Prudential Ride London 2015
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I agree with you, which is why I directed my point to those who enjoyed treating it more competitively, go and race, what is stopping you? Then you can have all that fun every weekend if you like, it won't be as easy, sure, but that surely is the appeal, not being able to drop some middle aged woman who's new to cycling up Box Hill!Not a bad idea to have it go round the country a bit though.
This year I was a spectator of the marathon for the first time as my wife ran it.
Maybe the organisation could look at that a bit more. Setting to pros off first means they finish first and there is pretty much the rest of the day for everyone else to get through.
Of course cycling is different to running and the speeds are very different, but the difference between the fast and slow is comparible. My wife ran it in just under 5 hours (she was aiming for 4.5) but our neighbour who is a top county runner did it in 2:47 (he was gutted because the cut off to run with the elites is 2:45)
They also have the multiple start points all converging at mile 5 or whatever. Maybe a similar system could work with ride london?
Either way, I'll enter the ballot again this year and hope for a forth time lucky of a place.
Maybe the organisation could look at that a bit more. Setting to pros off first means they finish first and there is pretty much the rest of the day for everyone else to get through.
Of course cycling is different to running and the speeds are very different, but the difference between the fast and slow is comparible. My wife ran it in just under 5 hours (she was aiming for 4.5) but our neighbour who is a top county runner did it in 2:47 (he was gutted because the cut off to run with the elites is 2:45)
They also have the multiple start points all converging at mile 5 or whatever. Maybe a similar system could work with ride london?
Either way, I'll enter the ballot again this year and hope for a forth time lucky of a place.
The ride is going to have to decide the direction it intends to take soon.
In 3wks Hamburg hosts the Vattenfall Cyclassics for the 20th year. Closed road event with 22,000 cyclists out on the course before a UCI race. Sound familiar?
Of those 22,000 I would estimate no more than 2000 are plodders. The rest are quick riders enjoying the freedom of closed roads. They have a minimum average speed and from memory it's 18mph on the 100m route. It's always sold out and run brilliantly in typical Germanic fashion.
RideLondon could sell out all their places to cyclists applying through the ballot. But it keeps half(?) back for charities so it attracts a broader mix of riders than we see at your normal sportive.
In 3wks Hamburg hosts the Vattenfall Cyclassics for the 20th year. Closed road event with 22,000 cyclists out on the course before a UCI race. Sound familiar?
Of those 22,000 I would estimate no more than 2000 are plodders. The rest are quick riders enjoying the freedom of closed roads. They have a minimum average speed and from memory it's 18mph on the 100m route. It's always sold out and run brilliantly in typical Germanic fashion.
RideLondon could sell out all their places to cyclists applying through the ballot. But it keeps half(?) back for charities so it attracts a broader mix of riders than we see at your normal sportive.
I set off at 6.03, held onto my plan of not getting carried away and joining a fast group, which did mean getting passed by seemingly the entire world, but did then pass some of those who had passed me later on.
I'd decided the day before that I'd treat this year as a pleasant ride in the country as I'm around half as fit as I want to be, so to this end I decided to stop for a relaxing pee at Richmond Park, making mine the only bike on the racks at that point:
I carried on in that vein, riding within my limits and enjoying the view, took this going up Box Hill so my girlfriend could see when I was likely to finish so she could meet me (it's an instagram snap):
Got to mile 85 at 3:30, had a bit of a think and decided I felt ok, so knocked it up a gear and pushed a bit harder - failed to average 25mph for the final hour but got close, finishing in 4:36, which all things considered I was happy with - I'd ridden well within my limits, and finished feeling fine (unlike 2013 when I ruined myself).
I'd decided the day before that I'd treat this year as a pleasant ride in the country as I'm around half as fit as I want to be, so to this end I decided to stop for a relaxing pee at Richmond Park, making mine the only bike on the racks at that point:
I carried on in that vein, riding within my limits and enjoying the view, took this going up Box Hill so my girlfriend could see when I was likely to finish so she could meet me (it's an instagram snap):
Got to mile 85 at 3:30, had a bit of a think and decided I felt ok, so knocked it up a gear and pushed a bit harder - failed to average 25mph for the final hour but got close, finishing in 4:36, which all things considered I was happy with - I'd ridden well within my limits, and finished feeling fine (unlike 2013 when I ruined myself).
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I've done three events like this now and each time there have been a small percentage of riders putting turns in at the front. With bunches of 200-300 riders you notice the guys who DO put turns in but not the other hundreds who just hang on. Fair enough. Usually, I suspect, the guys hanging on are literally hanging on and wouldn't really contribute too much to the speed of the bunch anyway. It takes constant vigilance and continued efforts to stay at the front of a bunch but it also takes constant efforts to be further back, where the standards are lower and the speeds through the corners are slower, meaning you have to add the power to re-group with the front. In a smaller race I'm sure it'd be a thing, but on an event like this I have no problems with people sitting at the back. I really enjoy taking turns at the front and feeling like I'm earning my place. There was a moment on the Tour of Cambridgeshire where we'd formed a really well disciplined group of 30-40 riders going through and off to try and pull back the front group who started on the gun. We didn't manage it but it was amazing to be a part of.
