With eyes on post-marathon possibilities, I have heard that I got a place (for the first time) in the ballot for the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 Sportive in August this year. It’s a sportive held in conjunction with a top level professional race on much the same course.
It’s a ride I’ve wanted to do since even before it was started in 2013.
Its predecessor, the London-Surrey Cycle Classic, was held in 2011 as the test event for the London Olympics Road Race. I was a Games Maker for the Olympics and marshalled at the test event and the real thing a year later.
It’s a 100 miler starting and finishing in London and heading through the Surrey hills – including the famous (in the UK) Box Hill (and the slightly bigger Leith Hill). I’m looking forward to riding it to find out why Box Hill is quite so famous – the climb is 2.25km (1.4miles) at 5% – not exactly a rival for Ventoux.
The big attraction of the sportive is the chance to ride through London on closed roads. It starts at the Olympic Park and finishes in The Mall (in front of Buckingham Palace). I guess it’s close to the London Marathon finish and I remember how good that was in 1998 and 1999.
I’ve only done two closed road rides (the L’Étape du Tour in 2013 and the first Velothon Wales in 2015) and I loved them, so London on closed roads will be a real treat.
Start times range from 5.45 to 10.00 am so it’s a night up in London and a 12 mile ride from the flat to the start and a 4 mile ride back from the finish.
Interestingly, I think I’ve only ridden 100 miles 5 times – and three of those have actually been over 150 miles (my ‘everest’, and the first two days going to the alps last summer). It will be good to have a real purpose for getting back on the bike in April.
It’s even prompted me to send off for a new rear mech hanger to replace the current one that I bent during the trip to the alps. It’s strange that the bent one works perfectly with my winter wheels but is all over the place with the best wheels.
The Omil (an Old Man in Lycra) 
You should enjoy it. I’ve done it four times and enjoyed it every time. The closed roads aspect makes a huge difference as you know and there are always big crowds which is amazing. Box Hill is nothing to note – I’m sure the only reason it’s famous is that it has hairpins!! Ventoux it most definitely isn’t. As with all events of this size, its biggest challenge is sometimes the other riders, especially on Newlands/Leith Hill – there’s a lot of people walking and restricting the available road space and it becomes a domino effect. I’ll wave if I see you go past!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I’m not expecting to pass many folks unless I’m hanging on to the back of a chain gang for grim death.
LikeLike