Ride London 2024

So the events were all done and dusted a while ago; kinda. It didn't quite go to plan and I was very burnt out and needed a good long rest and rebuild. But we'll get to all of that. But I just wanted to add some context as to why it's taken so long to get a write up of the events done. Anyway on to Ride London....

Mercifully, my recovery before this event had been pretty good. I woke up on the Monday after the Ultra sore, unsurprisingly, but a few days of yoga, some easy spins on the turbo and walking, had me able to get in a 30 mile ride home from work and feel in good shape for this event. After a nice family day with a trip to London Zoo the day before, the event was here and it was an early start so I was creeping out the door early, to let Em and Monkey snooze. It was not a happy start, as the rain was relentlessly pouring as I sat eating breakfast and it was taking forever to wake up and get in the headspace for it. Luckily the rain stopped just as I left the house and barring a few light showers, I didn't see it again all day. It was a nine mile ride to the start and it was rather chilled baring some interesting cycle paths the satnav sent me down, but before long I was more awake and rolling to the start. I've done ride London before but this route was new too me and one of the things I liked was the rolling start. No long waiting in a queue getting cold, it was a slow peddle and roll over the start line, so seamless I nearly missed I'd started! I'll be honest, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the new route. I did like the closed roads, and going through tunnels with the echo's of the cyclists calling out loudly was cool, but for the most part, I don't think riding on long endless bypasses with little to occupy the brain was for me. I really missed the hills to, with no real climbs to talk about. I much preferred the iconic climbs of Box hill, the country lanes and chilled riding. But it was still a fun ride and also rather quick. One thing with Ride London is the mixed bag of abilities, it can create quite a unique group. Lots of cyclists, obsessed with fast times, shouting to get out the way and dominating the road, versus nervous novices going for their first century. I saw a few nasty crashes caused by the environment and was grateful not to be amongst them. I was in a middling level of trying to push on, avoiding cyclists but also getting frustrated by those forcing their way through. I never really felt like I got into a good rhythm. Still the miles rolled by fast enough. What did become apparent was my poor bike was absolutely battered. It really was struggling to shift gears, especially in the front cog, so I was stuck in a less than ideal gear for a lot of the ride, it was in need of a good service when I got home, and in a lot worse shape than I realised but I'm grateful it got me round. The lack of photos, is probably, with the benefit of hindsight, very reflective of my headspace on this ride; I was very much in a state of head down, get this done. About 50 miles in, the legs started to let me know I was tired, and the first fears of biting off more than I could chew, started to naw away. So it very much became, get my head down and focus on what I was doing at that moment, before worrying about the rest. Thankfully, the ride passed without event and it was quite cool to finish on Tower Bridge, in a time just shy of 6 hours, which given the previous event, I was pleased with. Then it was a sluggish ride back to Wimbledon, where the legs really did, let me know they were tired. I'm not sure I'd rush back to do the event again, I preferred the old event and it didn't have the allure my first time did, I think it's having gone on to other, smaller events and preferring the calm of country roads. Still it was two events down and a two week rest, with a small matter of a house move. But I was hopefully, I could rest up and hit the next two events in really good shape. Next up, Giant's Head, probably the event I was most excited for!