Ride London 100

You can get charity places already, i'd like to ride for Parkinsons Uk in memory of my father next year

Yeah, I ticked the box in the sign up process to say I'd ride for GOSH; I think the form then said someone would be in touch in due course, but I'm not 100% that that definitely means I'm in. Upthread I notice hms mentioning a minimum pledge of £750/£1,500, so I don't know what happens if you can't raise that much (I'm confident I can get £750, but £1,500 might be tough).

Riding for Parkinsons sounds like a good tribute: good luck with the fundraising.

Yeah, I ticked the box in the sign up process to say I'd ride for GOSH; I think the form then said someone would be in touch in due course, but I'm not 100% that that definitely means I'm in. Upthread I notice hms mentioning a minimum pledge of £750/£1,500, so I don't know what happens if you can't raise that much (I'm confident I can get £750, but £1,500 might be tough).

Riding for Parkinsons sounds like a good tribute: good luck with the fundraising.

If you get in touch with the charity directly they will already have allotted places they will be filling. -http://www.gosh.org/gen/events-and-appeals/challenge-events/bike/ridelondon-100/

You can register with them and the ballot and if you get the ballot they will give your GOSH place away, if not you keep the charity space and you have to raise £750.

If you get in touch with the charity directly they will already have allotted places they will be filling. -http://www.gosh.org/gen/events-and-appeals/challenge-events/bike/ridelondon-100/

You can register with them and the ballot and if you get the ballot they will give your GOSH place away, if not you keep the charity space and you have to raise £750.

Excellent! Thanks for this, that's really helpful. Better sign up via GOSH, then...

Popular then..

Just over 24 hours after the ballot opened for the 2014 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, more than 50,000 people have registered to take part in next year’s event, which will take place on Sunday 10 August 2014 and will form part of the Mayor’s festival of cycling.

http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/News/Newsroom/50_000_people_register_for_2014_Prudential_RideLondon-Surrey_100_s1_p16678.htm

Am I only the one disappointed that not only does the ballot entry try to confuse you into paying an entry fee but that they are selling entry to a separate ballot with a better chance of winning if you can afford to risk the entry fee up front?
Hardly goes along with their stated aims of inclusive olympic games legacy.

Speaking of which, don't forget the ballot is weighted.. if you select a time (fast) with fewer riders you have more of a chance.

The ballot is drawn randomly utilising the answers provided by registrants on their entry forms. It was weighted for Health and Safety purposes to help the maximum number of people get safely around the route within the nine hour time limit.

Speaking of which, don't forget the ballot is weighted.. if you select a time (fast) with fewer riders you have more of a chance.[/QUOTE]

This is what I didn't do when I signed up. Gutted. I really didn't think my application through at all. :-(

should I have gone with a faster time than 5hours 20 then?

Hardly goes along with their stated aims of inclusive olympic games legacy.

Where is this statement?
Sportives are incredibly elitist. Maybe (definely) not in ability, but in socio demographic trends they most certainly are. You don't see many 18 year old black kids from tower hamlets forking out £50 to nod along with a load of fat 45 year old bankers.

I suppose the "legacy" part is the freecycle, where people can ride their bikes in London, because apparently they can't the rest of the time.

I'm quite honestly disgusted that this vehicle for Boris and co's self-promotion has paid but lip service to young persons and disability sport. Amongst all the back-slapping in the aftermath it's been conveniently ignored that there was even handcycling and junior/youth racing.

Why not join a club and put £20-30 back into the sport, learn how to ride properly, meet new friends and ride 100 miles any weekend you fancy?
The corporate machine is all very well, and provides the 'pro' experience for those who are too lazy to do the hard work for themselves, but where it fails is that it exists outside of the world that created it.

simply disgusting
Viewers complain to Stephen Fry- A Bit of Fry and Laurie- BBC Comedy - YouTube

Organised recreational cycling in the UK is a baby with sharp teeth. And in its insatiable greed, it has bitten the nipple off the bosom that provides its nourishment.

Sportives are incredibly elitist. Maybe (definely) not in ability, but in socio demographic trends they most certainly are. You don't see many 18 year old black kids from tower hamlets forking out £50 to nod along with a load of fat 45 year old bankers.

Definitely agree. But isn't that also true to some extent of cycling as a sport on the whole? The barriers that exist for a youngster with little to no money getting into to cycling are huge. This is why basketball, football etc are so popular. Accessibility.

Where is this statement?
Sportives are incredibly elitist. Maybe (definely) not in ability, but in socio demographic trends they most certainly are. You don't see many 18 year old black kids from tower hamlets forking out £50 to nod along with a load of fat 45 year old bankers.

I suppose the "legacy" part is the freecycle, where people can ride their bikes in London, because apparently they can't the rest of the time.

http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/About/Overview.htm

Prudential RideLondon will provide a fantastic platform to help fulfil The Mayor and TfL’s goal of encouraging more people to cycle more safely, more often.

