There was quite a decent turnout from Beacon at RideLondon today, including the official Beacon team of me, Laurence Cooley, Martin McGowan and Alistair Hey.
It was supposed to be 100miles, but the extreme conditions forced the organisers to drop 14 miles off the route, hence we had the RideLondon86.
An amazing day of incessant rain after a dry first 7 miles...the Beacon team stuck together, worked together and came in around the 4 hour mark, with a running time of 3:55 and an average speed of 22mph (35.3kph)...not too shabby, think we finished pretty high up but some more research needed before this is finalised.
Hopefully all participants will put their key moments here, but this day will linger long in the memory in blasting along roads with loads of standing water...probably not in line with the Health and Safety Executive guidelines but heaps of fun in any case.
Entries for next year open later this month...a grand weekend out!
RideLondon 2014
Moderators: Philip Whiteman, George, laurence_cooley, Andy Terry
Ride
Sounds like agreat ride. I came off on longbridge lane on way to clubrun, so god knows wat u guys had. Did see it on TV looked rather wet.Do u have to enter this in teams?? I would like to ride this next yr with the beacon.
Pain is temporary!
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Mark Patton
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I was a little more sedate! Strava has me at 5:43 moving time, official total time around 6 1/2 hrs. Average speed 15.3mph.
Highlights included overtaking loads of people up newlands and also doing a 20mph sprint finish up the mall (that was good for me!).
Lowlights, somewhere before weybridge when I didn't think it could rain anymore, the rain became so intense it hurt. The number of crashes and **flat**s was also quite bad.
There were also quite a few flooded sections, which made it tricky.
All in all a good day and I raised over £650 for Macmillan. Bring on next year!
Highlights included overtaking loads of people up newlands and also doing a 20mph sprint finish up the mall (that was good for me!).
Lowlights, somewhere before weybridge when I didn't think it could rain anymore, the rain became so intense it hurt. The number of crashes and **flat**s was also quite bad.
There were also quite a few flooded sections, which made it tricky.
All in all a good day and I raised over £650 for Macmillan. Bring on next year!
If you’re all about the destination, take a f#€king flight!
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Philip Whiteman
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slogfester
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I'm still buzzing from the whole weekend including this morning's drive home from Barking round the North Circ - it's not the road it was when I was a lad and rode my Phillips Vox Pop round it and up the A40 to watch model aircraft national championships. Bikes now banned as I found to my cost when coming home from FreeCycle on the Saturday on the Brompton. At 5.00am today it was cruise control at 50 most of the way. The suburbs I knew and loved/hated are just signs on exits now!
Zipping out from Stratford with bikes on all lanes was amazing, got stuck in total jam behind a minor accident in Richmond Park (20 mins at least) then Bertha hit us with the downpour! But the run back into London was sunny with a tailwind. Hit the Mall going all out, got my medal and then we had Bertha's revenge for 10 minutes bit of an anti climax! Garmin shows average of 15.7 inc 4 miles to the start. Great fun and well organised but I didn't see any of the other 60 CTC Riders. Road back to Barking and lay in bed watching Swift and Blythe carving through the same roads !! Other thought was how long it takes to get into the country if you live in London. Made the right move back in the 60's!!
Rider number 35926 there's an app you can check it on as well as Strava. Helen I think that we held up the C runners' reputation pretty well. Well done Laurence and the A team excellent ride.
Zipping out from Stratford with bikes on all lanes was amazing, got stuck in total jam behind a minor accident in Richmond Park (20 mins at least) then Bertha hit us with the downpour! But the run back into London was sunny with a tailwind. Hit the Mall going all out, got my medal and then we had Bertha's revenge for 10 minutes bit of an anti climax! Garmin shows average of 15.7 inc 4 miles to the start. Great fun and well organised but I didn't see any of the other 60 CTC Riders. Road back to Barking and lay in bed watching Swift and Blythe carving through the same roads !! Other thought was how long it takes to get into the country if you live in London. Made the right move back in the 60's!!
Rider number 35926 there's an app you can check it on as well as Strava. Helen I think that we held up the C runners' reputation pretty well. Well done Laurence and the A team excellent ride.
Dave - knowing you were only 10 mins behind me I was keeping an eye out as I was expecting you to pass me, but I obviously just managed to keep ahead. That cloud burst at the end came just as I was putting my bike in the bike park.
I think us C-runners can definitely hold our heads up high! I don't know about you, but it was a total solo ride for me!
I was rider number 3852
I think us C-runners can definitely hold our heads up high! I don't know about you, but it was a total solo ride for me!
I was rider number 3852
If you’re all about the destination, take a f#€king flight!
