London to Brighton BHF ride

[essexian]

Is it worth doing?

I ask as registration for the ride opens on Sunday so its time to make my mind up.

What’s holding me back? Well, the cost for one! £31 for the ride alone and then some £20 to get a coach back. Okay, I suppose I could get the train back but then bikes are banned from them on the day: someones stupid idea no doubt. It seems very expensive to park in Brighton also, so the idea of parking down there, training it back and collecting my car at the end of the day seems out. Riding back is out: not fit enough.

Then there is the number of other cyclists on the road. I am not a bike snob…honest, but from what I have heard, quite a lot of the riders really don’t have much of an idea how to ride in groups. I know from my own experience that overtaking a novice can be quite risky at times (ended up in a ditch last year on the Somerset Levels ride when pushed out too wide by a novice on a BSO).

Finally, there is that hill at the end of the route. I hear stories about having to walk it as most people can’t make it to the top without stopping. It seems a waste to train for ages and then missing out on one of the highlights of the ride.

So many negative thoughts eh. But, I still have an itch to do it.

Your thoughts and experiences welcomed.

[hatler]

I've never done the whole thing, though there are lots here who have, but have joined up a few times just North of Ditchling and then bailed out at the top of the Beacon.

Ditchling Beacon (the big hill near the end) was wall to wall walking cyclists last year by 3pm because someone had keeled over on the way up earlier in the day and they had closed the road whilst they brought an ambulance (helicopter ?) up. It's like an escalator. Once everyone stopped moving it was never going to get going again. To make sure you have a chance of cycling up on the day you need an early start time and don't dilly dally on the way.

If the challenge is the thing, why not sign up for the FNRttC to Brighton in May ?  You get all the fun of the route without the screaming masses.

In its favour there is the sheer unbridled joy to be had from the spectacle of thousands and thousands of cyclists going a decent distance. I think perhaps everyone should try it at least once.

(I got chatting with a copper on the route once and it was their estimation that about 80,000 cycles arrive in Brighton, cf the official entry list of 27,000.)

[LEE]

Ride back

(or, as mentioned abover, do a FNRTTC..but not in November as it can be very cold and wet)

[Adrian]

What’s holding me back? Well, the cost for one! £31 for the ride alone and then some £20 to get a coach back. Okay, I suppose I could get the train back but then bikes are banned from them on the day: someones stupid idea no doubt. It seems very expensive to park in Brighton also, so the idea of parking down there, training it back and collecting my car at the end of the day seems out. Riding back is out: not fit enough.

Coach: My experience of this arrangement, not on this particular event, involves a lot of waiting for the lorry with the bikes to arrive some time after the coach.

Train: The bike ban is not as unreasonable as all that. With 10's of thousands of bikes wanting to get back they could only cope if they used old cattle trucks and in this day of franchised services they are not an option. Bikes are banned until after the rush hour on Monday morning and then strictly regulated with a queue out the door of the station. They are also banned all day from Brighton from quite early on the day. Driving down, parking up and training back to the start is only viable if you can be there very early.

I have in the past ridden a BSO that was abandoned in the office car park and given it away when I got there. I have also ridden my oldest and roughest looking bike carrying two good locks. I then left it locked up at the station for a week before going back to get it. I didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted that it was still there.

Riding back: Doesn't have to be all the way. The bikes on trains ban is only so far. As I recall you only need to ride as far as Haywards Heath, 15 miles or so, to get back on a train with your bike.

I have never been prevented from riding up Ditchling by the weight of numbers. The walkers on the left, riders on the right arrangement works reasonably well. That aside just regard everyone on the road as potentially dangerous, carry spare tubes and tools to help the stranded and have a good time. Having a couple of pints and a bowl of paella at Turners Hill for 2nd breakfast at around 9:00 is the sort of thing that seems like a good idea at the time.

Alternatively, as Rob suggests, FNRttC in May or July will give you the L2B ride way better.

