Ride London Start Times

[Marcellus]

I know how we love lists, if I knew how to do a table I would but who's got theirs and what colours are you riding in;

Marcellus - 08:41 - Daventry Cycle Club (Black with Green)

[Marcellus]

06:11 - TheFungle - RAF Cycling Association kit
06:18 - Benmac - Dunno (black Scott Foil)
06:21 - Silver940 - Whichever jersey is clean Saturday night
06:25 - ALawson - Classic Red/Black PH (if I can get the rear pocket stiched up or BikePoint Teneife Kit)
06:42 - Black can man - Kingston Wheelers , White, Red & 2 Blues)
06:49 - G321 - Orange Stourbridge cycling jersey, black shorts (Blue Trek Madone)
07:28 - bakerstreet - Probabaly my St. George Flag endura jersey (Riding a blue and black Fuji Transonic)
07:35 - Type R Tom - White t-shirts and black shorts
08:41 - Marcellus - Daventry Cycle Club (Black with Green) (Scott CR1)
08:48 - alfabadass - UNICEF (blue/white)

[Marcellus]

G321 said:

Are the start times linked to predicted ride times?

Don't think so, I can't see any logic to start times!

[Marcellus]

Roastie ITR said:

I think that the start times are linked to the estimated times that you stated on your application. I'm sure that I put down 8 hours (hoping for closer to 6 now) & I'm one of the last to start. ALAWSON put 4:32 & is starting over 2 hours ahead of me. I think it's more of a saftey thing, they don't want the quicker riders having to overtake the slower riders.

Possibly, but not in all cases, i think there's some sort of "team start" allocation going on too as there are people I know who got in via the ballot and put a couple of hours slower than me who are off before... perhaps the organisers are thinking of the spectator spectacle... fast individuals then slower individuals, then teams then pros!

[Marcellus]

upsidedownmark said:

There are club 'team' entries too.. I guess that may depend on what other members put down..

There was a completely separate application process for "teams" and you had to specify; male, female or mixed upon the initial application and then allocate riders who iirc didn't put a ride time down.

[Marcellus]

CharlieB said:

Mildly concerned that it is only a month away and I haven't attempted anything like this before. Assuming that adrenaline and determination will carry me home.

I know that feeling well, my 1st ride like this was the Velothon this year, I went over and rode one of the BIG climbs (The Tumble) a couple of weeks before and really struggled then picked up a chest infection so wasn't in teh best of health for the ride still did what was for me a reasonable time.

Last weekend I went down to that there Surrey to ride both Leith and Box hills following the route of the ride and they're not too bad at all... to the point on Box I rode chatting to a friend all the way up when usually for climbs the talking stops so I don't waste oxygen!!

[Marcellus]

Taken from teh brocgure;

You can register at teh following times;
Thursday 10:00 to 20:00
Friday 10:00 to 20:00
Saturday 09:00 to 17:00

If you travel to ExCel by bicyle, there will be bicycle storage facilities.

[Marcellus]

Was a good day out, lost an hour or so at Ripley and then at every lump in the road since there.

Seemed to me there was a lot of poor discipline on the road with a lot of riders unable to hold a straight line!

Possibly with 26,000 riders the route needs to be reviewed to remove some of the pinch points, that said I have heard of riders dying on previous ride London, so perhaps 2/26,000 is the norm?

[Marcellus]

Jimbo. said:

"Seemed to me there was a lot of poor discipline on the road with a lot of riders unable to hold a straight line!"

It's a sportive, what did you expect?!

It's not too much to think that people riding 100 miles averaging at least 12.5mph could ride in a straight line.

If they can't then they should do as briefed if having a "Gentle ride" stay as left as possible and not wobble all over the road "just because it's closed and you can (not you personally but those in general).... often it was safer to undertake than over take.

[Marcellus]

Perhaps not untruthful just over optimistic?

Anyway, despite my earlier whinge, if it was a true sportif and not a race then why promote Team Entries?

Thinking about the safety aspects what what the organisers could do to mitigate them yes they could revise the route to take out the pinch points, but could also have a system of "rolling roadblocks" if an incident does occur?

Not sure how they woudl plans for it but yesterday, I forget where but some point after Wimbledon, 2 marshall motorbikes pulled in front of us and made it clear not to overtake.... they ride at about 15mph and formed a split, grouped a couple of 100 riders together and then another couple of motor bikes dropped in behind and formed another group it effectively neutralised the raceride for a couple of miles, when they peeled off yes some did put the hammer down but they did spread the riders out again so it was safer.

[Marcellus]

Mr Will said:

Marcellus said:

Jimbo. said:

"Seemed to me there was a lot of poor discipline on the road with a lot of riders unable to hold a straight line!"

