I’m entered into the Ride100 on Sunday, and long story short, was supposed to be staying in Surrey and traveling in with a friend on Saturday, stopping in hotel Saturday night and heading back to Surrey after the ride.

The friend has had a family medical crisis so has had to cancel, so I need to work out how to get there – traveling from the north.

I’m planning to drive down in the van, but is there anywhere that I’ll be able to park the van overnight and get into the city?

Need to get to Excel to register on Saturday, I’ll be riding the bike…

Being from the frozen north, I haven’t got a clue about that London!!! 🙂

Probably best to look on the website, there’s bound to be info on there.

Probably best to look on the website, there’s bound to be info on there.

There’s remarkably little… They really don’t make it easy for people from outside the South East!

Does the hotel not have parking? It’s worth asking them as a first port of call. I drove in the year I did it and parked in the hotel car park, which was ostensibly the Sainsbury’s car park but they have an arrangement with the hotel.

Excel is a bit of a schlep but rideable. It does however have extensive parking facilities so you should be able to park there for registration. However, check the height restrictions. I know that the year I went I had to take the bikes off the roof to get into the parking lot.

One other thing to consider is if you can park at the Excel centre itself.

just ride in 😉

They’re operating a park and ride from the O2, you should have got an email about this 3-4 weeks ago.

You park at the O2 then ride to the start via the Blackwall tunnel – which is closed during the morning.
I think its about 4.5miles, and you can leave the car their all day – I think I picked mine up about 8pm last year, and it wasn’t the last one there.
This year we’re getting a lift to the O2, so we don’t have to go back and collect the car in the evening.

Thanks for the replies so far, I’m staying at the O2 Intercontinental on the Saturday, so the O2 park and ride isn’t an option – it opens at 4am sunday…

There is ‘limited parking’ at the hotel, but it sounds like it’ll be full… It’s also expensive and there’s the congestion charge…

I was thinking about maybe abandoning the van somewhere in NW london and cycling in… Can anyone suggest anywhere that might be practical?

Congestion charge doesn’t apply on the weekend.

The only options you’re realistically going to have for parking up and riding in from witihn London will be to find a car park and pay but I promise you it will be ruinously expensive. Expect something like £60. You can’t assume that single yellow lines will be free on the weekends and pretty much everywhere in London is either residents only or single yellow. Throughout the whole city there will be places that aren’t but it’s a huge gamble to take hoping you can find that space in a specific area and then find it’s available. Honestly parking is a nightmare.

Some options that might work are supermarkets if you can park there overnight.

I would really call the hotel and ask them what the options are as they will likely know better than anyone else and they may still have spaces.

You need a quiet residential street somewhere. Trick is actually finding something like that – somewhere without parking restrictions but that’s still reasonably convenient.

I don’t really know north London too well, I’m staying with family in SE London and can just leave the car on the street there.

the parking lot.

THE WOT??!! It’s in bloody LONDON NOT BOSTON! 👿

You can’t assume that single yellow lines will be free on the weekends and pretty much everywhere in London is either residents only or single yellow

Quite a lot of residents parking is free on Sundays – especially when you move a few streets away from any ‘attractions’
As an example – all the residents parking immediately adjacent to Camden Market is 7 days a week – move 2/3 streets away and it is free on Sundays.

You could find free residents parking in Greenwich on Sunday (again – keep away from the centre of town/station) then ride in from the O2…

BOSTON

Boston Lincolnshire?

somewhere without parking restrictions but that’s still reasonably convenient.

That’s the hard part. It’s nigh on impossible however Google street view is your friend here. I have some ideas of places I used to know so will have a quick look for you.

WhyIoughta

Right dude, I’ve come up trumps for you!

I used to live in Stoke Newington, which is N16 and is rideable to the Excel centre and to the O2 (relatively speaking). Not saying the roads won’t be a bit scary because they probably will but that’s everywhere in central London.

Do a google search for ‘Osbaldeston Road’ and then zoom out until you have a map that shows a rough triangle formed by the A10 on the west side, the A107 on the east and the Northwold Road/B111 on the south. All the obviously residential roads in that triangle (it’s about 1km by 1km by 0.5km) have no parking restrictions on them as far as I can see (assuming that’s still the case since that view was made) and should give you a space you can park in.

