As a cyclist that has done it 3 times (2 x Surrey, 1 x Essex), I’d say ‘No’. The Surrey one wasn’t too bad, but the Essex route is just boring, and flat (3700Ft of elevation). Once you leave the centre of London, you end up in Essex, out to Braintree, and then back through Chelmsford……. Why would you want to ride there? And as you say, it’s a crash fest. Go and do one of the more interesting rides in the Dales or Lakes. Oh, and RL tip, if you’re fast, tell them you’re fast when you enrol, they’ll then give you an early start, and you’ll miss all the rucksack riders.
Why don't these events use a road sweeper the night before to clear debris, glass and sharp objects etc. They all promote sustainability yet thousands of plastic innertubes get wasted. Great video as always, atb
I am not sure why but they definitely should. I have the same gripes with London triathlon as well. Double puncture and out the game 2 years ago. I also agree with the inner tubes point! Strongly Thank you for the kind words 🙌🏼
My first RideLondon and I enjoyed it. The stops were irritating and made setting a meaningful time impossible, but I enjoyed the sense of speed that you get from riding in large groups on relatively flat, smooth surfaces. The 25 mile stops were overcrowded as expected, so I just packed a saddlebag full of Nature Valley chewy peanut and chocolate bars, and bottles of Lucozade Sport and that was fine. I’ll probably be back next year. 10/10 from me.
I rate it 4/10 for my first time. Started around 8, traffic was such a pain. For reference, on clear roads I was doing 40kph for 40km, it was me and another guy who was stronger, so he pulled quite a bit more lol, but for £100 quid, I expected gels for everyone as much as one wants, all kinds of cycling nutrition, photos at the end are an extra £30, I mean cmon. Instead, we got max 1 per person LOW SUGAR!!! oat bar at the stop you showed. At the end, I was very gassed, they were handing out high5 bars that said before or during exercise, not after. Really bad look all throughout the event as far as organisation and value for money goes. I know it’s supposed to be for charity, but if they don’t make it worth it at least a bit, I’m not going again
I was lucky enough to do the Surrey route a few times where Leith Hill and Box Hill were rideable. I admit the fairly flat parcours has put me off doing the Essex one as it looked a bit uninspiring and I completely agree with you, this looks ideal for a first 100 mile sportive attempt or a good chilled ride with friends. Great video, thank you, I think I'll concentrate on something like the Etape Caledonia next year!
Definitely agree with you. I liked the Surrey route because the hills broke things up a bit. Although I only had one year where the hills weren’t partly a walk. I did the Essex route last year and it was a cool event but being flat and a less organised start I was always having to overtake. I’d love to do this and go for a time but the amount of crashes / ambulances treating I saw on course put me off that idea. Either way and much like you I enjoyed the event a lot. But not sure I need to do it again…and that wasn’t the case for the Surrey route!
Maybe one day they will bring it back. Interesting to know that the Surrey route had less of these problems. It is quite frustrating at the start where you are stuck at the speed of the traffic isn’t it
@@cyclingunboxedSupport from Surrey County Council was withdrawn after they were lobbied by residents and anti-cycling motorists, despite a local survey showing 58% support. Some places are like that. My local council, the Chorleywood Parish Council wrote an 11 page response to the wider Watford cycling plan refusing to have anything to do with it, saying that the area was too hilly for cycling and that it would only benefit “Lycra clad weekend athletes”! I also discovered that the Essex RideLondon costs about £275/rider to put on, mostly funded by Ford etc. If entries fall it will eventually be cancelled because it has to be large scale to justify the disruption.
very fair and I agree pretty much. I thought the food stops were disappointing in terms of what was on offer, however for such mass participation maybe that's harsh. I also found the mix of beginners/ inexperienced and aggressive ( supposedly experienced ?) riders seeking a time a dangerous mix. Combined with poor positioning by less experienced riders and the last minute "grab a fistful of brake brigade" a real worry. A Good route and a good day out and a privilege to ride closed roads, but agree the ride out of town is not overly inspiring. Ive ticked the box and don't feel the urge to do again.
I came over from Flanders for the ride and was pretty underwhelmed. I fully agree with your findings that this is a good ride for beginners. started at 6 and traffic was OK because of this but for £100 I expect better. Food and drink was very minimal and luckily I brought my on bars. Like you I am glad I did it but it is not a ride that I'll do in the future.
Wow! Nice spot! In all fairness, you weren’t. I did see a few others but didn’t get the chance to film them. The position just made it look like there were TT bars
My 1st Ride London and I loved it. We started as a group of 5 from our club in Ireland. I'm newer to the longer distances, so mostly rode on my own , as the other guys are faster. Suited me as I could just concentrate on my own ride. The start and finish areas were great but yes some food and drink at the finish would have been nice. The marshaling was superb. Overall big thumbs up for the experience and I will ride in 2025s event.thsnks for the video
Nice write up. I was considering it and still am for next year. I have done a few sportives but never more than 60 or 80 miles (the 80 miler I did in the hilly Chilterns in 30º+ temps half killed me), so not sure about 100miles. I agree with your point about tri-bars. This is clearly not the right place for them and the organisers should really just ban them. With regards to punctures, I know people are are after quick times, but it's not worth putting on fast race tyres with low puncture resistance on roads like that.
It’s definitely worth a shot is it’s your first 100 miler. Really good event for it i think. If it was a dry day then the fast tyres would have been just fine but it’s just so predictable when it’s rained that hard the night before
Fair analysis, I did it last year with good weather and did not stop. Good challenge and nice event, but this year I did not feel the need to do it again, especially in that weather! Pity the route is not inspiring, I wish they would reintroduce the Surrey route.
I found myself agreeing with everything you said about Ride London! I've entered twice and never finished, last year it was because someone went into the back of me as the road narrowed 80 miles in. It's definitely a ride that tries to get as many riders round and doesn't think the route and support through. I waited 3 hours for the broom wagon before giving up and walking an hour with my broken bike to the nearest tube stop.
Worth also saying I spent those 3 hours, chatting to the paramedics who said it's the worst event in the UK to be medics at - the comms are always chaotic and they had ambulances queuing to be directed off course
I have participated in RideLondon a few times now, getting an early start wave is the key to avoiding issues. I agree the Surrey route was far more interesting than Essex. Interestingly the elevation is about the same overall between the two routes. In the narrow Surrey roads the impact of crashes was much greater and accessibility for emergency vehicles was more of a problem.
You should come to Berkshire and do the action medical research wessex downs ride , done it the last couple of years great route , no closed roads though , but just super chilled ride with lots of nice people 👌
Yeah, I've cycle raced for years and inexperienced/"experienced" cyclists without good group handling skills scare me. Especially since folks who get a bit of speed going end up going into the backs of others.
Looks crap… weak organisation… and not sure you get that many punctures unless a lot of people had old soft tyres or someone had deliberately put tacks or glass down. Maybe try some Northern sportives .. hills, great feeds, great scenery, very well organised and very good value.
