Ldn to Brighton Night Ride - BHF - 12/13 July

[Mullerstraße]

Hi folks,

I have signed up for my first cycle and decided to I liked the look of the London to Brighton night ride. Has anyone done this before? If so did you enjoy, etc?

I will be heading down from Glasgow for the event, so I am particularly looking forward to the challenge of cycling a route that is unknown to me.

Anyone else heading down from Scotland for the event?

 

[Mullerstraße]

Good to hear.....thanks

 

[Donger]

I'm also doing BHF London-Brighton Overnight this year. Never done it before, but I always enjoy the BHF Cotswolds ride (which happens to be next Sunday). All standards are catered for, and I've always been impressed with the support (mechanics, feeding stations, marshalls and signposting). The Cotswolds one is a hilly 40 miler that I always do slowly with a mate who is very much an occasional cyclist. Can't wait to do London-Brighton.

 

[LSAF2011]

I would love to do this but I'm unsure on the logistics for getting me, my bike and possibly the family to Brighton?
Would I go to Brighton 1st then get a lift into London via BHF, are there still congestion charges?
At the mo I'm currently signed and paid for the GNBR (Great Notts Bike Ride) but only doing the 50 miler, looking forward to it!

 

[Donger]

I would love to do this but I'm unsure on the logistics for getting me, my bike and possibly the family to Brighton?
Would I go to Brighton 1st then get a lift into London via BHF, are there still congestion charges?
At the mo I'm currently signed and paid for the GNBR (Great Notts Bike Ride) but only doing the 50 miler, looking forward to it!

There is now a BHF website just for this event. They are still taking bookings for the transport, but the deadline for this is Fri 6 June. Personally, I'm going down on the day with Mrs Donger for a bit of sightseeing, and we have a room booked in a seafront hotel near to the finish line - one that lets you keep the room until 12:00 the next day. If I ride like stink I might just get a few hours in a nice comfy bed when I get back to Brighton. Then gotta get back to Gloucester and hope I can stay awake for the World Cup final! The transfers can be either from Brighton to London (3 different times in the evening, decided for you depending upon your allocated start time), or from London back to Brighton the next morning or afternoon. Each is a coach and truck, and you need to turn up half an hour early to help to bubblewrap your bike. Hope this helps.

 

[Kies]

My wife and kids are coming down to Shoreham with the roof mounted rack. She's a keeper :-)

 

[LSAF2011]

Thanks for the replies, I should of been a bit clearer.
Any tips or info on travel to the event (car, bus, train), hotels (would they allow bikes in the room, lol), parking (London and Brighton).
I would of thought that the local car parks would be full, trains restricted, etc
Sorry if this sounds a bit stupid but I've always done rides in a loop

 

[ianrauk]

They do not allow bikes on trains from Brighton on the day.

 

[LSAF2011]

Looking into this a bit more and finding that if I want do it then i'll have to drive to either LDN or BRI and park up. I dont like the idea of leaving my bike in the car if I'm staying over tbh
So I'll need to find a secure overnight carpark to leave my car, cost would probably be about £25-30

 

[Donger]

Good luck to everyone doing the London-Brighton overnighter this weekend. Looks like the rain is going to stop just in time for it. Feel free to slow down and say hello or have a chat with me on your way past if you start at 23:30 or later . (I'll be that huge bloke riding slowly with a red tube light dangling from my rear pocket). I'm not Luis Suarez, so I don't bite.

 

[Donger]

Well done to all the more casual cyclists who successfully got to Brighton this year in the name of charity. It was a shame to see blue flashing lights and people being carted off in ambulances, and quite hard to witness people who reached their absolute limit and needed to be evacuated in the broom wagon. It was a bit like the annual wildebeest migration .... most of us got through, but you just couldn't help but feel for those who didn't.
Loved the experience, and recommend it to anyone who hasn't done a night ride - but you won't find me anywhere near Clapham Common at 1:00 in the morning in my tight lycra again.