[Martin]

Riding back: Doesn't have to be all the way. The bikes on trains ban is only so far. As I recall you only need to ride as far as Haywards Heath, 15 miles or so, to get back on a train with your bike.

not any more; they ban bikes from the entire Southern Network that day.

essexian; a lot of your fears are true; yes it's very busy, riders all over the place make it hard to ride at normal pace and it only takes one mishap for the Beacon to be logjammed (which is the main reason for actually doing the ride; I have been able to ride up no probs  all 11 times I've done it). £51 is a hell of a lot for a day out, but it is great fun and a good atmosphere; also it's been rerouted away from all the nice lanes at the South end.

experience it once and decide I'd say is the best plan. There are alternative rides down there (I see people doing it pretty much every weekend) but the BHF is the big one. A lot of people puch the boat out and stay down there and come back the next day.

I think it's high time a big daytime alternative was set up maybe in September, the BHF don't want any more people on their event so it's hardly competition; there are various low key ones but say a 1-2000 rider event would go below the radar of TPTB. The trains are the big problem. Although hundreds of people go down to Portsmouth for the IOW Randonnee by train and it doesn't seem to cause a problem.

[Tim Hall]

I have in the past ridden a BSO that was abandoned in the office car park and given it away when I got there. I have also ridden my oldest and roughest looking bike carrying two good locks. I then left it locked up at the station for a week before going back to get it. I didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted that it was still there.

Does "oldest and roughest" equate to gorgeous verdigris paint job?

I fear a Magenta bike wouldn't fare so well.

Alternatively, as Rob suggests, FNRttC in May or July will give you the L2B ride way better.

Or if you want to do the charity thing, September's FNRTTC is in aid of Martlett's Hospice. One thousand riders is his legship's target.  YKIMS.

[Martin]

+1 for the FNRTTC; I assume Mr Leggbandage is going to drop his policy of "one wait all wait" for any fairy visits etc with 1000 riders.

I'm afraid I've lost the bottle to descend lanes in the dark now even though Mr LB always does a throrough recce of hazards beforehand.

[hatler]

+1 for the FNRTTC; I assume Me Leggbandage is going to drop his policy of "one wait all wait" for any fairy visits etc with 1000 riders.I'm afraid I've lost the bottle to descend lanes in the dark now even though Mr LB always does a throrough recce of hazards beforehand.

Absolutely. There are sag wagons and everyfink ....

[john74]

i did it last year it was my first time but i dont think i will be doing it again. We spent more time waiting around and queing than we did riding, a ride like that would take me less than 4 hours but it took nearly 8 hours with waiting. The thing that really annoyed me was i wanted to conquer dithling beacon as i had never seen it before but there was just too many people walking and no room too ride.
All for a good cause though.

[hellymedic]

Do it once so you can say you have done it.

Then find some enjoyable cycling.

Do not look back.

[Adrian]

not any more; they ban bikes from the entire Southern Network that day.

I thought that it was entire network up to 12:00 and then Brighton area only for the remainder of the day. I was fairly sure that there is a point that you can ride back to and then get back on a train, but I have never done this so I could be wrong.

[Adrian]

Does "oldest and roughest" equate to gorgeous verdigris paint job?

How very dare you. It was the black hammerite painted singlespeed (actually two speed) MTB which is now the snobike

[smurphboy]

Is it worth doing?

I ask as registration for the ride opens on Sunday so its time to make my mind up.

What’s holding me back? Well, the cost for one! £31 for the ride alone and then some £20 to get a coach back. Okay, I suppose I could get the train back but then bikes are banned from them on the day: someones stupid idea no doubt. It seems very expensive to park in Brighton also, so the idea of parking down there, training it back and collecting my car at the end of the day seems out. Riding back is out: not fit enough.

Then there is the number of other cyclists on the road. I am not a bike snob…honest, but from what I have heard, quite a lot of the riders really don’t have much of an idea how to ride in groups. I know from my own experience that overtaking a novice can be quite risky at times (ended up in a ditch last year on the Somerset Levels ride when pushed out too wide by a novice on a BSO).

Finally, there is that hill at the end of the route. I hear stories about having to walk it as most people can’t make it to the top without stopping. It seems a waste to train for ages and then missing out on one of the highlights of the ride.

So many negative thoughts eh. But, I still have an itch to do it.

Your thoughts and experiences welcomed.

