{"id":5299,"date":"2014-08-14T00:10:42","date_gmt":"2014-08-13T23:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5299"},"modified":"2014-08-14T00:39:48","modified_gmt":"2014-08-13T23:39:48","slug":"a-sunday-in-hell-not-quite-but-rule-5-definitely-applied-ridelondon-ride100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/2014\/08\/a-sunday-in-hell-not-quite-but-rule-5-definitely-applied-ridelondon-ride100.htm","title":{"rendered":"A Sunday in Hell? Not quite, but rule 5 definitely applied (#RideLondon #Ride100)"},"content":{"rendered":"

East London, 6.30am, and\u00a0I’ve somehow managed to miss a great big sign saying “to the start” as I make my way to the Ride London-Surrey 100<\/a>. Luckily, there were enough other cyclists around for me to\u00a0realise the error of my ways and get back on track. A few minutes later I was taking dodgy “start-line selfies” whilst checking the weather forecast and chatting to fellow riders queuing up next to the Lea Valley Velopark<\/a>, waiting for our\u00a0wave to start the slow procession towards the start line.<\/p>\n

I’d been looking forward to this sportive for a while – I realised how lucky I’d been to get a ballot place – and, with my London-Paris and Holme Moss challenges under my belt, I’d pushed my training\u00a0up to 100 miles. This was supposed to be special: ride out from the Olympic Park, tackle the Surrey Hills, and finish up on the Mall. \u00a0Sadly, I learned on the start line that the route had been cut to 86 miles through\u00a0the removal of Leith and Box Hills because\u00a0to safety concerns with\u00a0ex-hurricane “Bertha” coming through. I wasn’t very happy:\u00a0my second journey to East London in three days (first time to “register” for the event, in what seems to be an elaborate ruse to guarantee that at least\u00a024,000 people visit the Prudential Ride London Cycle Show)<\/a>\u00a0and after a 04:15\u00a0start to get myself to the start and this was not what I wanted to hear. In the end though, I have to admit that 86 miles in the wind and the rain was plenty.\u00a0\u00a0Last Sunday was one of those days when rule 5 definitely applied<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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As a predicted slow rider (I think I originally said about 7.5\u00a0hours, before revising to 6.5 later), I started at 08:10 and with only 20 minutes to the back of the race I was conscious that the broom wagon could be upon me at any time. \u00a0I had 26 miles to cover to the first hub before 10:30 – which should have been a doddle – but I decided to crack on anyway. \u00a0The first couple of miles were lined with people waiting for their friends with\u00a0different start times and a surprisingly high number of punctures (thankfully I didn’t suffer any) but I was enjoying my ride\u00a0as I flew down the East Cross Route\u00a0towards Docklands. A former motorway (now the A12)<\/a>, closed to all traffic except cyclists and I was averaging just shy of 30kph (not bad for me).\u00a0Along Aspen Way, into the Limehouse Link, onto The Highway. I was buzzing. Past the Tower of London (poppies look amazing<\/a>) and towards the Embankment. Running red lights (legally) through central London (with a spectator using a traffic cone as a megaphone) and on out to the west, watching lines of no-doubt extremely annoyed motorists on the eastbound A4 as we had the whole of the westbound carriageway to ourselves as far as Hammersmith.<\/p>\n

By now the weather\u00a0was deteriorating\u00a0and the ride was marginally less fun but I was making good progress as I stopped to take on (and release) fluids at a\u00a0drinks station near Chiswick. \u00a0As we hit Richmond Park I was making a steady pace up the hills but then came the rains. Not just a shower, but monsoon rains, the likes of which are rarely seen in England. \u00a0After taking shelter for a while I decided there was nothing for it but to get back on, only to be reduced to a standstill, and then walking pace, whilst an ambulance\u00a0crew dealt with an accident. \u00a0Hopefully the poor soul involved was OK – as it was around\u00a040 minutes before I\u00a0was on the move again – and we crept into into a flash-flood-hit Kingston after which\u00a0I suspect my bottom bracket may now be full of smelly\u00a0water.<\/p>\n

At this point the lead riders were coming back through on their final stretch back to London. I was sorely tempted to join them but stuck with it,\u00a0under flooded railway bridges and\u00a0out over the Thames to the\u00a0first hub. \u00a0The time? 10:30! The broom wagon was\u00a0due now but there were still thousands of riders coming through.<\/p>\n

