Refused Entry on the BHF London to Brighton

[stingingkneeben]

hi guys i live in manchester and to london its a mashoosive drive for my parents and there a bit reluctant i was wondering if there is anyone who lives in the middleish who would be willing to put me up for the night and have a passenger on the way down ? yould be doing me a massive favour
thanks guys.

[One Wheel Good]

Thanks for the great work Sam . Sorry to have gone so quiet lately, I have been out of the picture for a while as life got busy with chess! Here is a link to the BHF 2011 route:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/38221798

Sam, you may have missed the post where I put in a previous BHF route. See what you make of The latest (2011 route). I very happy to go with yours though.

I still have a few concerns about the speed of traffic on the larger A roads.

Also, after going for a great ride with Sam and his wife, and watching him sail up an 18% incline that I could only manage half of, I am now resigned to the fact that I may well be walking some of the bigger hills .

My Chess commitments finish tomorrow evening so I will be on the forum more after that.

[One Wheel Good]

Ps. I like Sam's route as its seems a lot more straightforward (less weaving on the way out of London).

As for the start time - I know its early, but beating the rush hour(s) out of London seems like a good idea. It also should allow for the slower riders ( I include myself in this category ) to recuperate a little before celebratory drinks in Brighton.

[redwelly]

Originally Posted by One Wheel Good

Sam, you may have missed the post where I put in a previous BHF route. See what you make of The latest (2011 route).

Yes, I did miss it! Sorry - I have now updated my Google Map route so that it largely follows the BHF route - it is mostly smaller roads than I picked initially.

Here's the link again to my route, with planned stops. (All still very much subject to change/advice!) http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msi...1164a635&msa=0

Sam

[Alan Hogan]

Originally Posted by One Wheel Good

Ps. I like Sam's route as its seems a lot more straightforward (less weaving on the way out of London).

As for the start time - I know its early, but beating the rush hour(s) out of London seems like a good idea. It also should allow for the slower riders ( I include myself in this category ) to recuperate a little before celebratory drinks in Brighton.

Think I will be included it the "slow rider" catagory too!!

[monocyclism]

Originally Posted by redwelly

Here's the link again to my route, with planned stops. (All still very much subject to change/advice!) http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msi...1164a635&msa=0

Sam

Confused.com there seems to be a gap in the route between line 1 and line 4. Can everyone else see the missing section or is it just me?

[redwelly]

Originally Posted by monocyclism

Confused.com there seems to be a gap in the route between line 1 and line 4. Can everyone else see the missing section or is it just me?

I think Google Maps is getting a bit buggy - the many edits I've been doing seem to have left some scars. Hopefully it is looking continuous now?

Sam

[shappski]

So how was it guys? The weather notwithstanding, I spent much of the day feeling insanely jealous.

[stingingkneeben]

wet, windy but great !

[domesticated ape]

What a day, I really don't know why I didn't think it was going to be extremely hard but it only really occurred to me after we started that I was seriously underprepared and that I might not be able to finish the ride. From about 15 miles in until Ditchling village it was really tough going, I was getting serious cramp first in my thighs and then later on in the hamstrings and calves too, and I had to stop a couple of times because I couldn't actually move my legs round any more! I'm really glad I stuck at it though and after Ditchling I knew the end was in sight and felt much better.

I'm also glad I finished the ride because of the sponsorship money everyone has donated, it's now over £1000 which I wasn't expecting at all. It was a very personal cause and it feels good to have done something towards helping other families who are or will be going through what mine has recently.

Despite the fact that I found it tough it was a brilliant day, and it was great to ride with such a nice group of riders and supporters. I was especially thankful to all of the 'support crew', who all ended up helping me out in one way or another despite never having met me before.

The weather was horrible for most the ride, once I was riding though I didn't really notice it, and I think it was actually easier than doing that distance on a hot day. I really could have done without the wind though, getting near Brighton it was so strong it was an effort just to stay upright!

Thanks to Tom, Sam and everyone else who was involved with organising the ride, you did an awesome job.

Also if any of the people who were taking photos want to put them up online somewhere it would be great to see them. I only took four but I'll try to post them up somewhere too. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of Gareth and Denzel's filming too but I know that won't be for a while.

[AlanChambers]

I had a fantastic day. I never mind cycling in the rain, as long as I don't get cold, but I really could have done without the wind. I'm a bit out of shape so there were a couple of hills I couldn't manage. Long climbs were never my forte anyway but, Ditchling Hill, I have you in my sights! When my legs work again, you understand ...

I was very tired at the end and stressed about getting through London, so sorry Paul for getting grumpy for a moment. The train to London Bridge was perfect, and had the bonus of Alan Hogan for conversation.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the pictures, and Gareth's film.


Al

[rogeratunicycledotcom]

Yes, fantastic day. It was so good to ride with everyone and thank you to Tom for organsing and supporting crews were absolutely fantastic. As has already been said I am really looking forward to seeing the video/photos from Gareth.

Roger

[monocyclism]

Hey,
I'm looking forward to the next one! What a great ride it was for me especially as I had never ridden with a group any distance before. Wow! I got so much feedback to improve my own riding and what a great group of guys to ride with. I even got a 'personal-trainer' in the form of Roger who rode alongside advising me about my riding style, posture and uni setup! The support structure was so reassuring especially in helping me with the route - those outriders on b*cycles were brilliant. Stop-off points were very well organised and were really a result of the enthusiasm put in by everyone involved.

Yeah, the rain was never a problem but that wind blew me off a couple of times coming across Ditching Beacon. There is so much to recall I think I will add a few extra written words to the photos and video that Raffaella took when I upload it shortly.

[domesticated ape]

I just checked my emails for the first time since the 8th of July and found loads of emails about the ride, including information that would have been really useful, like the fact that there were definitely going to be support cars. Doh! Next time I do something like this I will have to make sure I keep an eye on all channels of communication!

[monocyclism]

Here is a video of the ride. Another movie and some photos to follow

‪London to Brighton on a...