My brother is really keen to do it (as is his gf) so I'm going to sign us up as a team. It could be fun, JFDI I say!

[Martin]

not any more; they ban bikes from the entire Southern Network that day.

I thought that it was entire network up to 12:00 and then Brighton area only for the remainder of the day. I was fairly sure that there is a point that you can ride back to and then get back on a train, but I have never done this so I could be wrong.

yes that rings a bell; but it's further north than HH, either Three Bridges or Redhill IIRC

[Adrian]

not any more; they ban bikes from the entire Southern Network that day.

I thought that it was entire network up to 12:00 and then Brighton area only for the remainder of the day. I was fairly sure that there is a point that you can ride back to and then get back on a train, but I have never done this so I could be wrong.

Found it. North of Three Bridges, which effectively means Gatwick. So a good half way back to the start.

[Martin]

There are alternatives to the coach apart from riding back; I've seen two blokes riding back up the cyclepath next to the A23 with 3 bikes while their mate went back up to town on the train to get a car. But last time I did it there were literally thousands of cars heading back with one bike on the back; environmetal Epic Fail BHF   (tbf the ride originated in the days of the Southern EPBs when they could literally fold the sets up in 2/3 the train and stack the bikes in through the many doors while the riders sat in the front unit)

The one time I did London-Cambridge it was even better; they put all the bikes in newspaper vans behind a diesel and the riders followed 5 minutes behind in a passenger train to arrive at Kings Cross with their bikes all ready to be handed out to them.

We could organise a YACF one....

[Sergeant Pluck]

LAst year's:

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34602.0

Somebody at work asked if I wanted to do this again this year. I avoided giving a direct answer at the time. Now that I've given it a little thought, I don't think I want to. Reasons:
- despite a start time that involved a brutally early wake-up call, there were still huge barely moving jams of cyclists (on foot) for too much of the time.
- the entire ride required constant alertness to avoid accidents.
- I don't want to repeat the lolling about on the beach and a late start homewards.

It's a ride that should be done once.

Advice:
- get the earliest possible start time, the first group if possible.
- if I was doing it again I'd ride to a train station as discussed above.
- I can't emphasise this enough: there are a lot of accidents on this ride, even if they may not merit mention on the news. Maybe not life threatening but bone cracking, stitch-requiring, bike and kit wrecking accidents. You need to make major allowances for the possibility of bad riding ahead or, on the downhills, riders approaching rapidly from behind.

[Adrian]

there are a lot of accidents on this ride, even if they may not merit mention on the news. Maybe not life threatening but bone cracking, stitch-requiring, bike and kit wrecking accidents. You need to make major allowances for the possibility of bad riding ahead or, on the downhills, riders approaching rapidly from behind.

This is all true, trust no-one

[mattc]

not any more; they ban bikes from the entire Southern Network that day.

I thought that it was entire network up to 12:00 and then Brighton area only for the remainder of the day. I was fairly sure that there is a point that you can ride back to and then get back on a train, but I have never done this so I could be wrong.

Found it. North of Three Bridges, which effectively means Gatwick. So a good half way back to the start.

Sounds like the two main options are:
- park car 10-15 miles north of Brighton, get train to home (?) in London
- start the ride between Coulsdon and Gatwick-ish. Cycle back after, get on train.
(unless I've misunderstood somewhere)

I lived in Coulsdon the two times we did it, so I confess I had an easy option. I'm pretty sure that one time we rode home on the main roads - so A23 presumably. If my elders-and-betters thought it was safe ...

[essexian]

Thanks for all your comments. I guess given that it seems more a mass walk at times rather than a ride, is to look for something a bit smaller like the Friday night thingy, although I am crap at night! If it was the "Early Saturday Morning, like 4am, ride to the coast", then I would certainly be in!

Instead, I think I will do the London to Southend...well it is in Gods Own County and my best friend lives in Southend for all her sins so I have a bed there if I need one.

The one thing from your comments which surprised me was that the Policeman said 80 000 riders were taking part when only 27 000 registered. Bit naughty not paying an entry fee IMHO.

[Adrian]

The one thing from your comments which surprised me was that the Policeman said 80 000 riders were taking part when only 27 000 registered. Bit naughty not paying an entry fee IMHO.

