RideLondon-Surrey 100 (2015) Anyone?

[Doobiesis]

I got in, first time I've entered as well

 

[PK99]

The thing is, I am quite pro-charity. I almost always slip a few coins into whatever chugger happens to cross my path and as an ex-serviceman I do a lot for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. For example last year I raised £200 worth of sponsorship for a 100 miler amongst other things. However, I, like most people I am sure, only have a limited circle of friends and colleagues who I can approach for sponsorship, and I have chugged them for three years in a row so I wanted to give them a break and do the Prudential 100 just for the sake of doing it. I looked into the Legion sponsorship side, they want £60 entry (ok) but a commitment to raising £600. SIX HUNDRED POUNDS! FFS, who do they think I am Bob frigging Geldof?

Last year mrsPK and I had ballot places, but raised over £1k in sponsorship for a local hospice.
This year she has a ballot place and i have a nice new cycling jumper...

but i will be taking one of the hospice places this time round, but rather than begging for sponsorship I'm going to run a couple of events - a BBQ for 60 or so folks, which I do most years anyway, but with a difference this year - i lay on the usual food, barrel of beer and some wine and folks bring a bottle PLUS make a £10 donation to the charity. My £200 costs, are leveraged up to £600 for the charity.

i'm also going to do a wine tasting evening, a professional wine tutor friend will give his time for the evening, i lay on some food, he lays on a selection of premium wines. Shared cost@around £30 a head for the wine and food and a £20 donation to the charity - another £300.

My wife will do a couple of cake sales at work (we have the Brownie recipe to die of/for!).

No doubt some of the folks we invite or sell cake to will also offer to sponsor, but there will be no obligation.

 

[PaddyMcc]

Hey @PK99 some great ideas. Maybe I should indeed stop bleating and just do something to raise the money........

 

[Snail Bait]

Although I have a ballot place I will still try and raise a little for CLAPA. I have a tuck shop at work where I sell homemade cake, chocolate etc. I can often be found in my local co-op loitering for deals like 4 Mars bars for a £. I sell for 50p each. Colleagues get a good deal and don't feel like they are being chugged. I only make about £10 to £15 a week but over a year I'm hoping it will add up.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/cate

 

[Dmcd33]

I'm in having had to pull out last year through illness
Unfortunately I've just realised it clashes with the day I fly back home from holiday so I will be cancelling
What a stupid mistake to make!

I had a stag do to attend the first year, so missed out.

Easy mistake, but I was tempted to miss the stag do to be honest

 

[w00hoo_kent]

So why not at least offer the possibility of covering the costs at entry and simply raising what you can for the charity? What if you pay the £60 and simply can't raise the £600?

Then you are contracted to make up the shortfall and shouldn't have agreed if you couldn't cover it. They can't afford to give the places to people who won't cover their costs and add profit. At the end of the day you are buying a limited place in an event you want to participate in. If giving to the charity was your primary aim you could walk around with a bucket and cost them considerably less for your contribution.

 

[DaveReading]

This might be a silly question, but how and when are start times allocated (assuming they are) ?

I'm in, and I'd like to ride with one or both of my sons (one has a charity place and the other an entry held over from last year due to injury).

Do we have to wait till registration to find out what time we are each due to start ? Is there any flexibility ?

 

[Racing roadkill]

I answered my own question on bike choice today. The Boardman crosstrail was absolutely fantastic on today's ride. Job Jobbed.

 

[Norry1]

This might be a silly question, but how and when are start times allocated (assuming they are) ?

I'm in, and I'd like to ride with one or both of my sons (one has a charity place and the other an entry held over from last year due to injury).

Do we have to wait till registration to find out what time we are each due to start ? Is there any flexibility ?

The last 2 years you have had no say in your start time - and you can't change what they allocate you. They allocate the faster riders at the early start.

 

[beermonster]

Boy racers go off first, followed by the rest of us! You'll get a start time nearer the day which you can't change. Alot of people wait for their friends after the start line and before the timing chip which is I think 2 miles down the road

 

[Nick Stone]

In, need to pay and tap my friends up for a bed for the night. I too took a parking space in town last year, easy to find start a sh@@er to find way back to car park, I think as @vickster mentioned earlier a quick email may be sent asking can they pop some signage up as I'm crap at directions

 

[Racing roadkill]

It's a mini ball ache that we have to pick the chip and start time up from the Pru bike show from Thursday to Saturday. However, I've covered my bases, I'll be riding up on the Saturday, booking into the hotel, going over to the Excel, picking up my chip, then heading back to the hotel, for a 'good night's kip'. Yeah right

 

[vickster]

The last 2 years you have had no say in your start time - and you can't change what they allocate you. They allocate the faster riders at the early start.

You'll find out in July apparentjy and have no say in when. I'm hoping my pal and I get a similar time. We did give the same estimate for completion I think

 

[w00hoo_kent]

You'll find out in July apparentjy and have no say in when. I'm hoping my pal and I get a similar time. We did give the same estimate for completion I think

Last year people were waiting for mates where the two streams converged although also people were just going in to the wrong start area, agreeing to move when a marshal spotted them and then staying put. If you want to try that, probably best to converge on whoever has the middle start time, then one can say they got lost and the other they are early, or some such. Although just because I saw people get away with it in 2014, don't blame me if they've tightened things up.

 

[Norry1]

..... also last year, they changed the timing start point. In year 1 it was a mile or two into the ride. Last year, it was right at the start. I know because I was waiting to restart my Garmin at the timing point, but it never came. I checked with others who told me the change.