Having been luckily enough to get an individual entry joined up Martin McGowan (thanks for driving Martin) to share travel and accommodation costs. Left Saturday morning and arrived at the salubrious Bay Tree Hotel. Rode down to ExCel to complete registration and pick up ride kit which included bike number with chip, helmet number, bike number and rider number, just think of all that extra weight to carry! Back at the hotel joined up with the rest of Team Beacon, Phil & Alistair along with Phil’s mate Dave from Lichfield CC. Ventured out to Stratford for an Italian and plenty of pre-ride pasta, ended up at Pizza Hut who had run out of Lasagna, can’t think why. Back to the hotel for a night cap, how do you like your tea and in bed for 21:30.
Promptly woken at 02:00 by what we thought was someone’s alarm only to discover later that it probably was the fire alarm as there was a burnt towel in the communal kitchen downstairs!!! Which bike do we save first?
Up at 04:00 and rode out to the QEOP where Team Beacon went off to their starting pen for 06:00. Time for a coffee and take in the atmosphere.
My starting group was Orange, H at 07.02. As we moved towards the start line decided to use the “last toilets before the start” only to emerge and find ‘H’ had moved forward and I was now in ‘C’ wave. There was a certain amount of disappointment with the announcement that the ride was to be reduced, but with what was to come understandable; off at 07:06.
Up and running and I've never seen so many riders with **flat**s, a bit off putting as you start to think when’s it my turn! Riding solo jumped from group to group to catch a wheel. Mile 10 going well and settling in to the ride. Strange feeling going through red lights on the wrong side of the road, note to one’s self, must remember not to do this on my daily commute. Mile 25 took a comfort break, with 24,000 riders you are never alone.
Then we were hit by Bertha and all she could throw at us. Once your wet your wet so decided to keep going rather than stop. Most of the ‘Hubs’ were very busy anyway. Kept going until what would have been about mile 65 and took another comfort break and took on water. Rung out arm warmers and gilet and stuffed them up the back of jersey.
Final leg and felt strong and passing lots of other riders. Turned in to the Mall, zipped up the jersey, raised the arms and over the line for 86 miles in 4:10, average of 20.6 mph, pleased with that despite not getting the 100 in.
Really good experience if slightly dampened by the weather and shorter distance, well there’s always next year?
Met up with Martin and rode back to the Bay Tree, can you believe it the sun comes out! Packed up the car and set off home to dry out.
Promptly woken at 02:00 by what we thought was someone’s alarm only to discover later that it probably was the fire alarm as there was a burnt towel in the communal kitchen downstairs!!! Which bike do we save first?
Up at 04:00 and rode out to the QEOP where Team Beacon went off to their starting pen for 06:00. Time for a coffee and take in the atmosphere.
My starting group was Orange, H at 07.02. As we moved towards the start line decided to use the “last toilets before the start” only to emerge and find ‘H’ had moved forward and I was now in ‘C’ wave. There was a certain amount of disappointment with the announcement that the ride was to be reduced, but with what was to come understandable; off at 07:06.
Up and running and I've never seen so many riders with **flat**s, a bit off putting as you start to think when’s it my turn! Riding solo jumped from group to group to catch a wheel. Mile 10 going well and settling in to the ride. Strange feeling going through red lights on the wrong side of the road, note to one’s self, must remember not to do this on my daily commute. Mile 25 took a comfort break, with 24,000 riders you are never alone.
Then we were hit by Bertha and all she could throw at us. Once your wet your wet so decided to keep going rather than stop. Most of the ‘Hubs’ were very busy anyway. Kept going until what would have been about mile 65 and took another comfort break and took on water. Rung out arm warmers and gilet and stuffed them up the back of jersey.
Final leg and felt strong and passing lots of other riders. Turned in to the Mall, zipped up the jersey, raised the arms and over the line for 86 miles in 4:10, average of 20.6 mph, pleased with that despite not getting the 100 in.
Really good experience if slightly dampened by the weather and shorter distance, well there’s always next year?
Met up with Martin and rode back to the Bay Tree, can you believe it the sun comes out! Packed up the car and set off home to dry out.
Helen just checked - I nearly caught you finishing 2 minutes after you according to the results! I was number 35926. More to do with stops and the hold up than riding I think. The number of flats was horrific made you doubt the bike as a practical means of transport. I was pleased with my new
Michelin Pro 4 Endurance 25mm but maybe just lucky. I reckon the top dressing gravel at Olympic Park did for a few. Its just like what they are putting down on Birmingham's canal.
Michelin Pro 4 Endurance 25mm but maybe just lucky. I reckon the top dressing gravel at Olympic Park did for a few. Its just like what they are putting down on Birmingham's canal.
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laurence_cooley
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I really enjoyed that. It's a shame that they shortened the route, but Leith and Box Hill can be ridden any time, whereas it's not every day that you can ride on closed roads through London, using the whole width of the road and ignoring junctions and traffic lights. The weather conditions were the worse I've ever ridden in. My feet were submerged at the bottom of the pedal stroke at times. These photos show just how wet it was. I wouldn't have swapped it for sunshine though!
