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I allocate our club RSC's, some are brilliant, others less so. I would question the need in the very early waves anyway - one of ours finished in that group this year and another ahead of it last year for the solo errr win.
I'll bring up the litter options at the post ride feedback meeting, should there be one.
And one of our RSC's was taken down by two riders and has a rather nasty face today!
My first go, to be honest it was disappointing.
I was in the slow lot, so had a late start of 8.10ish. first 40 miles were great, 17mph was easy, felt great. From then though it was ride a bit, stop. Get off and push, repeat. There's just too many people.
Got diverted away from Box Hill (closed way before cut-off due to an accident) so only did 94 miles, very stop start all the way to the finish.
No medals at the finish either (not the end of the world but it's not cheap so you'd think they could sort it)
Dunno. I understand they need cut-offs or people would be out until 10.00 at night. If there's accidents then there's nothing they can do about it and safety is the priority. But it's disappointing to pay to do a 100 mile ride and not do it when you're inside the time.
I wouldn't recommend it unless you're going to finish under 6 hours, it's just no fun further back.
No medals at the finish either (not the end of the world but it’s not cheap so you’d think they could sort it)
To be fair, didn't a pallet of medals go missing? I heard they are getting replacements by the end of the week.
Akira, do suggest it, would help. I talked to the marketing guys here about it as they have most involvement with PRL staff. They may have plans already. They were promoting bottle refills and had a Thanes Water refil station vs bottled water at the show this year.
I'm in on Friday I'll see who I can bother with email.
@0wen - Re. medals: I was inadvertently offered a second by a (lovely and enthusiastic!) person at the end. Also I saw at least one person who had no visible sign of having registered (i.e. no bike number or timer chip, jersey number or helmet number) ride in and take one. So, if there were only enough medals for people who registered I'm not surprised they were short.
Last year in my rush to have a hot shower I rode straight past the medal-givers but picked one up from the organiser's office in Southwark aftwards.
I had friends in the 6-6.30 ish waves, 7.30ish and 8.50ish.
The 6 ers got a clean sweep through in 4h30-5h.
The 7.30 had to wait about 15 mins at the bottom of L hill and a few other stops. The 8.50 guys were held for 45 mins(!) st L hill and had to do the box hill detour and were pretty stop start all the way into London.
So yup, seems like too many people get condensed too far back
I started at 7.20 and completed in 5:53 (I was targeting sub 6 hours, previous best century was 6:36 so pretty happy with that) Leith Hill was getting busy when I got there but no waiting although the riding lane was pretty narrow up near the top!
What an event, I'm still buzzing 2 days later, the people lining the roads were what really made it for me.
I've already entered the ballot for next year, if I'm successful I will definitely not be trying to drive down and back on the day, I had to pull into the services for a nap on the way home!
I did the 46 (have done the 100 twice before but didn't think i had it in me this year) had a late start time (09.24) so a 06.30 alarm wasn't too stressful.
I had a pretty good run, only a couple of stop/start moments after Wimbledon hill (due to weight of traffic) and finished in 2.49 (according to my Wahoo) which was better than the 3 hours i'd planned for.
Pretty happy with that as i've got a bad back, put on loads of weight and done no training)
I started at 7.20 and completed in 5:53 (I was targeting sub 6 hours, previous best century was 6:36 so pretty happy with that) Leith Hill was getting busy when I got there but no waiting although the riding lane was pretty narrow up near the top!
Riding lane? why is it so narrow? Lots of spectators? Or is it just a narrow road?
people pushing probably...
Volume of traffic, coupled with an accident on the ascent this year. It only takes a tiny stoppage to cause a big blockage unfortunately. Most riders were very patient. Always nice to speak to the chap who lives on the hill, he's very friendly.
To be honest, I've only peviously zoomed up (and been dropped) by the lead wave. This was much more of a typical rider experience (was in the 7:40 wave half way through). The Leith Hill cut through opens at 11:00 and we passed that at 10:20, then queued at the bottom of Leith due to the accident, then walked then rode slowly, then, just like that blocked drain, moved more freely. I went up pretty fast (compared to others) on the RHS, singing away, but once moving things seemed OK.
We do ask riders to push on the LHS, leaving about half the road free.
Riding lane? why is it so narrow? Lots of spectators? Or is it just a narrow road?
The road isn't overly wide but the rows of people pushing up took up more than half the road width. Lots of people not keeping tucked in when pushing didn't help, did mean that people who were trying to ride up often ended up stalling as there just wasn't enough room.
