As with pretty much anything I’ve entered in the last year or so, I entered Ride London 2022 with intentions of putting in the effort and training properly. Alas, it didn’t turn out that way. Probably not a surprise to anyone who knows me well. The additional reason this time was a rusty chain which I didn’t get around to resolving until late April. As the day approached, I was seriously considering whether or not I should take part. My last ride had been around 75 miles in June 2021 and my running in between had been sporadic, so my fitness levels were not in their best shape. There was the temptation of a London Classics medal though, and I think that’s what persuaded me in the end. I didn’t help myself by being out late on the day before and then not preparing my stuff until the Champions’ League final had ended. In the end, I got to bed just after midnight, with alarms set for 05:00, 05:10 and 05:15. I woke up on time and got up to eat breakfast – a larger than normal bowl of porridge. I’d looked at the weather forecast the day before and decided it should be fine with shorts rather than leggings. I couldn’t find my short sleeved cycle top so I went with the long sleeved jacket. That turned out to be a spot of luck. I got dressed and dropped my drinks onto the bike, and my hot cross buns (4) and gels (2) into my back pockets. I then headed out to ride to East Croydon station to catch a train to London Bridge. The 06:40 was the target but I arrived in no time and boarded the 06:32, even getting a seat. I thought I’d lean back and close my eyes until I felt my hot cross buns start to quash so ended up sitting upright to protect them – it didn’t matter as it turned out. They were quite squashed when I came to eat them later on. I was soon at London Bridge and the short ride to the start. There were plenty of other participants around to I followed the pack and soon arrived at The Mall which was adorned with the Union Flag ahead of the Queen’s 70th Jubilee celebrations. Onto the start area and time to dismount. I had to find an Information tent to pick up a London Classics wristband and true to the instructions, this was easy to find, and so it was continue on towards the start line on Victoria Embankment. There was around a 20 minute wait until we begain the final move towards the start line during which time I began to feel physically sick. Luckily that was as far as it went but I was briefly concerned while that was happening. At 08:10, I crossed the start line with 100 miles in front of me. The first three miles were largely a reminder of the London Marathon but in reverse, and were much more pleasant than when you reach that point in the Marathon. That was followed by the Limehouse Link Tunnel – hideous, and not GPS friendly with my device. The journey out to East London was a series of ups and down with many flyovers and bridges, but still felt relatively comfortable. Then it was on towards Epping Forest. The climb to the peak here was approximately 350 feet from Stratford. Although I’m not one for climbing hills, this didn’t feel too bad, probably due to the combination of fresh legs and the climb being relatively shallow compared to what might be considered a climb in the cycling world. However, I was feeling some discomfort at the back of the top of my left leg. It didn’t help that it was resting on the saddle and was becoming increasingly problematic. Luckily, having reached the Epping Forest peak at 23 miles, the journey towards the first feed station started, mostly downhill with a few lumps here and there. I arrived at Chipping Ongar feed station (33 miles) in good time, around 2:25. I chose not to stop for too long as it was starting to feel cold. The long sleeved jacket was a much better choice at this point than a short sleeved top (had I been able to find it), but how I was wishing I’d worn full leggings rather than shorts. I ate the first of my hot cross buns and then stretched out my legs before topping up my water bottle and headed off hoping to warm up quickly, but that didn’t happen for some time. I’d gone barely a mile further before we were stopped because of an accident and so we were stopped for probably around 10 minutes. Hopefully nothing serious. The issue with my leg appeared to have been helped by the stop and stretch although by now I was getting quite saddle sore. Great Dunmow was the next notable town, soon followed by the next feed station at Felsted (53 miles). Before that, my current worst fears became reality and cold got colder with a short sharp shower around Leadon Roding (39 miles). Not a drenching by any stretch, but enough to make me damp and colder. Strangely, the cold didn’t last long and by the time I was nearing Felsted, I was dried out and comfortable, although my legs, arms and shoulders were starting to become fatigued. On arriving at Felsted, I noticed several riders were lying on the grass and so I thought this would be a good opportunity for some recovery. I worked my way through the next two hot cross buns and had a drink, as well as just lying and people watching. It was soon time to move on. My mindset at this point was the next feed station at 73 miles at Chipping Ongar and the next 20 miles is largely a blur, save for a stop at 60 miles and a short chat with one of the many road marshals on the course, and another accident around 65 miles which required an ambulance. I eventually arrived at Chipping Ongar and quickly found a spot on the