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@hoefla
done :)
in exactly 8 hours, 7 of those moving. stopping at hub 1 was an error (long walking(!) detour into hampton court and then queues for toilets), didn't bother with the other food stops, I had plenty with me. not the most impressive time, but I'm happy to have done it. I found my weak points are firstly my wonky feet (kept having to stop as my feet would go numb and I couldn't feel my toes) and eating too slowly. I'd brought some cereal bars, fig rolls and jelly babies, but just swallowing them down fast enough was an issue. I guess that's why people use gels - no chewing?
left home half an hour late so blasted it up to aldgate, where I bumped into loads of other people (who, at most, had a start time 4min after me) so relaxed for long straight road up to stratford. there were marshalls starting from the Bow roundabout and traffic was friendly, although we did get shouted at by some lads in the back of a black cab on their way home after a night out. set off pretty pacey, and despite my fears of just how crowded it was going to be, it flowed well. taking over the A12 and Limehouse link was novel. did see some struggle in Richmond Park, which did not bode well. caught a couple of trains in the first third, and there was a chap going at a nice pace for me, who I swopped over with a few times, before losing him in a crowded patch (double bottle cage off the back of his saddle, but we never spoke). that was actually nice, I've never done that before. Leith Hill was a bit of a mess in the second half. I knew I wouldn't make it all the way so I stopped for a break at the right turn by the gate, and watched all the people struggling up who thought they'd finished and then saw the next ramp. second ramp, people stopping/wobbling all over the place, people yelling "Don't stop!" etc, but surprisingly I didn't see anyone fall off. I was super happy from the top there, knowing the worst was over. not as much tailwind as I was hoping for in the second half, but just nice riding. had to remind myself to stop pootling about 70 miles in, as I'd reverted to my usual pace. picked it up for the last stretch, but all in all, seeing how I feel today, I only partially succeeded in pushing myself. better than bonking I guess.
fantastic organisation. nice to see lots of families out right from the start, in the residential areas lots of kids in their pajamas. water stops were really great. soon learnt that there was a scattering of single/paired loos every few miles and no need to stop at the queues. nice to see the ice-cream vans and nice to see people stopping for them! no-one seemed to be stopping for the front garden home-made snack and drink stops though, wonder if they'll get more custom next year? bit hard to stop when you're not expecting them. so many marshalls/volunteers - every time I stopped to get the feeling back in my toes someone in high viz would walk over and ask if I was ok.
lots of people I kept seeing on and off - older couple on a red tandem who I would overtake uphill, blasting it past on the downhills. chap in a black vest and shorts with no numbers on a hybrid with wide risers, and two full panniers, waving and shouting at all the bystanders - at mile 10 I thought he was just on his way to work, at mile 90 I realised he was in it the whole way! the marshalls seemed really very relaxed about people cycling the course with no numbers, there was another couple I kept seeing where she had numbers and he didn't. had a chat with a guy in one of the villages who was just cycling to the post box (holding some letters in one hand). and while the road crossings were quite controlled in central when we left, they really weren't on the way back in - chobham, chiswick and wimbledon in particular people crossing all over the place nipping between cyclists, and occasionally people cycling the wrong way on the course, which was a little alarming...
about 2/3rds through I saw the Dulwich Paragon go past, I figured they must've stopped for a pub lunch or something. there was also a rather relaxed club called Quick Release CC (who may have just been mates in matching jerseys) who I saw often, and they were a bit over the top in calling out hazards. every time they yelled "drain!" I heard "train!".
notable mentions: 3-legged tandem, young lad with a shirt that said "I have cystic fibrosis" on the back (saw him at the beginning, then on the mall being greeted by parents). guy with a "make space for cycling" trailer on the back of his LHT. and the chap in the head and tail of a red panda kigu, looking quite chipper, if a little warm, at 81 mile water stop. most other fancy dress was stuffed animals strapped to helmets, and tutus. oh, and 3 coppers at the top of Box Hill at the NT cafe standing around in stab vests eating ice creams made me smile.
looking at the official times (Bacci search your number - I couldn't find my surname, they'd put me under my middle name) it seems the Men 14793 and Women 4414 are the starting numbers. When you display results it shows Men 12150 and Women 2900 finishing times. You can see who got diverted by the Distance column. So 15050 finishers (including those diverted) out of 19207 starters. The diversions worked well I think, they didn't take much distance off but each one took out one of the 3 big hills so made it a lot easier for those who were struggling, although you had to deal with traffic for the duration of the diversion some of which was A roads.