It is now time to turn the vision for Prudential RideLondon – to be one of the world’s leading cycling events and a lasting legacy of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games – into reality.

I'm quite honestly disgusted that this vehicle for Boris and co's self-promotion has paid but lip service to young persons and disability sport. Amongst all the back-slapping in the aftermath it's been conveniently ignored that there was even handcycling and junior/youth racing.

Why not join a club and put £20-30 back into the sport, learn how to ride properly, meet new friends and ride 100 miles any weekend you fancy?

Not sure what your upset about...

Club riding and Sportive riding are hardly mutually exclusive.. infact they are almost certainly mutually beneficial.

Boris is a politician... self promotion is his job, if you don't like it don't vote for him or blow some shit up, I might even help you.

Definitely agree. But isn't that also true to some extent of cycling as a sport on the whole? The barriers that exist for a youngster with little to no money getting into to cycling are huge. This is why basketball, football etc are so popular. Accessibility.

Yes, that's why it seems in such poor taste to pour finding into such things that will perpetuate the imbalance.

Currently, youngsters from all backgrounds have the chance to visit any cycling facility where there will be a club run by volunteers who'll provide loan of a bike and helmet and allow participation for a minimal fee or free. There are also organisations who get funding to do similar things in schools and the community.

For this to continue and grow, it needs funding and willing participants. Both of these come from success at international competiton, which in turn draws its talent from the situation mentioned above. Fail to support one, and the other will suffer.

http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/About/Overview.htm

Not sure what your upset about...

Club riding and Sportive riding are hardly mutually exclusive.. infact they are almost certainly mutually beneficial.

Boris is a politician... self promotion is his job, if you don't like it don't vote for him or blow some shit up, I might even help you.

I'm not 'upset' as such, but sometimes you have to voice an opinion which is slightly more extreme than your own feeling just to make people understand that there's a problem. I've also never voted for Boris!!

I'm not 'upset' as such, but sometimes you have to voice an opinion which is slightly more extreme than your own feeling just to make people understand that there's a problem. I've also never voted for Boris!!

Id like to learn of these 'extreme' opinions you hold.. ours may not be so different after all.. I didn't vote for boris either (although I think him and his bike ride are great!)

Unless by that you mean you voted for the other guy.. then we might not get so well.

Id like to learn of these 'extreme' opinions you hold.. ours may not be so different after all.. I didn't vote for boris either (although I think him and his bike ride are great!)

Unless by that you mean you voted for the other guy.. then we might not get so well.

Our opinions aren't different. I'm not saying sportive=bad just that other things deserve as much or more publicity/support.

Disagree about Bojo though, he's only mayor because he is upper class, if he'd been born into more modest means he wouldn't even pass muster behind the counter in Mcdonalds. The man cannot even string a coherant sentence together.
Who was the 'other guy', Ken?
IIRC I voted for a woman in the mayoral elections.

That was no woman, that was Clive

That was no woman, that was Clive

If Clive were a woman, she'd be the Queen of Reinsurance.

And God bless all who sail in her

Got to "spread it around" before "giving it to Dammit" again.

Gels and littering

these cost £4 - load them up with gels before the ride [ they take about 5 gels worth]

5 gels!?!?!

what fucking epic ride requires consumption of 5 gels?!
climbing alp d'huez twice in a TDF stage?
certainly not riding 100 miles around the surrey fricken hills. Jeesus.

^ don't think he states for 1 ride.

if it gets to the point where people can only ride if they raise sponsorship the event will be a bit of a joke in the eyes of anyone who cycles regulalry as 200km ride is not very far. unless i was morbidly obese i would feel uncomfortable asking people to sponsor me.

not everyone is like you.
there were plenty of people who were not "morbidly obese" who found it a challenge.
people who cycle regularly are not really the target market/audience, although they will continue to give a few places to the quick ones.

5 gels!?!?!
what fucking epic ride requires consumption of 5 gels?!
climbing alp d'huez twice in a TDF stage?
certainly not riding 100 miles around the surrey fricken hills. Jeesus.

I went through over 30 gels during the 24hr. Jesus didn't make me do it.

if it gets to the point where people can only ride if they raise sponsorship the event will be a bit of a joke in the eyes of anyone who cycles regulalry as 200km ride is not very far. unless i was morbidly obese i would feel uncomfortable asking people to sponsor me.

it won't get to that point. they're trying to run it like the marathon where the majority of places go through the ballot You can do it for charity if you want but there's just not a limit on how much you need to raise.

if it's not enough of a challenge do it in a rhino costume or do it faster than last year.

or just enjoy closed roads and people cheering you round.

what i'm trying to say is that it is not enough of a challenge to warrant sponsorship of someone in any sort of decent shape (although i'm not considering timed attempts) so it undermines the event if they start making it difficult to just sign up and do it without raising money.

not everyone is like you.
there were plenty of people who were not "morbidly obese" who found it a challenge.
people who cycle regularly are not really the target market/audience, although they will continue to give a few places to the quick ones.