Prudential London 100
Discussion
Rob_T said:
Did it last year in 4 hours 46 minutes. Easy flat ride. Superbly organised. I have a confirmed place this year through the British Hear Foundation and am looking to do sub 4.5 hours this time.
We met at the start line, and you beat me by 3 minutes 
Have entered the ballot this year as did it for charideee last year. Riding on closed roads with lots of support was incredible.
I did it in 5hrs 45mins.... This included the following:
1) cyclist dropping water bottle at 88 mile mark and instead of warning he slammed brakes in --> I fly into back of him at about 20mph, puncture front tyre and come down with a thud
2) shaking like a lead trying to change tube and credit to the guy he waited with me while the lovely support staff made sure we both ok
3) puncture sorted and off I go flying along Wimbledon Parkside... Crank comes off!!!!
4) try to fix and eventually single pedal to Putney hill and free wheel down to Putney Cycles - 15 min fix and I'm back in the game!!
1) cyclist dropping water bottle at 88 mile mark and instead of warning he slammed brakes in --> I fly into back of him at about 20mph, puncture front tyre and come down with a thud
2) shaking like a lead trying to change tube and credit to the guy he waited with me while the lovely support staff made sure we both ok
3) puncture sorted and off I go flying along Wimbledon Parkside... Crank comes off!!!!
4) try to fix and eventually single pedal to Putney hill and free wheel down to Putney Cycles - 15 min fix and I'm back in the game!!
I did it last year, had a start time of 06:06 which was quite unusual territory for me as the only six o clock I know is when the Simpsons starts on Channel Four..... As I've said, I stayed with a friend in Clapham and riding through South London at 0430 was mad with clubs kicking out and drunks everywhere wondering why hundreds of cyclists were out so early!
As a route it was fine, the only hill of note being Leith Hill which isnt even approached from the steepest direction according to the locals I rode with. I really like Box Hill, its a good long climb the sort we rarely get in the South of the UK and you just find a rhythm and apply rule 5. We were stopped for about 30 minutes at one point as we fixed a friends chain then helped another rider out who had wedged her chain between the hub and the cassette (you know the plastic covers we all remove from the cassette the minute we get the bike......) We then stopped for about 20 minutes at the top of Box Hill to regroup and enjoy the atmosphere. In the end we finished in 06:55.39 apparently. Given we were stationary for almost an hour, I think thats pretty good as We rode at a speed which encouraged conversation. A staff writer from ProCycling was the quickest in four hours and three minutes...
We raced through the first 25 miles, its flat and you get some good groups going so you fly down the A4, Richmond Park was fun and it was the first time I'd ridden through it. I remember the getting to Weybridge having averaged something like 35km/h for two hours and thinking I was going to blow soon so that chain fix period really helped, if we hadnt stopped I think I would have suffered, it is a really fast course and you will be tempted to go out fast from the gun so pace yourself!!. Only really after you cross the M25 past Byfleet did the roads get clear. Cobham, through Esher and onto Kingston was mt favourite part, the weather was great and I was fuelled up on WI flapjack. I'll be honest the last five miles were quite emotional and the ride up Whitehall and under Admiralty Arch onto the Mall really is as good as it gets. I hope everyone gets to experience that this year.
The only thing I would say is keep your wits about you, you are sharing the road with hundreds of other people and some were clearly not as proficient as others. The biggest issue was people not holding their line round corners, especially on descents. People would cut form the left on the racing line oblivious to anyone coming past on the right, how there were not more accidents I dont know. Also, make use of the closed roads and ride on the right hand side of the road, its novelty didnt wear off all day and most people, out of habit, stuck to the gutter on the left hand side!
Here is the strava feed
My time broken down is as follows, you can add to it if you want!
As a route it was fine, the only hill of note being Leith Hill which isnt even approached from the steepest direction according to the locals I rode with. I really like Box Hill, its a good long climb the sort we rarely get in the South of the UK and you just find a rhythm and apply rule 5. We were stopped for about 30 minutes at one point as we fixed a friends chain then helped another rider out who had wedged her chain between the hub and the cassette (you know the plastic covers we all remove from the cassette the minute we get the bike......) We then stopped for about 20 minutes at the top of Box Hill to regroup and enjoy the atmosphere. In the end we finished in 06:55.39 apparently. Given we were stationary for almost an hour, I think thats pretty good as We rode at a speed which encouraged conversation. A staff writer from ProCycling was the quickest in four hours and three minutes...