One annoying guy on a mountain bike did keep remounting ride 100m overtaking a few others and then stop and jump off in the middle of the road with no warning forcing others - usually the people he'd just overtaken - to swerve off line.
Is Leith Hill that steep that people cannot ride it?
Is Leith Hill that steep that people cannot ride it?
That confuses me every year, I've only ridden on Zwift and it's uphill, but its not a vertical cliff face.
Is Leith Hill that steep that people cannot ride it?
Its is quite steep in places, but not impossible for most.
However on the two occasions i've done the 100 mile route i've stood at the bottom for 45-60 mins whilst they cleared up accidents, then been unable to ride up due to people stopping in front of me and getting off.
So in short - I reckon i could ride up it if i was on my own, but trying to get round 100s of people doing all sort of crazy stuff in front means i've walked up it twice.
That confuses me every year, I’ve only ridden on Zwift and it’s uphill, but its not a vertical cliff face.
It's quite narrow and all it takes is one person riding into it in too high a gear, stalling, unclipping and doing that half-fall / half-dismount and before you know it, everyone else has come to a stop as well and then there's another 200 people behind you and the blockage will never clear.
In spite of being up in one of the front groups one year, Newlands was still a bottle neck of riders pushing and people trying to ride. In theory, you're supposed to push on the left, ride on the right but if someone on the far right has to dismount, the same thing happens - a massive logjam of people running into the back of a near-stationary rider whi is now taking up twice the normal cyclist width by walking with their bike.
I think a lot of people do some mileage and maybe practice box hill as it's always mentioned as the big climb, leith hill is far steeper than box hill so if they haven't ridden it before it catches a lot of people out.
it's this ^ once it hits a critical mass and someone stalls or whatever, everyone behind has to stop, and it ripples down further until it becomes a big blockage at the bottom.
It is steep without being unrideable - maxes out at 15.9% in a couple of short sections and averages 7% overall acc to Veloviewer,
https://veloviewer.com/segment/5002143
but not everyone riding the Pru is a god, it comes after 60 odd miles so people are already fatigued and also of note is that if you don't know the hill, sight lines aren't great and you can't easily see that the lower section that has you straining does actually flatten again just past where you can see, and psychologically if you think that it's going on much farther you may as well get off and walk now. I don't sing up it but always try and help people by letting them know how close they really are to the next eas(ier) bit.
(they should send riders up Tanhurst and walkers up LHL - that would scare a few......)
Tanhurst is evil if it's damp but guess it would work to split people up a bit.
Tanhurst is always damp; ergo.......
Its also people who are pushing up next to their mates / wives chatting away oblivious to the 2 thousand people stuck behind them. Needs a foopath option really , and its not overly steep or that long its abit grippy as the surface isnt great, but perfectly ridable with a compact + 28 cassette
I was told someone rode into a Bright Yellow Grit bin this year ? how is that possible? Target fixation?
Maybe nip up to the tower and do Summer Lightning whilst you're there would be quicker?
but not everyone riding the Pru is a god, it comes after 60 odd miles so people are already fatigued and also of note is that if you don’t know the hill
It surprises me that people enter without knowing what's there/coming etc. That said, seemed to be plenty doing the SDW 1 dayer who were in the same boat "Oh, just thought we'd enter".
They know that it's there but that's not the same as pre-riding it and knowing which bits are hard and where it eases off. The pro's pre-ride climbs and sections of note before big races for this reason, some amateurs when faced by a steep section that they can't see the end of I think give up at that point whereas knowing that it eases just around the bend might give them enough to keep them riding.
^ and it's not the same as riding it with hundreds of others, that will suprise many riders. I was suprised just by how crowded it was, eg getting up Box Hill involved almost trackstanding at one point. Road gearing and cleats, riders unable to ride at very low revs/speed, it's a domino effect.
I entered the ballot for next year however the past few posts have kind of put me off. It sounds far too crowded, which whilst leading to a great atmosphere, will probably not lead to a great bike ride.
Whilst folks have every right to enter, and I'm sure they're raising money for charity, i do question why folks entering this kind of event don't make some kind of effort to get moderately fit. Let's be honest, you don't need to be a riding God to get up a 2km 7% hill.
Well! That was the event that was. Loved it. Couldn't really have asked for better conditions. Balmy enough at the start that you didn't catch a chill hanging about, no wind to speak of apart from wind-tunnelly bits along the Thames Embankment that I remember from my London commuting days as being like that all the time.
