United Kingdom - London to Brighton

any one doing it next month, what you doing it on, and just how bad is ditching. aiming for a time of between 3.5 to 4 hours, although wondering how realistic this is with the estimated 27,000 riders doing it, getting beyond the london roads at the start, and getting up that infamous hill already mentioned

I advise leaving from Clapham Common just before 6. Early leave is essential if you want to beat crowds. Ditchling Beacon will not hurt you if your regularly cycle hilly rides, but can be difficult to climb as so many get off and walk up it and congestion builds. I hit it hard on the half-mile run downhill from Ditchling village and have never had problems getting up it. The last stretch down into Brighton is a fabulous ending to what is a lovely ride on a sunny day - good luck!

i have an 8am start, am slightly concerned about the traffic, ie, getting caught up in the stragglers from the earlier starts and walkers on ditching, thankfully theres a further 2 or 3 groups starting behind us, with an 8.30, 9.00 and possible 9.30 depart, am looking forward to that decent at the end, and the beers in brighton that night

Wouldn't mind doing it but I'd want to do there and back in the day. Any takers? I'm not doing the return leg alone - that would suck.

unless you already have a place, forget it, event was fully subscibed within just over a week, i heard the waiting list was over 2,000. unless you ride without a race number and do it unoffically, but if you encounter any problems, you might not get any support from the officals/marchels.

considering cycling back my self, but wont be till the tuesday if i do

There and back! Good luck! Actually, I saw a fair few people cycling back when I did the L2B a couple of years ago, I think its quite common for a few to do the return leg.

What level of training do people do prior to the L2B. I ride about 1-2 hours a week, off road on a Mountain Bike, and was wondering if the fitness from that will be enough for the L2B, or do I need to do some 30/40 miles road rides???

I have a 7:30 start, but expect to be one of those annoying slow people.

There and back! Good luck! Actually, I saw a fair few people cycling back when I did the L2B a couple of years ago, I think its quite common for a few to do the return leg.

What level of training do people do prior to the L2B. I ride about 1-2 hours a week, off road on a Mountain Bike, and was wondering if the fitness from that will be enough for the L2B, or do I need to do some 30/40 miles road rides???

:twitchy:

I'd start thinking more along the lines of getting some distance under your belt otherwise you may suffer on the day. Practical stuff like how to take on food / water / energy drink throughout the day (depending on how long you plan to take) is useful to know in advance.

I'm not a fan of the unofficial riding so I guess I won't be doing the L2B this year on the day. Might do it for fun anyway like the week before or something though...

There and back! Good luck! Actually, I saw a fair few people cycling back when I did the L2B a couple of years ago, I think its quite common for a few to do the return leg.

What level of training do people do prior to the L2B. I ride about 1-2 hours a week, off road on a Mountain Bike, and was wondering if the fitness from that will be enough for the L2B, or do I need to do some 30/40 miles road rides???

never done L2B before, but have done similar events, would definalty be getting in the miles, maybe a couple of 1 to 2 hr rides in the week, and a longer ride at the weekend would be my suggestion, my weekday rides up till now have been up to 30 miles with a 30 to 50 + at the weekends, hill training would also be a sugestion going by what i'm hearing about 'ditching beacon' towards the end

good luck with it

:thumb:

Thanks - I'll be doing 2 mid week rides (about 20 miles each) then longer ones at the weekend, 3 weeks to go, so should be ok!

have you done any hills yet, from what i've been reading dithching is about a 600+ foot climb over a few miles (think the peak is about 700 to 800), quite steep in places with a lot or riders getting off to push

as matt says hydration/food/fluid intake on the day needs to be thought about as well, if the weather is anything like it is here today in the NW of ireland on the day (hot), your going to need your fluids and your sun cream, have heard some people take 4 to 5 hrs + to do it, especailly if your have one of the later starts due to all the riders infront of you

well, did any of ya's do it, completed it in 4hrs, 47mins. was held up twice, had to get off the bike and push for the first climb, not that i couldn't do it, crowd was still bunched together at that point, road was narrow, and couldn't cycle safely past those dismounting in front. had to get of again after 20-25miles, did not move for 20-30 minutes, accident ahead, whole feild behind was stopped and held back. finnally, ditchling beacon, climbed it, beat it, bombed it down the other side. spent two nights in brighton eating fish and chips and drinking beer to er, erm, recover.

Now its all over- and I just picked up the thread----- Heard of one group that did it from a 6am start- got down in 3hrs 15 minutes Got transport back to London for their 2nd start. And completed that in 4 hrs 10 minutes.

Reason for doing it this way was that if they had to ride back to London- They would have had a lot of "Opposing" trafic. There are routes back to London that would not be against the traffic- but as all the car drivers would have been using that route- Prudence came into the thinking.

And A Local rider to me- Rode to London- Did the ride- and then rode Home from Brighton. 60 miles to London and 30 miles back from Brighton. He started at 2 AM got there in time for his 6am start, got to Brighton by 10- had Lunch and was home by 2 pm. Next year he will do it on a road bike instead of the FCR2 that he has.

And any of you that did it- well done but have more sense next time and give it a miss. I have done it 8 times but have wrecked one bike by being hit-still finished but the frame crack killed the bike- been knocked off twice and vowed 4 years ago never to do it again.

Last years time was 3hrs 35 but that was with a 6 am start.

SO--- well done- and hows the Butt?

And any of you that did it- well done but have more sense next time and give it a miss. I have done it 8 times but have wrecked one bike by being hit-still finished but the frame crack killed the bike- been knocked off twice and vowed 4 years ago never to do it again.

Last years time was 3hrs 35 but that was with a 6 am start.

SO--- well done- and hows the Butt?

i would do it again, but would take the 6am start, far to many people on the road by the time i went out, really had to have your wits about you on some of the decents, especally on the decent into brighton after ditchling, if you collided with some one, there would be serious injurys. heard reports of some broken/cracked bones (coller, ribs), not sure where on the route those occured, seen the st johns treeting a cuts along the way as well, hope all involved are ok

the butts good, really need some new shorts/bibs though, was feeling it after 3 hrs

doing it all again this weekend, a 70mile charity run here, have not done a huge amount since brighton, a few short spins in london the week after wards, a 30 mile cycle earlier this week, hopefully all the training up to brighton will see me through