Ride london failed again

Judge dreadful wrote:

The ballot system is completely random. I know this, because I've got in for the previous 3 years, and in one of those years, I got both magazines, so I simultaneously got in, and didn't get in..

Judge Dreadful, you are truely Schrödinger's cyclist.  Now if you can exhibit wave particle duality as well...

ktache wrote:

Judge dreadful wrote:

The ballot system is completely random. I know this, because I've got in for the previous 3 years, and in one of those years, I got both magazines, so I simultaneously got in, and didn't get in..

Judge Dreadful, you are truely Schrödinger's cyclist.  Now if you can exhibit wave particle duality as well...

Ride very fast through a very narrow gap and see what happens!  (physics joke)

pruaga wrote:

ktache wrote:

Judge dreadful wrote:

The ballot system is completely random. I know this, because I've got in for the previous 3 years, and in one of those years, I got both magazines, so I simultaneously got in, and didn't get in..

Judge Dreadful, you are truely Schrödinger's cyclist.  Now if you can exhibit wave particle duality as well...

 

Ride very fast through a very narrow gap and see what happens!  (physics joke)

Careful, there might be pieces of you scattered all over the place.

Okay seriously, if there is a chance I can just sign in and pay even though I got the commeriserations magazine, where is the link? 

Although I would love some open roads at 4am, getting up at 2am to do it seems a bit extreme. Also I would feel a bit embarrased being caught by the real 6am fast boys, even with a two hour headstart a few of them might catch me. I might get lost too without people to follow. (The Strava on my phone won't last 5/6 hours with screen on.) 

I could use last years number but I think they change a bit each time. Last year I saw someone with a fake looking number and was giving his backside the evil eye, but when we got back into london he turned out to be from the 46mile ride.

I could try for the 46mile ballot and just try to get myself to the front, and try to time trial it around with no stops, Richmond Park and Wimbledon hill arent's exactly challenging. Or finally the 'cheapest' charity slot wants £400. Or so far that I've found.

This is a whole lot of faff just to ride on some closed roads. What would you do?

Leviathan wrote:

This is a whole lot of faff just to ride on some closed roads. What would you do?

Or you could join a club/put together a team at your club and enter that? Not that much of a faff if you can find three like-minded people in the same club.

Another bonus is the club teams usually get the earlier waves too.

dottigirl wrote:

Leviathan wrote:

This is a whole lot of faff just to ride on some closed roads. What would you do?

Or you could join a club/put together a team at your club and enter that? Not that much of a faff if you can find three like-minded people in the same club.

Another bonus is the club teams usually get the earlier waves too.

No. Last year my club team had a 8:55 am time slot despite all registering sub 5 hour times the year previous and on our applications. Our chute was absolutely full of club teams...

dottigirl wrote:

I agree - I think there's something wrong with the ballot. However it's worked out, it's not random, not at all. 

I guess it depends on your perspective.

Last year (and previous years): "I didn't get in... again. Must be a flawed ballot"

This year: "I got in. Nothing wrong with the ballot process at all"

kevvjj wrote:

dottigirl wrote:

I agree - I think there's something wrong with the ballot. However it's worked out, it's not random, not at all. 

I guess it depends on your perspective.

Last year (and previous years): "I didn't get in... again. Must be a flawed ballot"

This year: "I got in. Nothing wrong with the ballot process at all"

I'm saying this knowing people who've applied every year and never got in.

And others who've got in every, single year.

Maybe they're just unlucky, but if you've been rejected three or more years in a row, should there not be a mechanism where you get in automatically the next time? 

(I'm not interested in doing it myself - this is from feedback from 100s of club members and friends.)

dottigirl wrote:

I'm saying this knowing people who've applied every year and never got in.

And others who've got in every, single year.

Maybe they're just unlucky, but if you've been rejected three or more years in a row, should there not be a mechanism where you get in automatically the next time? 

This is my favourite argument, "there's something wrong with the completely random ballot because I never get in, so maybe they should make it more fixed..."

PS. I haven't heard yet this year, done it three times, first for charity, second I got in the ballot, third was a team place through my club.

PaulBox wrote:

dottigirl wrote:

I'm saying this knowing people who've applied every year and never got in.

And others who've got in every, single year.

Maybe they're just unlucky, but if you've been rejected three or more years in a row, should there not be a mechanism where you get in automatically the next time? 

This is my favourite argument, "there's something wrong with the completely random ballot because I never get in, so maybe they should make it more fixed..."