That’s fantastic mate!!! Thanks so much for that, I was looking around Edgware/Stanmore, but that looks far closer…

I’ll give it a whirl and see how it goes… Thanks again, I owe you a pint!!

Not problem. But listen, if you get really really stuck, drop me a line (email in profile) as you’d be welcome to come and stay with us. We are quite a way out (60km), not really rideable if you’re also going to do 100 miles once you get there, but I would happily drive you to the London Bridge drop off point in the morning. You’d have to get a train back to us though. It would be an adventure!

Wow, the lengths you’ll go to get that pint!! Haha, seriously mate, that’s a bloody kind offer – thanks, restores my faith in STW kindness! 😀

Hotel is all taken care of, it would all have been straight forward as I was supposed to be traveling in and sharing with a friend, but his wife has just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer so understandably, he’s been forced to bow out.

He’s got enough to worry about, and I think he’d beat himself up if he thought I’d missed the opportunity to ride, especially as it’s so hard for us northerners to get in on the ballot!

Thanks again, I’ll report back 🙂

Wow, the lengths you’ll go to get that pint!!

And queue the STW gutter minds with comments like ‘reach around’ or ‘swinger’s paradise’….

Reach around you say? What was that email address again? haha 😯

I will never forget the ‘Dave Bromance’ thread and nor will anyone else.

Honestly though, we’ve played host to strangers in need a number of times. It’s actually fun and reaffirms you faith in humanity. We played host to a single mum from Norway with a two year old, a ten year and loads of luggage who got stuck here because of a massive problem with the train line to Gatwick Airport that means she subsequently missed her flight.

They all stayed with us, kids were playing in the garden, we had dinner and a bottle of wine then took them to the airport the next day. We still get Chistmas cards.

JustPark

NCP – £17 for Saturday & sunday as long as you arrive before 7pm Saturday.

We are staying at the NCP Car Park, near London Bridge. Parking for the day seems reasonable. Not sure if it could take vans though

Other option is to get to a mainline station somewhere around the M25, park there for the weekend and get the train into London itself

I seem to remember reading in years past people parked at the dome then rode through the blackwall tunnel. Was that not the case?

If its any help I have a parking place reserved in the Surrey Quays shopping center all day Sunday.
I was going to train up from Skaterham on sat and sign in, then train bak to Skaterham. Then Sunday am drive up very early, but I have opted for a room in the LSE halls and there is ‘limited’ parking on site. So rather than risk finding somewhere to park in Londan on Sat i am getting the train to Waterloo Sat am., then home Sun pm.

I might be able to change the reg no. , although time is limited.
Surrey Quays is sarf side of the river but the Blackwall Tunnel is open for bikes Sun am early doors

Thanks again for the info, STM, thanks for the offer but I’m arriving Saturday midday-ish (hopefully!!).

aP, thanks for that link, that’s definitely an option!

Geetee, I’m more than happy to play host to a Norwegian single mum if it helps rack up a few karma points! 😉

I’m a bit late to this thread – and I’ll admit this post isn’t entirely altruistic 😈 – but two thing to add.

First up, as geetee points out, a lot of the residents parking is only Monday-Friday. For example, there’s places in Islington / Finsbury Park where you can just park for entire weekend with no worries – see here for an example. It’s a bit further out than Stokey, but there’s decent tube access and you can easily cycle over for the start of the race.

Secondly – sorry to hear that your friend can’t make the event, and hope that he (or whoever has the emergency!) gets better soon. If he can’t defer to next year, I’d be very happy to take his place (and obviously cover the entry fee). You can’t officially transfer, but if he (or a nominated person – maybe you!?) can pick up the number, I can meet anytime on Saturday to collect and give him some cash. Details on someone else picking up a registration are on the RideLondon FAQ page.

Hope this has been some use, and please do drop me a PM if he’s interested in selling his place 🙂

Hi Sam, sorry I’ve only just seen this… Thanks for the parking advice, re transferring his entry, I looked into this as a few friends have also asked. Unfortunately, his medical crisis turning out to be about as bad as possible at this stage, and he’s with his wife who is receiving treatment.
The only way to would be to use his entry pack, which I can’t get hold of. So he’s had to contact the organisers and give up his entry.

Sorry about that…