So the short answer to your question is: You don't have to do any time on the front. Nobody will notice anyway and nobody is likely to mind either. Unless you sprint past them on The Mall.
I did the 2013 and 2014 rides but didn't get in for 2015. Wasn't disappointed, as last year I felt there were too many riders. In 2013 I think 18000 riders were admitted (16000 finishers), last year 24000 allowed (21000 finishers). There was a further increase this year, so it can only have been worse. I think it should be capped at 20k.
I think that they do need some sort of seeding, people of similar pace need to be together, otherwise you have the issue described where faster riders are trying to push through slower groups.
Rather than ask what time you expect to finish in I think a better question might be what speed can you average for an hour - that's something people can actually test.
Then you could have 22mph+, 20-22, 18-20, 16-18 etc etc.
Rather than ask what time you expect to finish in I think a better question might be what speed can you average for an hour - that's something people can actually test.
Then you could have 22mph+, 20-22, 18-20, 16-18 etc etc.
Dammit said:
I think that they do need some sort of seeding, people of similar pace need to be together, otherwise you have the issue described where faster riders are trying to push through slower groups.
Rather than ask what time you expect to finish in I think a better question might be what speed can you average for an hour - that's something people can actually test.
Then you could have 22mph+, 20-22, 18-20, 16-18 etc etc.
An hour of what though? I averaged 20mpg for the first hour through flat London, and took 1hr to do Newlands and Leith (iirc) so pretty difficult, and only 15.5mph for the 100.. So, slow compared to those on here, but about my usual pace. Rather than ask what time you expect to finish in I think a better question might be what speed can you average for an hour - that's something people can actually test.
Then you could have 22mph+, 20-22, 18-20, 16-18 etc etc.
It is difficult for the organisers, public complain at the roads being shut, but also from riders complaining slow people were in the way of their 'race', and slow riders getting pissed off at Lookalikey Wiggins being all elitest.
My only problem with it, I didn't take any time to see where I was riding, first 25 miles was pretty much flat out - didn't realise we passed St Pauls, or the Mall etc. I knew the Surrey section as I live here, and back into London i was too tired to pay much attention and just tried to get back to the finish.
Jonnny said:
An hour of what though? I averaged 20mpg for the first hour through flat London, and took 1hr to do Newlands and Leith (iirc) so pretty difficult, and only 15.5mph for the 100.. So, slow compared to those on here, but about my usual pace.
It is difficult for the organisers, public complain at the roads being shut, but also from riders complaining slow people were in the way of their 'race', and slow riders getting pissed off at Lookalikey Wiggins being all elitest.
My only problem with it, I didn't take any time to see where I was riding, first 25 miles was pretty much flat out - didn't realise we passed St Pauls, or the Mall etc. I knew the Surrey section as I live here, and back into London i was too tired to pay much attention and just tried to get back to the finish.
Similar sort of pace to me that. I came 16723rd! I mentioned to a couple of hardcore types at the start to pay a bit of attention to London on the way out as you won't see it like that very often, most seemed to be very much head down past all the sights! It is difficult for the organisers, public complain at the roads being shut, but also from riders complaining slow people were in the way of their 'race', and slow riders getting pissed off at Lookalikey Wiggins being all elitest.
My only problem with it, I didn't take any time to see where I was riding, first 25 miles was pretty much flat out - didn't realise we passed St Pauls, or the Mall etc. I knew the Surrey section as I live here, and back into London i was too tired to pay much attention and just tried to get back to the finish.
Jonnny said:
Anyone been back on the bike yet since Sunday?
I didn't ride the official event, but after the roads re-opened I pretty much covered 90% of the route south of Kingston during a 113 miler on Sunday afternoon/night.I've done 84 miles in the last two days, including a concentration of the climbs in the Surrey Hills during yesterday's 72 miler with 4,350ft of climbing.
All pretty slow in comparison to most, though. Average speeds of 14.5mph for 113 miles on Sunday, then down to 13.8mph yesterday. Reason for all this stupidity? That damned silly 'Giro Climbing Challenge' on Strava, for which I need another 3,310 feet by Friday...
Jonnny said:
Anyone been back on the bike yet since Sunday?
Hell yeah! Went out on the MTB Sunday afternoon with the family, then the normal 30 mile commutes this week.Out of interest, I got the link through this morning for my rider photos / videos. All I am getting when trying to load the page is
"504 Gateway Time-out
The server didn't respond in time."
I got it to load once, then just multiple crashes and errors. I presume normal bearing in mind thousands all doing the same!
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