A bit of a scary moment towards the end when I was on the front of a large group doing 40 km/h along the Embankment and a pedestrian crossed the road with two dogs, one of whom decided to pause in the middle of the road right in front of me, only to start walking again just in time to avoid causing a pile-up.
A bit of a scary moment towards the end when I was on the front of a large group doing 40 km/h along the Embankment and a pedestrian crossed the road with two dogs, one of whom decided to pause in the middle of the road right in front of me, only to start walking again just in time to avoid causing a pile-up.
There are three options, Carl. You can enter the individual ballot (80,000 entries for 20,000 places this year), take a charity place and promise to raise a certain amount, or go for the team entry (much better odds of getting in, and in fact this year they promised every club who had a team riding last year would get guaranteed entry for a team of four).carl wrote:Do u have to enter this in teams?? I would like to ride this next yr with the beacon.
Well done everyone. I will apply again to ballot for next year.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... ath-132779
Sadly one man passed away during event, his just giving site (link above) is now at over £20k
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... ath-132779
Sadly one man passed away during event, his just giving site (link above) is now at over £20k
Oh wow Dave - so close! You probably passed me in the finish area as I was shaking and being emotional next to the railings!Dave Cox wrote:Helen just checked - I nearly caught you finishing 2 minutes after you according to the results! I was number 35926.
I also need to admit to making a noobie mistake at the bottom of Newlands...
I somehow managed to drop one of my water bottles and it was too dangerous to try get out into the riders to collect it. I really hope no one hit it. It also meant that I then had to stop at every water stop from there on, just to make sure I was topped up. I've run out of fluid on a sportive before and the resulting migrane is not good!The ballot for next year opens on Monday and will close when they get 100,000 entries. Good luck to everyone entering.
RIP Kris Cook - my friend and I were quite shocked and really sad to hear that someone had passed away.
If you’re all about the destination, take a f#€king flight!
Well that was fun.
I've never ridden on closed roads before & it's quite an experience riding past red traffic lights, often on the wrong side of the road & with no need to give way at roundabouts. Massive well done to the organisation, huge number of marshalls & handled the logistics of the huge number of riders with relative ease.
Well done to all who rode it, I'm sure all will remember it for a long time. Also special thanks from all in team Beacon to Phil Richards who did the bulk of the organising prior to the event.
Totally agree with Dave Cox about how far cyclists in London have to go to get into the countryside, just made me appreciate how easy we have it around here. I think if I had to live in London I'd give up cycling altogether - I just wouldn't feel safe.
Oh has anyone mentioned that it rained a bit on the day? I've been soaked before but this was unreal - a bit like being in the cage on Tiswas with buckets of water constantly being thrown directly at you. In places the roads were flooded & I'm sure the correct decision was taken to cut out part of the route for safety considerations. Still at least it was quite warm & for the most part not too windy.
I'd highly recommend to anyone entering the ballot for next year, I know I will.
I've never ridden on closed roads before & it's quite an experience riding past red traffic lights, often on the wrong side of the road & with no need to give way at roundabouts. Massive well done to the organisation, huge number of marshalls & handled the logistics of the huge number of riders with relative ease.
Well done to all who rode it, I'm sure all will remember it for a long time. Also special thanks from all in team Beacon to Phil Richards who did the bulk of the organising prior to the event.
Totally agree with Dave Cox about how far cyclists in London have to go to get into the countryside, just made me appreciate how easy we have it around here. I think if I had to live in London I'd give up cycling altogether - I just wouldn't feel safe.
Oh has anyone mentioned that it rained a bit on the day? I've been soaked before but this was unreal - a bit like being in the cage on Tiswas with buckets of water constantly being thrown directly at you. In places the roads were flooded & I'm sure the correct decision was taken to cut out part of the route for safety considerations. Still at least it was quite warm & for the most part not too windy.
I'd highly recommend to anyone entering the ballot for next year, I know I will.
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Andy_Craddock
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The Final word on RideLondon 2014:
A review of the finishing statistics shows that the official Beacon team finished in about 30th place out of 320 teams, so we were well within the top 10%, and individually, we were all within the much heralded 1,285th position out of 20,204 finishers, i.e. Within the top 6.5% of all finishers, so Beacon RCC can stand tall....
Oh, and for those interested, entries for the 2015 event opened today, and will close after 100,000 applications are made, yes, that's right, after 100,000 applications.
No matter you own views on sportives, it's a fab weekend.
A review of the finishing statistics shows that the official Beacon team finished in about 30th place out of 320 teams, so we were well within the top 10%, and individually, we were all within the much heralded 1,285th position out of 20,204 finishers, i.e. Within the top 6.5% of all finishers, so Beacon RCC can stand tall....
Oh, and for those interested, entries for the 2015 event opened today, and will close after 100,000 applications are made, yes, that's right, after 100,000 applications.
No matter you own views on sportives, it's a fab weekend.
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Andy_Craddock
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