My London to Brighton experience

[TheNissanMan]

I definitely won’t be stopping cycling, a couple of days down as a tad sore but will be out on the bike before the end of the week, will get some new cleats and keep going.

I cycle as I enjoy it, going out in the wet and the cold isn’t something I would do by choice so think the bike will be going away over winter until spring where will pick up again, may try find a time where the turbo doesn’t interfere with downstairs lol.

[nigelnightmare]

Well done!
The beacon can be a bit daunting at first, but it does get easier.

[mjr]

I cycle as I enjoy it, going out in the wet and the cold isn’t something I would do by choice so think the bike will be going away over winter until spring where will pick up again, may try find a time where the turbo doesn’t interfere with downstairs lol.

Buy waterproofs and thermals and spiked tyres if you want to ride on ice. It's really quite a wonderland in winter but then, I think turbos are strange.

[horizon]

Well done for getting fit enough to ride this event, well done for listening to the all advice, and thanks for the detailed report.

Keep it up! It's very easy to let it all slip and then back to square one. And for your next target, ditch the fags.

+1. I missed this thread and since then I've been away. Just before going away we had the excitement of the LEJOG record attempt. That was great but somehow I found TheNissanMan's ride more interesting - or at least the contrast between the two was fascinating. Both riders were pushing their limits and dealing with them - both riders compare well IMV . And yes, the detailed reporting was excellent (in both cases actually).

[rosler1990]

HI Guys,

i took up road cycling around 2 months ago and have been riding my bike around 4 days per week. The furthest i have ridden in 1 go is to work which is 14m then 14m back.

How difficult is the london to brighton route, i dont struggle doing the 28m to work and back but have never done anything like the 55m that is required for the L2B.

Any advice that anyone could give me on how to prepare would be greatly appreciated.

will i struggle?
Is it really tough?

thanks
Ross

[roberts8]

The route is a good route that is worth building up to and fine if you take it easy, you may have to walk Ditchling but with some practice you should get up.

The L2B is like all mass rides, crowded but fun atmosphere but not for everyone.

I really enjoy putting routes together so why try a few near you, have fun.

[thirdcrank]

I presume you are talking about doing the 2019 event, in which case you have ten months to prepare. In terms of physical fitness, if you were to carry on as you are doing - riding over 100 miles a week - you should have no problems at all. If you stop riding over the Winter, it may be start all over again in Spring.

I suspect that the problem now is that you are a bit overwhelmed by the thought of the transition from your current rides to something longer. I'd say don't worry, but it's easier said than done. Perhaps the best way to overcome these doubts would be to try to fit in some extra, longer rides, perhaps at the weekend. I'd expect that you'd have no problem with 50-60 miles now, but there's no point in risking dinting your confidence. You might try something like 30 miles for a start and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how much what you have done so far has made you able to achieve. After a couple of rides like that, try building up to something like sixty miles. There's nothing magic about that but it's further than your planned charity ride so you will start knowing it's within your capabilities.

On the day, you will find that riding in the company of so many others will help the miles fly by. The hardest thing is to avoid starting too fast.

Above all don't worry because you sound to have started well.

[eileithyia]

Is this for next year's charity event or just to go out and do it in the near future?
Even from 28 miles it should not be too difficult. Take it steady, split the day / ride up into manageable chunks. Not sure of the distance, but if it is say 60 miles, look at doing approx 15 miles, have a break (cafe; drink / cake), 15 miles approx and another break; lunch, another 15 miles and take 3's then you only have 15 miles to complete....

Meanwhile look at increasing your distances, do a longer ride on a day off.

[Cyril Haearn]

If you can do 28 miles with work in between 55 miles in a whole day will be easy, you will warm up and get stronger
Take a couple of breaks and have plenty to eat and drink with you in case you run out of energy

[TrailRat]

So, hi there, me again.

Long time browser, very seldom chatter. Once again I come seeking advice from my betters.