It's a sportive, what did you expect?!

It's not too much to think that people riding 100 miles averaging at least 12.5mph could ride in a straight line.

If they can't then they should do as briefed if having a "Gentle ride" stay as left as possible and not wobble all over the road "just because it's closed and you can (not you personally but those in general).... often it was safer to undertake than over take.

I wonder how many of them were on the 46 mile version rather than the full hundred?

Between Kingston Bridge right turn and Esher very few... unless they missed the split and had done the extra miles (which could explain the wobbling)

[Marcellus]

okgo said:

Why would anyone half decent not get a super early start though?

I assume that is the design...

I don't think so.... from what I heard I think that from 06:00 they were alternating "quick" individual riders with "slow" individual riders then once all the "quick" riders had started (about 08:00) they started alternating "Teams" with "slow individual" riders.

To have a "Team" you had to be an "accredited British Cycling Club" to be in that team you had to be an "official member of that club and of British Cycling" so I think that indicates that the official teams were made up of reasonable riders.

So if we assume (massive I know) the batch size was 750 riders starting every 5 minutes, then by the time the officially recognised teams started there were c9750 slow riders and c9750 "quick" riders, so teams of 4 who entered as a team and will be part of an "official pru team results table" had to work their way through 19,500 individual riders (some of who would have formed groups of unofficial teams/chain gangs some of which would also have been pretty reasonable")

[Marcellus]

whatleytom said:

As for the above, that's garbage. They start the waves in order, which are seeded based on estimated finish time.

Edited by whatleytom on Monday 1st August 13:49

OK so if it's rubbish how come;

- "Teams" didn't have to put down an estimated ride time?
- a husband and wife who both put down the exact same estimated ride time had 2.5 hours between their start times?
- a "fast" rider had a start time 5 minutes after a "slow" rider (he was still pre 06:30 start)

[Marcellus]

whatleytom said:

I rode as a "team" and we had to put down an estimated finish time

Respectable times too, so what time did you guys start?

[Marcellus]

E24man said:

It doesn't sound like it was a lot of fun for most people.

A chance to ride on roads without cars, yes, but a completely enjoyable experience throughout? Probably not, and from most peoples comments perhaps not even free of the cycling 'mob-mentality' that seems all too prevalent whether it's an organised event on closed roads like this or a group out cycling on any other day.

As a "Londoner" it was great to be able to ride through "my city" on closed roads at speeds you can't normally do on a bike, but you're right there was "something" about it that probably means I won't sign up for next year (registration opens next week iirc), what that "thing" was I can't quite put my finger on but it wasn't there at the Velothon.

[Marcellus]

JEA1K said:

So, who actually won its guys?!

I've not seen/heard of anyone with an official time less than whatleytom 03:59:08!

[Marcellus]

gavsdavs said:

I wanted to travel from Rotherhithe to Braintree 5.30am yesterday morning.

East London was utterly totally, completely ruined for the car driver yesterday.

And how is it for the day of the Marathon?

[Marcellus]

WinstonWolf said:

gavsdavs said:

swerni said:

Oh dear what a shame.
You couldn't take your st box ricer heap for a drive

Gutted for you

We must meet one day. You sounds like a really lovely guy. Your mum must very proud.

I've met him, he's a top geezer with some bang on opinions...

He's also big.. very very big!!

bald, fat and ugly too!! but still big

[Marcellus]

after another 24 hours of reflection, i think that actually a lot of the complaints were down to the unfortunate incidents.

Up until the Kingston to Hampton Court section the ride was really going well, all very friendly and courteous, yes there were some chain gangs going through but as everyone was spaced they weren't an issue.

Then there was the 1st ambulance (25/30miles ish) and this made a significant blockage, this just about evened out by the 35 mile marker where there was the next significant blockage.

Thereafter, at every pinch point or slight increase there were just too many cyclists trying to go through, then the 1st diversion which cut out leith but rejoined before Box meant that those who had made leith were suddenly coming up behind those who hadn't which compounded the issues then there was the 2nd diversion which cut out leith ad box hill but merged before wimbledon... so at wimbledon you had the no divertees plus 1st divertees then merging the the 2nd divertees, so effectively turning teh seeding on it's head.

It sounds as if you got past the 40 mile marker before 09:30 then you were clear.

[Marcellus]

Benmac said:

Here's a spreadsheet with the finish times so you can see where you came in the non competitive event ;o)

I was 1,673rd of 21,309 finishers so I'm just going to pack my stuff ready for a late call up to the Olympic team.


http://www.amershamrcc.com/rl100-2016-results-spre...

mmmm seems to be missing riders from the upload... the 5 riders I checked for aren't there but you can look them up on the results tab of the Ride London site