London 2 Brighton

I decided to get on and do it this year. so will be prepping myself for the ride in the evenings leading up to sunday.

was wondering, of the people on here who have done this before, what did you find most useful to take with you?

i have:

Tools:
allen keys
leatherman
tyre levers
spare inner tube
puncture kit
zip ties

Foods/beverages:

Banana
mars/snickers/flapjack
bottle of water

clothes:

light waterproof shell jacket (packs up small)
cargo shorts
Helly Hansen light long sleeve top with tshirt over the top
gloves
spare socks (i think it'll rain)
waterproof trainers (Salamon XA pros)
helmet
lights (in case i'm significantly delayed!)

oh, and i have a just giving page if anyone is feeling charitable

link here:

https://www.justgiving.com/beardface

or donate via ya mobile:
for £1 text: QUID55 £1 to 70070
for £2 text: QUID55 £2 to 70070 etc etc.....

here's hoping it wont be a complete wash out weather wise..... :/

Take some money, that will be useful

There will be a veritable feast of Burgers, Banana's and soft drinks on route. There will usually be a bike fix place every couple of miles, but I took the usual small kit like you listed with me when I did it.

Be prepared to walk some of the hills, mostly because people not used to riding in packs just stop in the middle of the road and then go 'oh, look there are 3000 suddenly angry people behind me, where did they all come from?'. Or, they will think that its normal practice to change down to a 28x32 ratio to tackle the north face of a sleeping policeman. Therefore, the only other thing you could consider taking with you, is a little patience

Have a nice event.

I did it a few years ago and I took tools, water and all the stuff I would normally take on anything but a "pop to the shops" ride. One extra thing I would take if I did it again is more tissues, because if you do need to use the facilities, there's no loo roll. I only just managed with the three sheets of Handy Andies I happened to have in my backpack. :?

We took about 10 hours to complete the ride. I think we only covered about 5 or 6 miles in the first 4 hours because it's so crowded and going through London the marshals stop you every now and then to let traffic pass and there are traffic lights etc. Once you get out of London you can pick the pace up a bit, but it's still very crowded so you'll have to ride at quite a leisurely pace.

My friends and I made a bit of a weekend of it and stayed on a camp site in Brighton from Friday:
https://plus.google.com/111090237018045 ... &hl=en
http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/caravanclu ... _Club_Site

The camp site is just on the edge of town, so you can walk into the town centre and go to the pubs and restaurants. There are busses from Brighton sea front that take you up to London for the start of the ride. Your bikes go separately in trucks, so don't take your best bike.

EDIT

I've just noticed you're location, I guess you won't be needing somewhere to stay in Brighton.

I assume puncture kit includes a pump

I wouldn't take chocolate with you, it melts pretty quickly and I don't find it very pleasant to eat. I'd try to take as wide a variety of food as you can with you. I tend to start feeling a bit unhinged when I get to the third or fourth feed station and they are offering yet more of the same energy bars and quarter oranges.

An extra bottle of water or energy drink is a good idea too, not nice to get caught out if it's hot and you're dehydrated.

Maybe good to take some disposable gloves too, so you don't have to ride round with greasy hands if you have any repairs to make.

Good luck, good cause.

Johnny

thanks for the handy (wipes) tips guys

yeah, chocolate probs not the best idea. maybe some dried fruit instead. i need less chocolate in my life anyways!

i'm looking forward to it. hopefully i'll have enough energy and space to tackle the beacon - i've always managed to defeat it the few times i've encountered, but never after cycling from london. i start off at 7:30.....looks like it'll be a rainy day though, so hopefully not the sweat fest it could be at this time of year! either way, i'll enjoy it because i'll be on my bike!
i love my bike

I'm doing it again this year - leaving early because we're riding home again but look out for the RetroBike top

I think your kit list is fine. Weather is looking ok at the moment but you never know. Last year I managed to get away with tubes, levers, multi-tool, pump, phone, long-sleeve base layer, windproof, 'phone and cash all in sandwich bags in the shirt pockets. Plenty of places to top up with water on the way, a sandwich on the sea-front and off home again. I think we managed to sneak in two breakfasts and two lunches, followed by a huge afternoon tea when we got back.

My friend's tyre exploded about 2/3 of the way. The two-inch slit it caused made me think that was our day done, but luck was on our side as we were about 1/2 mile from a bike shop in Haywards Heath that opened half an hour later! A quick visit and we were off again.

All in all, a very busy day, but very well organised given the numbers. Arrive at Clapham early.

Typically you will end up walking up Ditchling, simply due to the congestion and the large number of people who don't know how to use their gears and walk up...

Mate! Check your sig; apparently you're already in Brighton...

How did you get on?

Had a great time thanks! Defeated the Beacon which was on my to do list there were quite a lot of delays on along the way. I started at 830 and finished at 345. I recon actual time minus delays would have had me back an hour or two earlier though! Still, a blinding finish in Brighton and zero accidents/technicals for myself. My girlfriends sister crashed 5miles in but still completed the ride along with her fractured rib will hopefully do it again, earlier start and possibly with a road bike too. But no cleats! There wasn't a minute that went by that didn't see someone fall off their bike due to those bloody things!