To repeat myself, I have not applied. This is from speaking with club members and friends. The same people get in every year, the same people have to either rely on club or charity places, if they can be bothered.

I'm not talking about making the whole ballot fixed, it's ensuring those who have missed out get their chance. Give them a default place and remove them from the ballot. The London Marathon used to do this. 

Regarding the ballot, it can't be random if it uses estimated completion times. The bell curve is mentioned - perhaps there should be an extra weighting for those with the more popular times? 

Or rather, times shouldn't be used at all.

[/quote]The same people get in every year, the same people have to either rely on club or charity places, if they can be bothered.[/quote]

On what information do you base this statment? I ride in a club. I know riders who have applied for five years finally getting in this year. I know riders who got in the first year but never since. I know riders who got in last year but not this year.

I agree with the misgivings about asking for money for something you like to do but this is not the case for a club entry. Most club subs are around the £20 per annum. Join BC for the insurance alone (plus lots of other benefits) and then apply for a club team (I did it for my club last year - it's a really simple process). There is no requirement for club 'teams' to ride together on the day.

dottigirl wrote:

PaulBox wrote:

dottigirl wrote:

I'm saying this knowing people who've applied every year and never got in.

And others who've got in every, single year.

Maybe they're just unlucky, but if you've been rejected three or more years in a row, should there not be a mechanism where you get in automatically the next time? 

This is my favourite argument, "there's something wrong with the completely random ballot because I never get in, so maybe they should make it more fixed..."

To repeat myself, I have not applied. This is from speaking with club members and friends. The same people get in every year, the same people have to either rely on club or charity places, if they can be bothered.

I'm not talking about making the whole ballot fixed, it's ensuring those who have missed out get their chance. Give them a default place and remove them from the ballot. The London Marathon used to do this. 

Regarding the ballot, it can't be random if it uses estimated completion times. The bell curve is mentioned - perhaps there should be an extra weighting for those with the more popular times? 

Or rather, times shouldn't be used at all.

No need to repeat yourself, I understood you the first time. But I still disagree with the principal that you are suggesting. 

Although it's not completely random, common sense (re the bell curve) and sexual equality are the only things that I believe skew the random nature of the exercise, I'm happy with that.

One of the problems with the bell curve however is that a lot of novices have absolutely no idea how long the ride will take them, it's a tough call if it's your first time tackling something like this.

dottigirl wrote:

PaulBox wrote:

dottigirl wrote:

I'm saying this knowing people who've applied every year and never got in.

And others who've got in every, single year.

Maybe they're just unlucky, but if you've been rejected three or more years in a row, should there not be a mechanism where you get in automatically the next time? 

This is my favourite argument, "there's something wrong with the completely random ballot because I never get in, so maybe they should make it more fixed..."

To repeat myself, I have not applied. This is from speaking with club members and friends. The same people get in every year, the same people have to either rely on club or charity places, if they can be bothered.

I'm not talking about making the whole ballot fixed, it's ensuring those who have missed out get their chance. Give them a default place and remove them from the ballot. The London Marathon used to do this. 

Regarding the ballot, it can't be random if it uses estimated completion times. The bell curve is mentioned - perhaps there should be an extra weighting for those with the more popular times? 

Or rather, times shouldn't be used at all.

Fourth time in a row I've missed out.

And I agree dotti - it can't be a completely random ballot if they are using potential completion times to smooth out the numbers on the roads. There must be some algorithm applied to the entrants.

Beefy wrote:

Every year since it stared, same answer no! I think somthing not right with ballot as i know people accepted year after year. Disapointed and wont apply again as is a wast of time. Its a shame as there are better rides out there such as yorkshire but is special as in our capital city

Beefy I can assure you it is random as this subject comes up each year. I have gotten in 3/5 years but just got a commiserations magazine. The first flyer out of the bag is for Breast Cance Now; you can get a definite slot if you commit to raise £650+40 fee. Slightly stretching the definition of charity fun(d) raising. I am sure Lord Sugar wouldn't mind paying to just get a slot. But yeah, I can't twist arms for something I just want to do for the ride.

I wonder what these 'plastic hats' are that Python is talking about. Perhaps something the Pet Shop Boys would wear?

CXR94Di2 wrote:

I know a number of London based riders who start at 4 am when the roads are closed for free!

This sounds class actually. Sun rises at 5.18m too. 

CXR94Di2 wrote:

I know a number of London based riders who start at 4 am when the roads are closed for free!

Andy! Shhhhush!