I have a need to become more than the fairweather cyclist that I've become. Not that there is anything wrong with being a fairweather cyclist. But I use to enjoy cycling a lot, then my life went to crap and for some reason I just gave up cycling! Now I'm making changes in my life, including tackling my depression. And one of those things I'm doing is challenging myself. Finding something to challenge me, and I've decided to give the British Heart Foundation's annual London to Brighton bike ride a go.
And I need to know what I'm getting myself into. Firstly, I have two bikes to choose from. My town bike, the Pendleton Somerby and my hybrid mountain bike, the Orange Gringo which has been sitting in storage for about 8 years. I'm guessing using the town bike is a stupid, am I correct?

So what else do I need to know? What sort of training should I be doing?

I've done a long ride before but I was woefully unprepared for that, and I don't want to make the same mistake again!

[mjr]

No, I'd rather do it on a town bike than a hybrid, but maybe that's just me and I don't know how you feel on the bikes.

Ride further and have a couple of goes at similar gradients to Ditchling Beacon, but maybe not for as long. I'm sure it's %s will be online.

Get that and the distance within your range and it should be doable.

[Vorpal]

And I need to know what I'm getting myself into. Firstly, I have two bikes to choose from. My town bike, the Pendleton Somerby and my hybrid mountain bike, the Orange Gringo which has been sitting in storage for about 8 years. I'm guessing using the town bike is a stupid, am I correct?

So what else do I need to know? What sort of training should I be doing?

I've done a long ride before but I was woefully unprepared for that, and I don't want to make the same mistake again!

Hi TrailRat! Welcome back!

If it were me, I'd probably opt for the hybrid, however, there are advantages to the town bike, as well. The town bike may be more comfortable, but possibly not geared for the hills you will encounter. Ditchling Beacon is the best known, and the one that you are most likely to have to walk up, but it's not the only hill.

So, what I recommend is get the hybrid out of storage and service it (or have someone service it for you), and make sure it is set up correctly for you (see 531colin's set-up guide, if you aren't sure, but maybe we've discussed this before?)

Do rides of increasing length on ecah bike, including some hills, and see which you prefer.

Ride a bike (doesn't matter which one) as much as you can. If you don't already, take as many short trips by bike as possible, such as to the shops, work, etc. Riding a mile day is better than riding 10 miles once every two weeks. But also, once or twice per week, take a longer ride. Just go a mile or two further than you are comfortable with each time, and your comfortable distance should increase gradually.

Good luck with it & enjoy the cycling!

[mjr]

If it were me, I'd probably opt for the hybrid, however, there are advantages to the town bike, as well. The town bike may be more comfortable, but possibly not geared for the hills you will encounter.

I'm not sure about that. Town bikes tend to be geared to carry fair weights of shopping, which also means that they are OK on most hills if you're travelling light instead, but maybe that particular one isn't. Usually town bikes have the gear range but larger steps (so you can still climb but not always at the maximum speed you could on a 3x7 mountain bike) but I see the Somerby listed with a 1x7 derailleur instead of a hub gear so maybe not. Front ring is 36T, rear gears are probably something like 12-28T, so I think it'd be like using only the middle ring on some hybrids... but it's listed at 15kg, so it's lighter than many front-suspension hybrids and I didn't find a weight listed online for the Orange Gringo.

[Vorpal]

Bike Radar has the Orange Gringo at 13.16 kg
This review indicates that the gears on the Pendleton Somerby are

more than enough for tackling a relatively flat city like London

And Halford's site says

7 speed Shimano gears for easy and efficient cycling on the flat

Although it also says

7-speed Shimano gears are more than enough for this isle's rolling hills

So, I think the best thing is to try both and see which one is better.

[Alan O]

So it’s the morning after the day before and fist of all have to thank everyone on this forum for the help leading up to the L2B.
< SNIP>
6 hours and 6minutes including the mile I rode to the start line and a massage booked later this morning, would I do it again, maybe, bout would want to do a lot more training first!
https://www.relive.cc/view/1645061077

I know I'm a bit late, having just caught up with this thread, but I want to add my congratulations too - that was a seriously impressive feat, especially after having done so few miles before.