Setting off again, I witnessed another accident between Weybridge and Brooklands\u00a0as the rider a short distance ahead lost traction and hit the road. \u00a0I stopped and called an ambulance whilst his fellow riders kept him safe and, after the St John Ambulance<\/a> guys arrived I set off again. On into deepest Surrey, the next section was a real slog\u00a0into the prevailing wind\u00a0and I was wondering just how far out of London we would keep on heading before the course turned north east again. \u00a0At one point a chap said “follow me – you’ve been making good pace and I’ve been on your wheel\u00a0for a couple of miles” but I couldn’t manage his speed\u00a0and\u00a0I had to let him drop me. Eventually, the sun started to appear as we climbed\u00a0to Newlands Corner and, hard as the climb felt, I was glad to hear one of the spectators call out “it’s a long way to the finish mate, but you’re nearly at the top of this hill and it’s downhill from there”. What a star!<\/p>\n

Actually, that was the wonder of it all. Despite the wind and the rain\u00a0(and the reputation that Surrey has for hating cyclists who clog up the roads on a weekend<\/a>),\u00a0loads of people had turned out to watch 20,709 cyclists ride past their front door and were cheering us on in our “two-wheeled version of the London Marathon”<\/a>. \u00a0“Come on Olney Multisport<\/a>” I heard (the team name on my kit that day), “Sunshine ->” I read on one\u00a0placard, whilst the next one said “the weather may be crap but you’re doing great!”.\u00a0Clearly not making great time, I didn’t stay long at Newlands Corner because the broom wagon was due again and I set of down the hill, only to stop to retrieve my rain jacket which\u00a0had come out of my pocket and was wrapped around my rear hub.\u00a0Maybe if I paid less attention to rules 29<\/a>\u00a0and 31<\/a> I might have room in my pockets for layers of clothing removed due to changes in weather conditions!<\/p>\n

Now heading east, and riding in sunshine, things were looking up. \u00a0We passed the Leith Hill diversion and then a couple of Police motorbikes came past me. \u00a0Unfortunately\u00a0I didn’t realise why they were there and, part way down the next\u00a0\u00a0hill, under trees, on a wet slippery road I heard shouts of “slow down, accident ahead”, as I skidded, caught the bike, skidded again, crossed double solid white lines and hit the road, sliding along on my left side thinking “please don’t scratch my bike” whilst I tested the “tarmac resistance factor” of my kit. \u00a0Luckily for me, I only suffered\u00a0superficial damage (so did the bike, with scratched brake lever, pedal, and rear skewer – all easily fixed) and was quickly back on my feet. I wish I’d had the manners to properly thank the lady rider behind who’d checked I was OK but, in the heat of the moment I’d said a quick “I’m fine thanks”\u00a0and jumped back on,\u00a0with the biggest damage being to my pride. \u00a0And\u00a0I’d like to think my “luck” in not being badly hurt\u00a0coming off at what appears to have been about\u00a042kph was karma for stopping to help someone else earlier…<\/p>\n

On through Dorking\u00a0and up the A24 to Leatherhead, bypassing Box Hill, it was actually getting quite warm. \u00a0For the first time all day I was down to my normal summer kit (removing the arm warmers and\u00a0tights that had probably saved my arms\/legs from gravel rash earlier) and I\u00a0was keen to get\u00a0through the miles. At Oxshott,\u00a0I\u00a0spotted a pub with an all day BBQ to celebrate the ride coming past<\/a>\u00a0(one of many joining in the celebrations<\/a>) and contemplated a beer but pushed on. \u00a0Shortly afterwards, I pulled over for a snack and another one of the wonderful spectators called out “have you got a puncture mate?” I didn’t, but I thanked him for his kindness, as he offered a mobile puncture repair service (including a track pump in his rucksack)! \u00a0Once again, the generosity and support from\u00a0people\u00a0on the roadside\u00a0had really amazed me – clearly not everyone\u00a0views\u00a0this annual event the way some journalists do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’ve mentioned the spectators but the volunteers who\u00a0worked as marshalls and other roles to\u00a0run the event<\/a> were superb. \u00a0I’ve done something similar myself, as a volunteer marshall (a\u00a0Tourmaker<\/a>) for the 2014 Tour de France Grand D\u00e9part and it was amazing but we had sunshine and professional riders – these guys had torrential rain, howling winds, and thousands of amateur cyclists to look after. \u00a0That didn’t stop them from\u00a0encouraging us, being a smiling face at the roadside, and otherwise helping out. \u00a0Sure, the professional stewards (orange jackets) looked bored but the volunteers were fantastic and really helped to build the atmosphere of the event.<\/p>\n