grass to rest up an eat my last bun. Once again, I took the opportunity to watch the world go by, without taking any of it in. My Lucozade, somewhat watered down, would likely not last to the end and so I diluted a gel into my second water bottle just in case it was needed. As good as three quarters distance completed, I headed off towards the final stop at 87 miles. The next 14 miles included two more climbs, again not typical cycling climbs but nevertheless, with tired legs, they were a real struggle, incorporating many brief stops to drink and give my legs brief respite. By this point, just lifting myself off the saddle was very sore, ant because of my legs! On the second climb, we were rudely interrupted half way up by marshals allowing traffic to cross the junction. From my point of view, perfect timing and an enforced brief rest. Another brief stop to stretch and top up my bottle at the last feed station and I could see the finish in sight. The last 30 miles seemed to have flown by and so the next 14 must surely be the same. GIt wasn’t long now until I saw a London Bus Stop, a sure sign that there wasn’t far to go. The brief stop and stretch gave me a spurt of fresh energy, aided by some more downhills. The gentle inclines were still hard but I used my downhill momentum to help me up together with dropping down the gears. I’ve never been a fan of running or riding along concrete environments but today, the sight of the A12, traffic free was very welcome. The downside though was it is up and down and this is were my body had finally had enough. The ups and downs of the A12 were followed by similar as we returned to towards the City. What had been fairly straightforward on the way out earlier in the day, was now a real struggle. From this point on, it was frequest brief stops before resuming up the usually gentle inclines. There was nothing like saving the best until last though and our friend the Limehouse Link Tunnel. As I entered it, I saw my GPS signal disappear once again. More frustrating this time though was it meant the miles were not bein counted and so I couldn’t be exactly sure of what distance was left to the finish, or if my watch would record 100 miles! As it turned out, the full route must have been nearer 103-104 miles. The exit from the tunnel was far worse than I could have imagined. The road out seemed steeper and longer than I could remember going the other way. Eventually I made it out to the top, albeit with the needed stops. My watch regained the GPS and ticked over to 99.9 miles, but Tower Bridge seemed way off still. Fortunately only a mile and a half. I soon neared the crowds at the finish and finally made the left turn to the welcome sight of Tower Bridge. Even better, the finish line was at the near end of the bridge. The walk to the medal collection seemed long – over the bridge and turn right towards London Bridge. The medal was disappointing to say the least. Made of wood in the interests of the environment (so they said), and the sort of thing you might expect if you bought a job lot for a football competition among a group of mates. It’s certainly not in keeping with this being a major event. I wonder if the professionals were also present with wooden gold, silver and bronze medals? And how long before the London Marathon and Swim Serpentine follow suit? Anyway, fortunately the London Classics is still a proper medal, plus a bit more. During this ride, I encountered three situations where I feel I was almost taken out. I regard myself as having good road sense and always try to keep left whenever possible. A problem with mass events like this is you get a wide variety of abilities, as you would in a mass running event. However, with the added factor of closed roads and no cars, there are a small number of cyclists of high ability who do not necessarily consider those less experienced or not as skilled. One near miss was someone who undertook me at significant speed, who I did not see coming through. The other two overtook me and then cut in giving very little room. Maybe I’m over-egging those situations but as a novice cyclist, they are not situations I am used to dealing with. However, in the three mass cycling events I have taken part in (BM Ride 50K 2019 and RideLondon-Surrey 100 2019), I have come to learn the importance of being aware and alert to everything and everyone who is around you , and not to be panicked by it. I suppose no different to riding on open roads.
Overall, and looking back, the day was mostly enjoyable, even if it didn’t always feel it at the time. Despite the absence of any cycle training, I surprised myself with the outcome and although I’m a little saddle sore, with tiredness and aches, I’m glad I persuaded myself to give it a go. Would I recommend it? The obvious answer to that is yes. While the medal this year is incredibly underwhelming, the event itself seemed well organised and the volunteers who actually do the work on the day were exemplary and clear with their instructions when the accidents ahead needed to be dealt with.
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ABOUT MEHaving completed 5 marathons between 1999 and 2016, I decided this year, I would try to do it properly and plan my training! Alongside, I wanted to keep a blog as it went along, partly to look back on, and partly to help anyone else who may benefit from my own experiences. Archives
November 2023
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