The closed roads thing never gets old - bombing along the "wrong" side of the road and round roundabouts the wrong way
Start wave was 0736, official finish time 05:38. Happy enough with that - got a broken spoke about five miles in and spent a bit of time trying to sort it out - wheel was wobbly but liveable-with the whole way round. Still the fastest 100 miles I've ever done.
The congestion on the way up Leith Hill was a bit of a bummer, and there was another bit that had to be walked by an accident which was being attended to. The last couple of miles into the Mall was a bit of a busy pinch point too.
Didn't really see much of people being dicks - riders were mostly brand-new, patient and good humoured, and the crowds were good for a bit of a boost when morale was flagging.
Took four goes before I was successful in the ballot for it but I'd certainly try and enter it again next year.
I entered the ballot for next year however the past few posts have kind of put me off. It sounds far too crowded, which whilst leading to a great atmosphere, will probably not lead to a great bike ride.
Don't be, but do see it as an event rather than specifically a bike ride. Everyone moans about the pinch points and the crowded bits, but there are plenty of sections where you can cruise along unencumbered by traffic or junctions, and the chance to get in a bit of a lead out train hammering along the embankment or giving it bifters up Wimbledon hill while people cheer you as if you're some sort of riding god is great fun.
Whilst folks have every right to enter, and I’m sure they’re raising money for charity, i do question why folks entering this kind of event don’t make some kind of effort to get moderately fit. Let’s be honest, you don’t need to be a riding God to get up a 2km 7% hill.
True, but that's the flipside of it being a massive closed road event in one of the world's great cities, that it becomes a mass participation event rather than anything exclusive.
I've won a competition at the show. Just got the email.
Real people actually win! Even Wally's
Lovely Gore wear on it's way to me very soon!
Thank you Gore wear. 🙂
Don't be put off by the comments on doing it, I did it this year for the first time, started around 7.30, and got round in 5hrs 13. Knowing the hills would get busy, I just jumped on some wheels heading through and out of London and the first 40 miles went past in under 2 hours, when we got to Leith Hill it was getting busy and saw a couple of people ride into the person in front as they suddenly stopped, but it was rideable when we got there, and the chap who lives halfway up was great and old everyone how much further to go. Box Hill was much easier than Leith Hill, and much wider. Not sure that Leith Hill is suitable for a ride with 25,000 people.
If I was entering again I would put down a very low target time (say 4:30) so that you get off in an early start wave, and then head down to Leith Hill, and once up that you are fine - and if you start early enough, you won't hit the back of the 46 mile riders towards the end.
I entered the ballot for next year however the past few posts have kind of put me off. It sounds far too crowded, which whilst leading to a great atmosphere, will probably not lead to a great bike ride.
Whilst folks have every right to enter, and I’m sure they’re raising money for charity, i do question why folks entering this kind of event don’t make some kind of effort to get moderately fit. Let’s be honest, you don’t need to be a riding God to get up a 2km 7% hill.
Agree with others saying don't be put off. No you don't need to be that fit to get up Leith or Box Hill, but in an event like this that's a bit like saying you can get through a congested motorway faster if you all have a faster car? Eventually the bottlenecks form at the rear of the ride so for anyone who's got basic road fitness just start as early as poss, get going well for the 1st 30-40 miles or so and it'll be fine. Closed roads in London makes it worthwhile.
Couldn't resist dumping the results using the Python script I wrote last year to have a nosey.
Average 6:15 and percentiles below.
[url= https://i.ibb.co/pKTbfBD/image.pn g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/pKTbfBD/image.pn g"/> [/img][/url]
Filters: 100m distance, men, all ages.
Data limitation: unfortunately they still haven't sorted the issue whereby a few people who didn't do the full route are still awarded a 100 mile finish time. I chopped off the few from the top (I know when the front group finished). I guess it's quite hard to do automatically as folks' chips may genuinely miss a timer station.
Puts me somewhere between ~37% and 46%, so slightly quicker than average.
Would I be. Mad to contemplate a double attempt. Start at 1am in London, try and avoid being killed to death for the first 20 miles, do the loop and back to start for a 8am charity place.
It's the easiest and fastest 100 miler ever so a 7 and 6 hrshould be achievable. A lot easier to get some sponsorship for a 200 mile ride than a 100 as that is a lot of my Sundays, or a good 60 to 70.
Usual pace is 17mph av. On a road bike on open roads
You'd have to bear in mind it starts and ends in different places.
Starting at 8 would make being held up more of a possibility which would be frustrating when you're 150 miles in.
@scott_mcavennie2 - oh.. was that linked from the official results page? I didn't see it..
@twowheels - no, I got that off road.cc. I think someone exports all the results each year.