We raced through the first 25 miles, its flat and you get some good groups going so you fly down the A4, Richmond Park was fun and it was the first time I'd ridden through it. I remember the getting to Weybridge having averaged something like 35km/h for two hours and thinking I was going to blow soon so that chain fix period really helped, if we hadnt stopped I think I would have suffered, it is a really fast course and you will be tempted to go out fast from the gun so pace yourself!!. Only really after you cross the M25 past Byfleet did the roads get clear. Cobham, through Esher and onto Kingston was mt favourite part, the weather was great and I was fuelled up on WI flapjack. I'll be honest the last five miles were quite emotional and the ride up Whitehall and under Admiralty Arch onto the Mall really is as good as it gets. I hope everyone gets to experience that this year.
The only thing I would say is keep your wits about you, you are sharing the road with hundreds of other people and some were clearly not as proficient as others. The biggest issue was people not holding their line round corners, especially on descents. People would cut form the left on the racing line oblivious to anyone coming past on the right, how there were not more accidents I dont know. Also, make use of the closed roads and ride on the right hand side of the road, its novelty didnt wear off all day and most people, out of habit, stuck to the gutter on the left hand side!
Here is the strava feed
My time broken down is as follows, you can add to it if you want!
| Name | Est mile 24 | Est mile 45 | Est mile 55 | Est mile 82 | Est mile 91 | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pablo | 1:10:45 | 02:36:00 | 03:54:37 | 05:52:28 | 06:32:51 | 06:55:39 |
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 10th January 20:40
Did it last year, without doubt the best cycling event I have done and the best day on the bike I have ever had. Applauded the crowds for their applause, and even wound them up when they stopped! On my own I was doing 100 miles in about 7 hrs, did RideLondon in 5.45. Aiming for under 5 this year. Got a charity place after ballot closed last year so should be able to do that again if not successful in the ballot. Leith Hill is quite hard Box Hill isn't Newlands was a surprise as I hadn't been up it before. There is a hill somewhere around Wimbledon at 85-odd miles which got me.
I've entered as I'd like to have a go on my local roads without cars!
And yes, the route is very quick (as it's flat) and the amount of other riders help hugely. The front groups were of a half decent standard, so my plan would be to try and get into a group of able riders, which helps minimise silly actions ect!
Question - how long is the spectrum of set off times? I.e. When is the first and how long till the last?
And yes, the route is very quick (as it's flat) and the amount of other riders help hugely. The front groups were of a half decent standard, so my plan would be to try and get into a group of able riders, which helps minimise silly actions ect!
Question - how long is the spectrum of set off times? I.e. When is the first and how long till the last?
If you're used to riding in a bunch at all, you can easily knock a chunk off of you expected time IMO!
Just looked at my strava feed for it (and its accesible on the PH club there - 205km at 29.1 km/h average
But the splits are quite interesting- eg
miles 25>50 average speed 34.2 km/h
Ride 100 second half : 32.4 km/h
Last 15 miles : 36.6k/h
Last 9 miles: 40.2 km/h
It really is a very very very fast course! - I'm not even that quick on a bike, and expected to do it in 6 hours!
Just looked at my strava feed for it (and its accesible on the PH club there - 205km at 29.1 km/h average
But the splits are quite interesting- eg
miles 25>50 average speed 34.2 km/h
Ride 100 second half : 32.4 km/h
Last 15 miles : 36.6k/h
Last 9 miles: 40.2 km/h
It really is a very very very fast course! - I'm not even that quick on a bike, and expected to do it in 6 hours!
HurryUpAndWait said:
Rob_T said:
Yes I am clearly far more capable than you. Please don't talk to me again. 
Noted! Oh well, at least I had my own PH jersey I'm sure there's a thread about jerseys here somewhere - maybe you've seen it? 
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff