Your reaction to someone who told you they took 8 months to train for the London to Brighton?

[giant man]

Anyone with a moderate level of fitness should be able to do L2B at their own pace without any training. The proviso , of course, is that many won't be able to cycle up Ditchling. On that note, it always amazes me that so many young, fit-looking people with all the gear push their bikes at this point.

But that's only because they can't get past the teaming amount of 'cyclists' in front of them.

 

[spire]

But that's only because they can't get past the teaming amount of 'cyclists' in front of them.

While that is true if you are a late starter, if you depart before 7.00am I have always found you can cycle up Ditchling.

 

[pieinthesky]

What would your reaction be, inside your mind, to someone who told you they took 8 months to train for the London to Brighton?

I would think "good luck to you"

And "thats one less car on the road"

 

[Sharky]

The first time I rode the LTB, it was with a crowd from the office. None were cyclists, but some made an effort to get a few miles in. However, there was one chap who hadn't. In fact he didn't even own a bike. So he made arrangements to borrow one and collect it at the start on Clapham Common. Somehow he got to Brighton, threw the bike into the lorry and has never ridden a bike since.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

13 years must take the world record for thread resurrection, I can only admire what it took to unearth this glance at CycleChat members of yesteryear. It can't have been easy!

I think Pontious was still in flight school when this kicked off. 😄

 

[Oldhippy]

Training? What's that!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

13 years must take the world record for thread resurrection, I can only admire what it took to unearth this glance at CycleChat members of yesteryear. It can't have been easy!

I think Pontious was still in flight school when this kicked off. 😄

It’s the similar threads list which unearths these . What @Sharky wanted to say was it’s taken him 13 years to train for L2B. Then it was cancelled!

 

[Sharky]

13 years must take the world record for thread resurrection, I can only admire what it took to unearth this glance at CycleChat members of yesteryear. It can't have been easy!

I think Pontious was still in flight school when this kicked off. 😄

As old as this thread may be, just worked out that it was started 20 years after my first LTB ride!

 

[BurningLegs]

I’m 31 years old and still training for it

 

[Sharky]

I’m 31 years old and still training for it

You've got time. I did my first in 87, when I was 37.

 

[pjd57]

For those of us not familiar with those far flung remote southern parts , is it a long , hilly route ?

 

[Sharky]

For those of us not familiar with those far flung remote southern parts , is it a long , hilly route ?

Not really. The ride itself is/was 56 miles and apart from Ditchling and Turners Hill, I don't remember it being that hilly. These two hills would be OK apart from all the other cyclists trying to do it at the same time. Was forced to dismount one year and other years got up OK.

I did it 4 years on the trot in the 80's and to make it a little more of a challenge, rode to the start and then rode home via Tunbridge Wells. The first time, I hit the wall at T'wells and had to ring for a lift home. The other years, I managed to get back home. About 140 mile round trip.

 

[palinurus]

L2B was the first long-ish* ride I ever did and that was with a group from work. I was riding to work regularly as was one other person. Nearly everyone else just turned up on the day and got around fine, someone borrowed a bike the day before and the crank came loose but they had mechanics on hand at intervals so that got en-route. This ended up being stored in the toilet at work for ages and then thrown in the metal skip (I saw it several times a day when taking a piss- it was a Raleigh Winner). First year got in a van to the start with colleagues, next time I did it I rode from Watford and then back from London (getting the train back from Brighton- they used to lay on a special)

*I was used to doing- irregularly- about 30 miles at a time I suppose, and about 17 miles daily to and from work.