Well, its taken me all week, I got some photos back today, but they don’t really give you a feeling of the whole event. We stayed in Sidcup the night before, then caught the train to Waterloo, delayed for half an hour, so got the start gate at Clapham Common to find that we were some of the last riders to leave. My start card got stamped, then we were on our way, weaving through the traffic to rejoin the bulk of the riders. We must have left around 10.30am and after about an hour we were in the thick of it, with bikes all around us. The weather seemed to be fine for the first couple of hours as we left London, but as we crossed the M25, the clouds gathered and the rain started to fall. I remember being held up for a moment as an ambulance weaved its way through us and we passed a nasty accident at the bottom of hill, a blood stained road and the tangle of broken bikes. We stopped for a banana and put our waterproofs on, then we set off into the Sussex countryside. Another stop around 2pm at Ardingly, and we bought cake and drinks from the local Cubs and Brownies that had set up a tent at the stop. The weather was still unsettled, but we pushed on. There was a real carnival atmosphere to the ride, we were greeted in one village by a brass band, and the support from the public was great. There were all sorts of bikes to see, Tandems, Recumbents, Postman and Delivery bikes, and even Choppers. I got a few compliments on the Claude Butler. It all seemed to go very smoothly, only pausing for the Police to let traffic pass, forming huge queues of bikes that stretched for miles. Finally, when we reached Ditchling later in the afternoon, the sunshine came out and the downs loomed above us. My legs felt good and I started up the hill passed the walkers and slower riders, the road started to stretch up and get steeper, but we carried on up. As my muscles started to burn I thought I’d only last until the next corner, but then I chanced a few more yards, then more and finally I could see the summit and pushed on. Getting to the top gave me a great sense of accomplishment, the training had really paid off. The rains started again as we made our way down to Brighton. The crowds that greeted us along the seafront were amazing, and there was a great feeling of relief and pride as we crossed the finish line.
Statistics for London to Brighton
-Average Speed – 11.2mph (not bad considering some of the hold ups)
-Distance – 62.4 miles (from Clapham tube to Hove)
-Max Speed – 43mph (down from Ditchling to Stansted Park)
-Time on the bike – 5hrs 8 mins (6hrs overall including cake stops)
So..last of all – Thanks to everyone who sponsored me, we raised £318 – This is fantastic, more than I ever hoped, so feel proud of yourselves – Everyone who sponsored me will get a little thank you in the next couple of weeks.
I had a great time and who knows…I might do it again…
