ooh err

[billyam998]

http://www.ratraceroadtrip.com/#pricing

So 2 days, sleep in a tent and pay extra for food, drink and courier to return your bike. £200

Makes LEL seem even better value.

[marcusjb]

Quite tempted to do it - something different.  I'd even take off the mudguards and Carradice.

[Exit Stage Left]

This is interesting.

Please note: These Cut Off’s relate to departure times for the locations they have been applied to NOT arrival times. If you do not make the Cut Off times, you will be picked up and moved forwards along the course.

[teethgrinder]

I think that LEL was fantastic value and incredibly cheap for what it was.

I'm thinking about riding a 24 hour place to place sportive next year. Entry fee is about £260. The coach back to the start is extra and will push it over £300. There will be a lot of mollycoddling going on, nothing like a DIY Audax, but I reckon it might be fun.
I don't think it's all that expensive, though it is a lot of money to me. There is a difference.
If I did it myself using trains and cafes then I could probably save £100 over the sportive, I think. But it wouldn't be the same.

[Bianchi Boy]

This looks like the price for a supported event. The event cost is £200 and then there is transport to and from the end. I must say that I might be tempted to ride to the start and not use a drop off bag. I would have to finish the stage by mid night and that would be about 18 hours. My guess is that you need at least £50 to stay in London before the start and train fare back could possibly be got for £50. So you will be lucky t get change out of £300 and probably more like £400.

But I must say that this is the same weekend and the BC and the 7A so there is no way really that I will be doing this.

I am also too mean 

Enjoy if you ride it. It can only be good for distance cycling.

BB

[Jaded]

The most important piece of kit, even more important than a bicycle, is a helmet.

How far we have fallen.

[wilkyboy]

Quite tempted to do it - something different.  I'd even take off the mudguards and Carradice.

I've emailed them to ask if there is scrutineering and whether my steed would pass it if there is.  I reckon with a strong winter I could be up for a full-value Expert run, as it's not that different to what we achieved on LEL   

I'd leave my guards and bag on, just because 

[mattc]

Someone in the AUK Facebook room is riding this - was asking for advice earlier in the week I think.

Did the "Rat Race" start out as a LEJOG thing? I vaguely remember something much longer than 2 days that YACFers (includeing Charlotte & Julian) rode, maybe 3-4 years ago?

[teethgrinder]

Someone in the AUK Facebook room is riding this - was asking for advice earlier in the week I think.

Did the "Rat Race" start out as a LEJOG thing? I vaguely remember something much longer than 2 days that YACFers (includeing Charlotte & Julian) rode, maybe 3-4 years ago?

That was TRAT (The Race against Time) Charlotte rode one year, then helped organise it the next, while Julian rode.

[mattc]

Aha! Knew it was something ratty ...

[teethgrinder]

Hey. Who are you calling ratty?

[IanDG]

Aha! Knew it was something ratty ...

No, you were right Matt it is the London - Edinburgh ride he's doing

[Bianchi Boy]

I have been reading the rules for the RR and they use the word "race" a few times and

"5 Local police and authorities will be patrolling the route and any cyclists found to be riding outside of the road rules will be penalised as seen fit by the Race Director."

As a member of a cycling club I am aware of the restrictions put on events such as road races and time trials. There is also a restriction on the size of groups and this all points to the conditions for a road race.

Does anyone know under what insurance scheme this event runs? Sportives are always very careful not to include the word "race" at any point in the event description.

By the way I have never "raced" on an Audax, I only ever try to get to the finish as quickly as possible.

BB

[marcusjb]

Quite tempted to do it - something different.  I'd even take off the mudguards and Carradice.

I've emailed them to ask if there is scrutineering and whether my steed would pass it if there is.  I reckon with a strong winter I could be up for a full-value Expert run, as it's not that different to what we achieved on LEL   

I'd leave my guards and bag on, just because 

You will be fine, the FAQ suggests a road bike is most appropriate, but other than that, anything goes. Tandems and bents are welcome as well.

