London to Brighton training

[Adrian Cole]

Hi Everyone

My brother has convinced me to ride the London to Brighton with him this year and so I'm back riding a bike regularly for the first time since I left school (15 years ago), it's hard and it hurts but it's a lot of fun.

While I'm building up miles on my Hybrid, I'm looking for hills that resemble the Green Monster (Ditchling Beacon). I live in North Wiltshire and am looking for hills that are similar to this around here. Can anyone reccomend something suitable? I guess there are the mendip hills, they are a little far away, ideally I was thinking around Tetbury / Malmesbury / Chippenham area?

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

 

[Tigerbiten]

Ditching Beacon isn't that hard ..........
Its a set of steep ramps with shallower slopes inbetween.
As long as you have the right gear for the ramps, you can just spin up the rest of it.
For training, any short sharp hill will do, just do it towards the end of a ride and see how well you can spin up it.
So just get fit enough to do ~60 miles and ~3,000' climbing and you'll be fine.

I'll do it again this year on the first FNRttC.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

As Tigerbiten says just get the miles in , the more miles you do before the event the more you will enjoy the day , hills don't ever seem to get any easier , so get the miles in and worry about hills when you get to them.

 

[Part time cyclist]

My brother lives in Devizes and him and his son are in trsining for the london to brighton they go out and about and they ride roundway hill etc

 

[Sittingduck]

If it's the BHF charity one you are doing, I wouldn't worry about Ditchling... there will be so many bikes and people in the road that riding up will be virtually impossible anyway, from the vids I have seen on YT.

 

[Part time cyclist]

By Ditchling beacon most people have sorted themselves out and walkers stay to the left of the hill and riders to the right. But we did leave clapham common by 8:30 and pedal as hard as we could before it got to busy.

 

[Tigerbiten]

I don't I'd like to try a BHF ride to Brighton, the roads would be to busy for me to be safe on my bent trike.

If you want a quieter run, the Friday Night Ride to the Coast is running a sponsored London-Brighton ride on the 31st of August.
http://bigbrightonfridaynightridetothecoast.blogspot.com/
Leave the center of London at midnight and get to Brighton for breakfast.
Good fun ........

 

[jdrussell]

I did the BHF London to Brighton last year and for me it was far too busy. Someone went into the back of me and another person, I just saw them fly off to my right. I doubt I would do it again with them to be honest.

 

[Adrian Cole]

I think I'm still going to do it for the experience and all it's craziness. The night ride option sounds like a lot fun too, but perhaps I'll see if I survive it in daylight first!

My training is up to 1 hour 20 mins or 27km now, so I have time to get my mileage up I think.

 

[StuAff]

I don't I'd like to try a BHF ride to Brighton, the roads would be to busy for me to be safe on my bent trike.

If you want a quieter run, the Friday Night Ride to the Coast is running a sponsored London-Brighton ride on the 31st of August.
http://bigbrightonfridaynightridetothecoast.blogspot.com/
Leave the center of London at midnight and get to Brighton for breakfast.
Good fun ........

That's been cancelled, as Simon posted elsewhere on CC (he hasn't updated the blog though), due to the competition from the BHF night ride & the Moonriders one- we are going to Brighton on that night, but as a 'normal' FNRttC.
Night's easier than day, really....

 

[JohnHenry]

I started cycling again (after a 15 year break) at this time last year and signed up for the BHF L2B despite lots of advice on here that it would be too busy, etc. Did the ride on my second hand Giant Hybrid with a friend and my sister and we loved it especially the fact that most roads are closed to cars for the day.
So much so that I did the Roehampton to Hove Off-Road (again with BHF) in September and have signed up this year to do the Night-time one in May, the regular one in June and the Off-Road in September.
Yes, there are a lot of people , some of whom are eejits - but for me its a great day out and the opportunity to raise some funds for charities that I support.
It is not a race and there are plenty of opportunities for refreshments (I'd advise against visiting the Ditchling Vineyard!). As for preparation do some building up runs and also be prepared to do some walking - there are several inclines which will be fairly thronged with people making it tricky to ride even without my jelly-like legs.
The most important thing is to enjoy the occasion - I believe it is one of the biggest in the world after a South African one.

 

[gary in derby]

just had my son pull out of the l2b ride. i still want to do it, so can i join some of you guys doing it?