We said you’d need to be quick. In the first 24 hours after registration opened for the 2014 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, 50,000 people registered for the ballot to select next year’s participants. The ride on Sunday August 10 will be part of next year’s London Mayor’s festival of cycling.
The ballot will close when 80,000 people have registered. Alison Hamlett from the RideLondon press office tells us that they expect to hit 60,000 this afternoon, so while the deluge has abated to a medium-sized flood, you might still want to jump in quick.
Last year, the event took almost five months to hit 50,000 entries. Organisers London & Surrey Cycling Partnership, say they are delighted with the response.
Event director Hugh Brasher said: “The success of the inaugural Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 has galvanized people to take up this unique challenge, of being able to cycle on traffic-free streets, past iconic London landmarks and through beautiful Surrey countryside. It took us nearly five months to get to this landmark figure in the first year.”
More than 15,000 riders finished this year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 from 20,000 entries and 16,500 starters. Finishers included Mayor of London Boris Johnson in a creditable eight hours and four minutes, while Jamie Wilkins of ProCycling magazine was the fastest finisher in 4:03:24.
It’s being widely assumed that there will be 20,000 spots available in the 2014 event but that number — and the 2014 route — hasn’t yet been decided by the organisers. “We will determine the number of places available next year after the debrief process,” Ms Hamlett said.
19 thoughts on “RideLondon 2014 sportive ballot gets 50,000 entries in first 24 hours”
That’s mental!
That’s mental!
I am a bit confussed.
“More
I am a bit confussed.
“More than 15,000 riders finished this year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 from 20,000 entries and 16,500 starters.”
That suggests 3,500 people didn’t bother turning up?
AWP wrote:I am a bit
Yep. Bit of a sickener for those who applied but lost out in the ballot.
I think a few folk may have
I think a few folk may have signed up then realised they couldn’t make the early start time. Adds a huge expense if you’ve got nowhere nearby to stay.
Fantastic news! I reckon a
Fantastic news! I reckon a lot of keen riders – club riders etc – won’t have signed up for the first one because they thought it was very expensive, because it would be full of nodders at 8mph, etc. They saw that it was a great event and now feel like they’ve missed out!
Basically yes you have summed
Basically yes you have summed up my application in a sentance for 2014…….
Gizmo_ wrote:Fantastic news!
Have to admit I dismissed it early on. The thought of fat city boys weaving up Box Hill on £5k bikes combined with not being certain whether it was a mass start or wave start put me off. That said the final nail in the coffin was that it came 1 week after Ironman Switzerland and I just couldn’t be sure I’d be up to it.
Notwithstanding, I’m glad to see it was a resounding success. Next year, I’ll be there.
I just hope they sort out
I just hope they sort out this recumbent ban, I’m in the ballot anyway, but after a phone call to them, they think the ban will be lifted, along with the ban on handcranks 😀
Phew, in the ballot again,
Phew, in the ballot again, glad I didn’t put on a todo list.
“The thought of fat city boys weaving up Box Hill on £5k bikes.” Still plenty of that, but really the majority of people who spend that kind of money on a bike DO want to ride speedily regardless of how much they earn.
Great event and the ballot will be full this year. I hope they will open up returned entries this year.
I have paid my £48, not sure
I have paid my £48, not sure where the money goes to if you don’t opt for the charity option if you do not get a place. 80,000 ballot applications at £48, that’s a serious amount if money. Any thoughts on hiw much this would cost to put on and hiw much goes to charity..
Great that interest has
Great that interest has jumped. When the public put their money into cycling events the government needs to deliver the desires of the constituents and invest in infrastructure. This will provide a healthier and more secure future as we simply can not sustain car growth.
Eh, I didn’t have to pay £48,
Eh, I didn’t have to pay £48, does the £48 payment guarantee you a place? and where does it go? :/ They need to word the site better.
Does someone understand the whole payment / charity thing?
Nope £48 doesn’t guarantee
Nope £48 doesn’t guarantee you place, if you choose to pay it and hand it over to charity if you don’t get a place. That’s upto you.
If you choose NOT to hand it over to charity, you have the same chance of getting a place and have not handed any money over up front 😉
There are an extra 1000
There are an extra 1000 places in the ballot for entrants who pay and bequeath the £48 upfront…
The only way to guarantee a
The only way to guarantee a place at the moment, be a high profile celebrity who cycles and ask them OR sign up and raise money for a charity who has places 😉
I suspect some of the 3500
I suspect some of the 3500 who didn’t ride couldnt find a way to get to the ExCel to ‘register’ in the 3 days before the event. Another significant expense to add on top of your entry fee if you don’t live in London or aren’t staying there the night before. They kept that annoyance to themselves until a few days before the event. Everything could have been done by post.
mercer32 wrote:I suspect some
But anyone who has done London Marathon is already more than familiar with this and it works well enough. Yes, ExCel is a pain to get to, but you can get someone to go on your behalf if you need to.
£48, and can we keep it if
£48, and can we keep it if you’re unsuccessful?
Think I’ll pass.
It’s taking the piss…the
It’s taking the piss…the way there were many folks who didn’t get a place, yer the number of people who dropped out or didn’t finish is a real shame…