This really might sit well with preparation for the 24 enabling me to do much longer runs with an unladen bike.

I am really quite tempted. I need to plan out next seasons diary a little better now - I also need to fit in our first tandem 3&4 and some monster ride up in Scotland.

[wilkyboy]

I've emailed them to ask if there is scrutineering and whether my steed would pass it if there is.  I reckon with a strong winter I could be up for a full-value Expert run, as it's not that different to what we achieved on LEL   

I'd leave my guards and bag on, just because 

You will be fine, the FAQ suggests a road bike is most appropriate, but other than that, anything goes. Tandems and bents are welcome as well.

This really might sit well with preparation for the 24 enabling me to do much longer runs with an unladen bike.

I am really quite tempted. I need to plan out next seasons diary a little better now - I also need to fit in our first tandem 3&4 and some monster ride up in Scotland.

Yar, I didn't see anything in the rules, but you never know.  By then I should be on a different bike anyway – it's looking sunny, so thinking of clearing the diary and heading out to the LBS this morning,  although the option would still be there.  But I'm not sure if I want to throw £200+ plus a weekend at doing this at the cost of [permission to ride] something else.  In that sense you're lucky because your other half understands ... then again, I guess they will also drag you out into the rain, even when you're feeling like staying in bed, in an fboab-like way (but possibly without the hat).

[marcusjb]

It requires considerably more pace than Audax, so should be fun.

They're expecting the quick riders to do 350km in 12 hours.  Total cut-off each day is around 17 hours.

I won't decide quite yet - the registration fee only jumps up another £25 all the way up until the end of march.

But it could be really good chance to ride long stints on the bike setup for the 24.

And with 150 or whatever riders on the 2 day, should be a good fun sociable event.

[wilkyboy]

It requires considerably more pace than Audax, so should be fun.

They're expecting the quick riders to do 350km in 12 hours.  Total cut-off each day is around 17 hours.

I won't decide quite yet - the registration fee only jumps up another £25 all the way up until the end of march.

But it could be really good chance to ride long stints on the bike setup for the 24.

And with 150 or whatever riders on the 2 day, should be a good fun sociable event.

I think it's 19 hours and 20 hours on the two days, so around 20kph minimum, although feeding within that time could be a challenge I think.  I could do it now (just) without a head wind; with a head wind no chance unless I was hidden in a group (noting the useful number of other riders on the second day ).  But I have no aspirations or the requisite fitness to ride a 24, although ...

[marcusjb]

I think you're right - they need to be more explicit in their explanations of cut-offs.

That's easy then - 700km, 39 hours of riding.  With a minimum of 4 hours off the bike between the stages.

[wilkyboy]

I think you're right - they need to be more explicit in their explanations of cut-offs.

That's easy then - 700km, 39 hours of riding.  With a minimum of 4 hours off the bike between the stages.

It's just a quick (for me) 600 plus 100: I think I rode two 600s this year at around that pace with stops, and the third wasn't far short (subtracting some of my embarrassing need to stop on the second day, which others can attest to).  Without all those second-day stops then the pace would easily have been quick enough for this: moving time for the three 600s was 620km in 30hrs, 608km in 28.5hrs, 630km in 27hrs; getting quicker with each one    or they were getting flatter 

As always, it's the sleep dep that would get me and it's a goal this season to work out how to manage it better.

[mattc]

I have been reading the rules for the RR and they use the word "race" a few times and

"5 Local police and authorities will be patrolling the route and any cyclists found to be riding outside of the road rules will be penalised as seen fit by the Race Director."

As a member of a cycling club I am aware of the restrictions put on events such as road races and time trials. There is also a restriction on the size of groups and this all points to the conditions for a road race.

Does anyone know under what insurance scheme this event runs? Sportives are always very careful not to include the word "race" at any point in the event description.

I don't know, sorry! But I agree it sounds like a race - so perhaps they've accepted this and used the same insurers that already cover BC-sanctioned road races?

(It's probably more expensive than what AUK/sportives pay, which might contribute to the ...er... large entry fee!)