more or less the same time though I expect I'll see you once at the start and not again though - I saw your Dynamo segment times through the forest on Strava

[Mr Will]

Gizmoish said:

No PH jersey - possibly my TeamGB Olympic one depending on weather etc. if we're starting more or less the same time though I expect I'll see you once at the start and not again though - I saw your Dynamo segment times through the forest on Strava

I'm not aiming to beat last year's time so will keep my eyes peeled for you and try to say hi! I'll be in a purple "Tommy's" jersey and will try to dig out a PH sticker for my bike as well.

[SR7492]

ecs said:

Was chatting to someone a few weeks ago - he said that he joined the route a few miles on from the start just after everyone had gone through. He said he rode the whole route

Funny, we were talking about this in the office and how easy/hard it would be 'pirate' the ride.

I guess you'd turn up and join somewhere at the start; I wouldn't be surprised if more did it this year.

[Gizmoish]

SR7492 said:

ecs said:

Was chatting to someone a few weeks ago - he said that he joined the route a few miles on from the start just after everyone had gone through. He said he rode the whole route

Funny, we were talking about this in the office and how easy/hard it would be 'pirate' the ride.

I guess you'd turn up and join somewhere at the start; I wouldn't be surprised if more did it this year.

Surely if you were simply wanting to do that, you'd join somewhere near Richmond on the way back into town.

Or, you know, pay for a charity place if you wanted to do it that much.

[yellowjack]

Right you lot.

Home truths time.

Charities hoover up too many places on the ride, then desperately try to get riders to fill them. To the extent that they massively reduce 'fundraising targets' to entice people to fill them.

Some people are heartily sick of charity rides. Especially those where there is no 'non-charity' entry option. It's been said many times on this very forum, that cyclists are (rightly) embarrassed by having to press their friends/family/colleagues/strangers for money for charities they've never heard of in order to pursue their hobby. It's an even tougher ask when every third person is asking for donations for this and that, especially when times are hard/funds are tight.

People sign up thinking it'll be a breeze, or promising they'll train for it, or certain they'll get time off work for it. Then they bail, leaving rider slots unfilled on the day, frustrating many riders who would move heaven and earth to have a crack at it. Some can afford the entry, but not the cost/effort of the logistics of riding, especially those from out of town. Hell, some successful entrants have admitted on social media that they don't even OWN a bloody bike. How the hell does that work?

The rider limits are in place for many reasons. Mostly for admin/logistics reasons at the start/finish. Batched starts sort out safety at the start line, and natural variations in ability sort out safety during the course, and at the finish line.

The roads are closed to 'motor vehicles'. The closures affect everyone. If 250,000 'randomly' selected riders are fine to ride on these 'closed roads' then what difference does a few extra make, so long as they don't use the feed stations, or claim 'finishers medals'? There is more than enough space on the roads for everyone, far more, in fact, than on something like the L2B Ride.

Those who have been mugged off for a place will once again be rightly pissed off when the attendance figures are released, and once again a significant percentage will fail to start or DNF. The more often this happens, the more likely riders are to want to join the route 'unofficially'.

None of this makes it 'right' to join the route without being officially accepted as an entrant, but I can see why some folk are happy to chance their arm. And for all those who think that 'marshals' with shepherds' crooks are waiting around every corner to 'hoick' out the unofficial riders, have another think about it. Do you really see men and women in yellow bibs dodging fast moving bicycles and putting themselves, and 'official' riders at risk to weed out a few chancers, even if they do spot them? Not a hope.

I'm not going to ride unofficially (I'm too much of a rule-follower ), but let's face it, the argument that you could "ride it yourself on any ordinary day" doesn't hold water at all. Because of the road closures the route will almost certainly (as TdF and ToB routes have) travel the 'wrong' way down one-way systems and it'll be impossible to 'get a time' due to regular traffic and junctions/traffic signals on an 'ordinary' day.

This is just a case of amateurs joining amateurs, too, so no danger with mis-matched ability either. It's not like some Chav in a Polo joining an endurance race at Brands Hatch


So, to the grumps out there, get off the 'Charideee' high horse, live and let live, eh?