There are two points here. Firstly, the places are limited in number so some people who are unable to register do the ride anyway, perhaps with friends who are registered. Secondly, the BHF took over what was a critical mass event and started to ask people to pay to ride it. It won't  be every one of the un-registered riders who feels the same way but for many it is the BHF who are being naughty here,

[essexian]

........Secondly, the BHF took over what was a critical mass event and started to ask people to pay to ride it. It won't  be every one of the un-registered riders who feels the same way but for many it is the BHF who are being naughty here,

Didn't know that. I see your point.

[Morrisette]

I can recommend the London to Cambridge for a mass charity ride that does not have these problems. It's for Breakthrough rather than BHF but still a good charity to support.

Far from banning bikes NXEA put on a 'strengthened' train service to get to the start, and there is also a bus service (caveat: I have never used either of these, but I've not heard of any big problems). We have done it a few times as a 'family' ride -  with three bikes the only sensible option is to co-opt a non-rider (Mr M in most cases!) to take us to the start.

The start is busy but not bonkers, and there are no bottlenecks as described on the big hill into Brighton!

I may be doing the ride alone this year so I might be able to let you know about the bus. The main problem with it is that you have to be in Cam by 6am to catch it!

[TimC]

Looks like I may have to do it again as our eldest son has been persuaded that he should do it, and my wife insists that we should accompany him. Hey ho. With all the disadvantages noted above (I've done it 4 times, I think, and agree with all of them), it can be a great fun ride if you don't take it too seriously, forget about any target average speeds, willingly get off and walk when the crowds get too thick, and consume a bacon butty at every food stop on the way down (or a beer at every pub!). If the weather's good, it's a happy occasion with all the lightheartedness that big amiable crowds bring to such events. If you go expecting it to be a disaster, it will be - all those BSOs ridden by numpties will guarantee to sour your mood even further. This isn't a bike ride, it's a day out with some riding involved. Go with that attitude, and you'll enjoy it.

I'll be watching (sadly not participating in) an even bigger ride this weekend - the Cape Argus Pick'n'Pay Cycle Tour in Cape Town. More distance, more hills (many more) and more riders. Should be fun...

[Fab Foodie]

Beaten to it ... but TimC has it absolutely spot-on.

I've been doing these since 1984, probably 25 or so, the last 15 or so consecutively.  And over that time the ride has really swelled and the nature of it has changed considerably, it's a lot less pioneering than it seemed to be back in the dark-ages.

All of the preceeding posters are correct, the L2B is eaxctly as described, but in a world where one can decide whether one's glass is half-full or half-empty, one's attitude to the event will shape your day.

It's not a ride for setting a time or a PB as I often hear, it's a day out, a carnival on bikes, a celebration of 2 wheeling, not a day for the budding grimpeur.
For many zillions of cyclist L2B will be the first 'long' bike ride they've ever done and will remain the only long bike ride they'll have ever done and yet for millions more it'll be the first long bike ride of many, a springboard to a life of 2 wheeling. 
Rolling down to Brighton will be the super-fit to those that have dusted down their creaky heap in the shed and are littrally struggling every metre of the way to Brighton.  All of human life can be seen, there are some supremely unfit making humongous efforts for a good cause and they deserve a little help, support and encouragement.
But the L2B is more than that as well, it is without doubt the biggest, the daddy, the big bike ride that everyone has heard off, it still has kudos with those who'd never consider walking to the shops.  It has a buzz like no other ride, it's path is lined by families and suporters, families marrooned in their houses who sit-out and make a party of their imprisonment.  It's all the scout eateries that raise money with great butties and cake, it's the kids with hose-pipes filling bottles and cooling-us down, it's the eerie quiet that occurs when people first see Ditchling Beacon in the distance and the utter silence in the last 100 metres before the climb starts, it's the joy on the faces that those that made the climb, the amazing view and the fabulous roll down-hill into Brighton.
Finally, there is nothing else (outside the Champs Elysee on the TDF!) like the throng of cheering people on lining the sea-front, a welcoming comittee for all.

As said, try it once, then decide.