RideLondon - Surrey 100 anyone?

[Nomadski]

Only picked it up from Twitter, someone said he was looking a bit rough on Leith, and box finished him https://twitter.com/lukemellor

He should have read my course guide...

 

[aerobrain]

Well when I entered I thought "can I really do 100 miles", then after some training I thought sub 8 hours would be possible. Finished the race in 5h42m after buying the bike in Feb and starting training around March time so I'm pretty chuffed!!

As a heavy rider I found the hills challenging although Newlands and Box were just a case of finding a speed and going steady. Leith nearly had me, down to 4mph but had a little word to myself and said the only way I'm getting off my bike was in a heap and made it to the top :-) The Newlands descent was quite simply amazing!! Leith was good but the narrow, shady lanes with other riders around, coupled with me being a novice around other riders meant I was on the brakes a lot.

Other than conquering the hills, smashing my time expectations, riding on the Mall....... etc etc, the highlight was starting in a wave that included Lee Dixon, Laura Trott and Dani King, took my opportunity in the neutral zone to overtake them which put a smile on my face :-) The bigger smile came though when I came out of the tunnel near the start on my own, looking back and seeing the "peleton" bearing down on me, just made me feel like I was in the closing stages of Le Tour lol :-)

If there intention was to give the average Jo the feeling of being a pro rider for the day and achieving new goals then they passed the test 100%!!! Reminder set in the phone for the 2014 ballot and already set my target of 5h20m for when I next do it :-)

BUZZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Longshot]

@aerobrain - we must have started in the same load then. I never caught them up lol.

I'm really pleased with my official finishing photo - I don't have it yet as I'm waiting for them all to uploaded first but will post it in due course.

 

[EltonFrog]

Passed boris and don't think he saw the funny side when I asked why he wasn't on a boris bike great event great time had by me and smashed the time I had set myself. I got a few comments from other riders about my bike/clothing lol

http://www2.marathon-photos.com/scr...ideLondon-Surrey 100&photo=RLBB3171&bib=15235

I remember seeing you, we passed each other a couple of times, and I seem to recall someone cheering you on because your bliss jersey, I think up Wimbledon hill.

 

[aerobrain]

@aerobrain - we must have started in the same load then. I never caught them up lol.

I'm really pleased with my official finishing photo - I don't have it yet as I'm waiting for them all to uploaded first but will post it in due course.

I was black N (IIRC). I was literally in the second row of the pen, I was trembling as I thought with them being there we could have TV cameras on us and I hate clipping in with an audience, once I got the feet in first go though I knew the hills would be easy lol :-)

Who was the Irish commentator who started with us?? They mentioned his name and I heard him chatting to a guy about his bike but for the life of me I can't remember his name!! (I'm clearly desperate to name drop as much as I can!!! :-D )

 

[Nomadski]

@aerobrain - I was in Blue P and remember the (t)annoy guy calling out Lee Dixon as I was waiting, you must have been just before me. Great time for such a late starter, well done.

 

[aerobrain]

@aerobrain - I was in Blue P and remember the (t)annoy guy calling out Lee Dixon as I was waiting, you must have been just before me. Great time for such a late starter, well done.

Cheers, training just fell into place and had no mishaps. Don't get me wrong I wasn't unfit to start and I did do spinning once a week, which I always forget is actually cycling lol :-)

Are you planning to do it again?

 

[aerobrain]

Oh, and as for (t)annoy man, I could have shot him, the amount of times he mentioned no one had spilled yet!!!!! :-)

 

[Nomadski]

Cheers, training just fell into place and had no mishaps. Don't get me wrong I wasn't unfit to start and I did do spinning once a week, which I always forget is actually cycling lol :-)

Are you planning to do it again?

Yesterday afternoon I was telling anyone who asked this I was putting my bike on Ebay today. Right at this moment in time Im erring towards HELL YEAH!

 

[jonbrackenridge]

Well done everyone who took part, I was sat on the Podium (work on the Elite race) had a laugh with a lot of you before you left not sure if anyone is on here who we spoke too. Keep looking to see if anyone took pics of the start podium but not seen any yet.

 

[Spally]

Seems like a few of us posting all started in the same group blue&black P

Carl, glad you remember seeing me, I don't think I could recall anyone, was to focused on finishing lol
Really didn't do anywhere enough training, but over the moon with my time of 6.17. Bliss had groups of supporters on few of the hills and hearing them kept me going rode the first 65 miles on my own, as my colleague had a later start time so we agreed he would catch up, which I thought would have been a lot sooner. So my outfit helped as plenty of cyclist started conversations because of it.

Must admit as well, the first hill at new lands and the last at Wimbledon caught me out, didn't know they were there lol but managed them both.

 

[aerobrain]

Seems like a few of us posting all started in the same group blue&black P

Carl, glad you remember seeing me, I don't think I could recall anyone, was to focused on finishing lol
Really didn't do anywhere enough training, but over the moon with my time of 6.17. Bliss had groups of supporters on few of the hills and hearing them kept me going rode the first 65 miles on my own, as my colleague had a later start time so we agreed he would catch up, which I thought would have been a lot sooner. So my outfit helped as plenty of cyclist started conversations because of it.

Must admit as well, the first hill at new lands and the last at Wimbledon caught me out, didn't know they were there lol but managed them both.

Well done on your time :-)

Some of those last short hills were gits!! Just when you're thinking, cool, roll to the end someone kept picking the road up lol :-)

 

[EltonFrog]

Could have done without that one at Wimbledon.

I have got hurty legs at the moment and I cant seem to stop eating today, I'm bloody starving!

 

[Phoenix Lincs]

Yesterday afternoon I was telling anyone who asked this I was putting my bike on Ebay today. Right at this moment in time Im erring towards HELL YEAH!

You will be amazing. Do it, do it, do it! X

I'll sponsor you xx

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Well when I entered I thought "can I really do 100 miles", then after some training I thought sub 8 hours would be possible. Finished the race in 5h42m after buying the bike in Feb and starting training around March time so I'm pretty chuffed!!

As a heavy rider I found the hills challenging although Newlands and Box were just a case of finding a speed and going steady. Leith nearly had me, down to 4mph but had a little word to myself and said the only way I'm getting off my bike was in a heap and made it to the top :-) The Newlands descent was quite simply amazing!! Leith was good but the narrow, shady lanes with other riders around, coupled with me being a novice around other riders meant I was on the brakes a lot.

Other than conquering the hills, smashing my time expectations, riding on the Mall....... etc etc, the highlight was starting in a wave that included Lee Dixon, Laura Trott and Dani King, took my opportunity in the neutral zone to overtake them which put a smile on my face :-) The bigger smile came though when I came out of the tunnel near the start on my own, looking back and seeing the "peleton" bearing down on me, just made me feel like I was in the closing stages of Le Tour lol :-)

If there intention was to give the average Jo the feeling of being a pro rider for the day and achieving new goals then they passed the test 100%!!! Reminder set in the phone for the 2014 ballot and already set my target of 5h20m for when I next do it :-)

BUZZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great post, aero! That's all.