RideLondon-Surrey 100 (2015) Anyone?

[Longshot]

I'll be entering. I enjoyed last year's event and was unsuccessful this year. I doubt I'll go for a charity place though.

 

[BigGee]

The odds on getting a ballot place will no doubt lengthen next year. Of the 24,000 places. Maybe 4000 or so were held for charities leaving around 100,000 applicants for the remaining 20,000 places, so about a 1 in 5 chance, assuming the ballot is not weighted in some fashion. It would be interesting to know if they do that, as they do in the London marathon, where age and sex is taken into account, you can also get entries to that based on previous times, my brother qualifies as good for his age now, being able to do a 3.15 at 50 years of age. You actually stand a much better chance of getting into the LM the older you are.

It is not easy to make direct comparisons between the 2 though. The age profile of the cycle event is much older than the LM. I am 50 yet was not at all out of place on this ride. It is not so easy as well to compare times either. Probably as a rough guide, a 5 hour 100 miles is not a million miles away from a 3 hour marathon, but weather and topography probably make much more of a difference on a bike compared to running.

I guess I would prefer it if they just kept it as a straight ballot with no weighting for now. I think that is likely to change in future years as the event grows more and more popular. There is of course the option of allowing more places as well, the LM certainly grew considerably in numbers from when it first started as they felt out just how many the course could handle. The staggering of the starts certainly helps and it may be able to grow some more yet, particularly if they were to move the professional race. The women are keen to have a road race as well, rather than the circuit race, so maybe they could both take place on the Saturday and leave the whole of sunday free for the sportive. That could mean a slightly later start as well!

Either way I don't imagine that it will be any easier to get in next year or subsequently!

 

[Dogtrousers]

No, not officially.

And unofficially it would be quite a faff, as you need to take photo id to register and get your ride numbers etc.

I was going to register the year before last, but I took offence at the amount of questions on the registration form - some of which seemed to me to be none of their business. I don't remember the details*, but it struck me that they were borderline with respect to the Data Protection Act which requires data collected to be relevant and not excessive for the purpose it's being collected. So I stumped off in high dudgeon.

Of course if I'd really wanted to do it, I would simply have lied outrageously to every question that I considered irrelevant, but I wasn't that bothered.

* IIRC there were several. One was to do with gym membership - "are you a member of a gym and if so what chain of gyms". I suspected that they were probably planning to sell the data on for marketing purposes.

 

[BigGee]

I'm definitely going to try for the ballot.
I want to give friends and family a year off from sponsoring me, so if I don't get in the ballot, I'll see if there's a charity that will let me ride for a single donation from me. I'd be willing to pay £100 to ride the event, so maybe a charity will be willing to go for that.

Most charities are looking for a £500 minimum guaranteed for a place. Unfortunately they won't settle for £100.

 

[PK99]

. The women are keen to have a road race as well, rather than the circuit race, so maybe they could both take place on the Saturday and leave the whole of sunday free for the sportive. That could mean a slightly later start as well!

that is a non starter - closing the roads for two days!!!!

 

[SotonCyclist]

I loved everything about yesterday including the rain. I'll be doing everything I can to get back out there next year.

 

[BigGee]

that is a non starter - closing the roads for two days!!!!

I would never say never on that one. The public are gradually getting a bit more used to road closures for events like this and seem to becoming more accepting of them. I have just come back from Glasgow watching the Commonwealth Games, they coped well with it, as did London back in 2012. The country managed fine with the TDF as well. The big advantage of bringing it out of the very early morning would be to increase its spectator appeal. The event still has a bit of work to do to match the LM for that, even taking into account that the weather did not help this time. Over a weekend it would be possible if there was the will. It is not a spontaneous thing at the end of the day and people are able to work around it.

100,000 cyclists can't be wrong at the end of the day!

 

[Ollie W]

I'll be applying, aiming to raise money for a cancer charity regardless of if I get in the ballot or if I have to take a charity place.

 

[vickster]

I'll be there, I have a deferred ballot place having had to drop out this year (and not because of the rain)!

 

[Markymark]

Do they people who bottled the rain get automatic placing?

 

[vickster]

Are ballot places transferable? If they are then I will enter the ballot and give the place to someone who didn't get a place.

Reason I won't do the ride? Plastic hat rule.

I saw at least one rider with no helmet yesterday...he had a lot of dreadlocks though!!

 

[vickster]

Do they people who bottled the rain get automatic placing?

How do you know people dropped out because of the rain? Prudential were always expecting several thousand to have to withdraw...I expect the 24,000 figure was set on that assumption, that there wouldn't be that many

How many people did register and ride?

 

[vickster]

@BigGee, I expect they do quota on sex and age, possibly other things like membership of organisations, disability etc

 

[vickster]

@Dogtrousers Gyms got a quota of spots I think. I heard one guy in Evans say he'd won a place through a ballot at his

 

[Markymark]

How do you know people dropped out because of the rain? Prudential were always expecting several thousand to have to withdraw...I expect the 24,000 figure was set on that assumption, that there wouldn't be that many

How many people did register and ride?

I mean those that turned up to sign in Sat but didn't ride Sunday. Maybe nobody did that.