RideLondon-Surrey 100 (2014!!!) Anyone?

[Speedball]

Did my final longish ride before next week. 75.3 miles in what felt like permanent headwinds.

The weather was very kind last year so hoping it will be again next weekend. Today's ride was enough to put me off cycling for a while

 

[Notsototalnewbie]

Did my final longish ride before next week. 75.3 miles in what felt like permanent headwinds.

The weather was very kind last year so hoping it will be again next weekend. Today's ride was enough to put me off cycling for a while

Ha! Know the feeling. I did 90 miles today, 78 of which were in a sportive. It was a loop and I felt like I had a headwind for much of it. The three climbs were truly monstrous. It's only the fact that I know the climbs in the RideLondon are not as bad that is stopping me from being convinced I won't make it round on time; my time today was 6.48, but a lot of that was wasted on hills I could barely walk up, never mind ride up.

We went up Leith via Tanhurst Lane; am I right in thinking the RideLondon doesn't go this way? Please let me be right...! I've done Leith another way and although it was tough I got up, but on Tanhurst Lane I had to give up because my front wheel kept lifting. *goes to check route*

 

[geekinaseat]

So we went to try the climbs today, but we got lost!

We ended up doing leith hill the wrong way, we turned too early and went up Sutton Lane, then did white down lane and box hill.

Can anybody confirm leith hill (the right way) isn't as bad as white down lane? That was a killer!

Box hill was really good actually, a nice steady climb - paced myself and I might even go as far as saying I enjoyed it!

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I believe you climb Leith on the most benign of the options.

 

[sleaver]

My training has gone about as well as Team Sky's Tour de France Work has been really busy so haven't been able to get out during the week much and what with injuring my knee, I've only managed a couple of 100km rides and one 135km. Last week I did 70km and this weekend 41km so it looks like my long rides are going to be about 6 weeks before the actual ride.

As someone said at work, I had to rest my knee (which seems better) to get to the start. I know I have done 135km and had some left in the tank so hopefully everything will be OK.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

You've done the miles, I'm sure you'll be fine, there will be a lot of people out there whose training plans included more good intentions than bike miles. Don't overthink it, it'll be a great day.

 

[srw]

Riding during the week? A pipe-dream!

We managed a week of riding - long distances but slow - in June. Other than that we've only been out at weekends together. R managed a few short rides last week, taking a holiday in the middle of newly top-dressed roads. I did one hilly 8-miler (on the Brompton) and one 18-miler in the last couple of weeks.

My mental checklist is:
40 flat miles - 3 hours max (13.3 mph)
30 hilly miles - 3 hours max (10 mph)
30 flat miles - 2.5 hours max (12 mph)

Stop after a third of the way and two-thirds of the day to refill bottles; don't waste time queuing if the hubs are too busy; stop at a shop if one of us needs a coke or a Mars Bar.

Put like that it feels straightforward!

 

[PK99]

So we went to try the climbs today, but we got lost!

We ended up doing leith hill the wrong way, we turned too early and went up Sutton Lane, then did white down lane and box hill.

Can anybody confirm leith hill (the right way) isn't as bad as white down lane? That was a killer!

Box hill was really good actually, a nice steady climb - paced myself and I might even go as far as saying I enjoyed it!

Leith Hill is a doddle (apart from one killer steep bit) White Down has no father!

From a friend who rode it last year, the folks having problems on Leith hill were wannabe racers on standard doubles...

 

[sleaver]

@w00hoo_kent Thats the other way I'm looking at it. When I trained for the marathon I did, training didn't go to plan 100% but there are always people who think that they can wing it. Yes, training hasn't gone 100% to plan, but I know I will have done more than some.

Also, while hitting the time I put on the entry form would be nice, I'm doing it to enjoy the day rather than busting my nuts to go as fast as possible.

 

[Speedball]

My training has gone about as well as Team Sky's Tour de France Work has been really busy so haven't been able to get out during the week much and what with injuring my knee, I've only managed a couple of 100km rides and one 135km. Last week I did 70km and this weekend 41km so it looks like my long rides are going to be about 6 weeks before the actual ride.

As someone said at work, I had to rest my knee (which seems better) to get to the start. I know I have done 135km and had some left in the tank so hopefully everything will be OK.

You've done the miles, I'm sure you'll be fine, there will be a lot of people out there whose training plans included more good intentions than bike miles. Don't overthink it, it'll be a great day.

Would totally agree with what @w00hoo_kent has said. I had exactly the same pre-event nerves last year and in the end got round easily. My longest ride before last year was 89 miles, this year it's 75. It's natural to think you could of done more but for most of us it's a hobby to fit in around the rest of the pressures of life.

Most of the course is pretty flat and will be some of the easiest miles you'll ever ride and of course the bonus of no traffic to worry about.

If you pace yourself and not pelt off at a pace far above what you'd normally do you'll be fine. Having others around you just drags you along and the miles soon fly by.

Enjoy the ride, you're going to be part of something special

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Also, while hitting the time I put on the entry form would be nice, I'm doing it to enjoy the day rather than busting my nuts to go as fast as possible.

That's where I'm at, I felt I was pretty accurate with my estimated time, but my riding isn't where it was Autumn time last year (thanks to some as yet undiagnosed health issue) so I've gone from wanting that time to seeing a finish as the big target and if it happens I'm close to that time a happy bonus. Doesn't stop me fantasising about making it on the day, but I'm very much going in with the idea of keeping an OK pace to the Surrey Hills, getting the Hills done and then seeing where things are after Leatherhead. It'll be that last stretch that decides my time because I don't want to do too much too early. It helps that on my test ride I felt better in the second half than I did in the first but I know I'll crawl the hills because that's where my stamina is all to pot at the moment.

It's easy to say 'no worries', we all do it with no actual idea of the capabilities of the person we're egging on, but you've done a marathon so you've got the will power, you've done the miles already so that's not an obstacle. Nothing there suggests you need to worry unduly.

 

[Flyingfox]

If some of you on here are wondering what Leith Hill is like on the day check this video out:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QATC6-mp0oU

It's not just the gradient that you need to negotiate but all the other participants!

On a separate note on potential thefts, don't forget to remove your Garmin (or equivalent) if you leave your bike unattended at a hub. Also, if you haven't used gels before, I wouldn't advise using them on the day as they can really play havoc with your stomach. I'm going natural and making some flapjacks to stuff in my back pockets (along with Tangfastics!).

 

[PK99]

If some of you on here are wondering what Leith Hill is like on the day check this video out:


It's not just the gradient that you need to negotiate but all the other participants!

On a separate note on potential thefts, don't forget to remove your Garmin (or equivalent) if you leave your bike unattended at a hub. Also, if you haven't used gels before, I wouldn't advise using them on the day as they can really play havoc with your stomach. I'm going natural and making some flapjacks to stuff in my back pockets (along with Tangfastics!).

good video!

Re gels, Mrs Pk & i find Hi 5 iso gels are the easiest to take - far less gloopy than most

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Likewise, I've been training with High 5's and am happy with them but using them for the first time on the day would be a bit of a risk.

 

[Nick Stone]

Oh er...... Looks like challenge accepted, leith it will have to be with out a dab, crap on hills but I'll give it a go, have started to freak out this weekend, baby due in 4 weeks trying to get everything ready and this has come fast, training was just riding but will give it a go worst case I have to climb off, I can live with it if it gets to much, but it's never happened yet...

With the gels high 5 here, but some flapjack and haribo as well, can of coke or 2 at stops and buckets of water, one bottle with high 5 tabs, citrus is for me