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RideLondon ballot rules?

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  • August 15, 2014 at 8:57 am #22161
    stefv

    Hi,

    I have suspicions that the RideLondon ballot does not provide an equal chance for each entry, i.e., they might positively discriminate against certain combinations of age and sex to make the field more diverse.

    Naturally, there is no such information on the website, so I was wondering if anyone in-the-know could save me a phone call?

    As an aside, has anyone joined in the course without an official entry? How did that work out for you?

    Cheers!

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Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 44 total)
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  • August 18, 2014 at 10:31 am #810083
    0
    step-hent

    Congestion was fine this year
    Congestion was fine this year for the early starters. If you’re planning a fast ride, make sure you reflect it in your estimated finishing time – the quicker the time you put, the earlier your start time.

    The attrition rate this year was pretty low, given the weather. They advertised 23,000 starters and over 20,000 finishers – not bad for an event taking place in the middle of a passing hurricane.

    August 18, 2014 at 10:18 am #810081
    0
    Anonymous

    CXR94Di2 wrote:Gkam84

    CXR94Di2 wrote:
    Gkam84 wrote:
    It isn’t 30k of riders on the narrow lanes of Surrey, that is why you are sent off on waves. I don’t know what the numbers in each wave were, but you don’t just get let loose all at the same time

    Once I got to the Surrey lanes I had to slow down and go with the flow, which is fine for me, some though who were obviously faster/more determined to keep their average speed up were held up. The more entrants is going to be a problem.

    Possible solutions would be

    Do away with the professional road race or put that on with sportive and have the pros start first.

    Applicants can only ride once they have proven their 100mile time from a previous sportive, then correctly stagger the start.


    Or do away with people who think they have a God-given right to go as fast as they please regardless of “the traffic”.

    August 18, 2014 at 10:12 am #810079
    0
    Wookie

    The only congestion I was
    The only congestion I was caught in was in Richmond Park and this was caused by a “Broom Wagon” and a Van for the Bicycles. I think there may have been a crash as there was also a Paramedic attending to someone.
    Apart from that Newlands Corner was very busy but did not slow me down (I probably couldn’t have gone any slower without falling off anyway).

    Ballot entered for 2015. 😀

    August 18, 2014 at 10:02 am #810077
    0
    sergius

    Thanks for the reminder about
    Thanks for the reminder about entering for 2015 – I hadn’t clocked that it opened today. Here’s hoping second time lucky!

    August 18, 2014 at 9:01 am #810075
    0
    bashthebox

    True enough. On the 2013 ride
    True enough. On the 2013 ride the only real congestion point was Leith Hill. This year I went off a little earlier and a lot faster – there was no congestion for me up the road, but as I understand it those who were 30-45 minutes behind encountered an awful lot more.

    August 18, 2014 at 8:02 am #810073
    0
    Martyn_K

    Using the 2014 event as a
    Using the 2014 event as a reference point for congestion on the route is pointless due to the conditions on the day. The flow of riders got very mixed while on the road for several reasons but all due to the weather.

    Riders slowed down dramatically to be safe. Many riders stopped at feed stations/ hubs to get some respite from the conditions.
    Punctures, and fixing them took longer.

    Having said that generally the congestion was not too bad considering the amount of cyclists on the road. Communication and thinking 30 yards ahead is the key.

    Ballot entered for 2015

    August 16, 2014 at 3:58 pm #810071
    0
    S13SFC

    Gkam84 wrote:It isn’t 30k of

    Gkam84 wrote:
    It isn’t 30k of riders on the narrow lanes of Surrey, that is why you are sent off on waves. I don’t know what the numbers in each wave were, but you don’t just get let loose all at the same time

    I did it this year and the congestion in the Surrey lanes was awful.

    August 16, 2014 at 1:47 pm #810069
    0
    CXR94Di2

    Average speed doesn’t
    Average speed doesn’t necessarily increase but a more accurate time will be given to stagger the start hopefully thinning the field out more evenly. I have only done three 100 mile sportives (all done since April this year). I already knew what time I might achieve to within 30 mins because of my training and planning of doing my first 100 miler. On the Pru I passed so many people in the first half, then met a huge backlog in the Surrey lanes. I slowed down as I wasn’t prepared to fight down the side of the lane risking falling off. When the road opened up again I picked up my pace again. Better management is required of staging the start.

    August 16, 2014 at 11:42 am #810067
    0
    Leviathan

    CXR94Di2 wrote:Possible

    CXR94Di2 wrote:
    Possible solutions would be

    Do away with the professional road race or put that on with sportive and have the pros start first.

    Applicants can only ride once they have proven their 100mile time from a previous sportive, then correctly stagger the start.

    [1.] Nonstarter, pro races finish in the afternoon: TV.
    [2.] Elitist rubbish. I had never done 100miles until I did this event. If only ‘proven’ sportivists are allowed it will increase the average speed and lead to more congestion not less as the field will have spread less by the climbs.

    August 16, 2014 at 7:51 am #810065
    0
    CXR94Di2

    Gkam84 wrote:It isn’t 30k of

    Gkam84 wrote:
    It isn’t 30k of riders on the narrow lanes of Surrey, that is why you are sent off on waves. I don’t know what the numbers in each wave were, but you don’t just get let loose all at the same time

    Once I got to the Surrey lanes I had to slow down and go with the flow, which is fine for me, some though who were obviously faster/more determined to keep their average speed up were held up. The more entrants is going to be a problem.

    Possible solutions would be

    Do away with the professional road race or put that on with sportive and have the pros start first.

    Applicants can only ride once they have proven their 100mile time from a previous sportive, then correctly stagger the start.

    August 15, 2014 at 10:35 pm #810063
    0
    Gkam84

    It isn’t 30k of riders on the
    It isn’t 30k of riders on the narrow lanes of Surrey, that is why you are sent off on waves. I don’t know what the numbers in each wave were, but you don’t just get let loose all at the same time

    August 15, 2014 at 8:26 pm #810061
    0
    S13SFC

    30k on the narrow lanes of
    30k on the narrow lanes of Surrey would be too much IMHO.

    Think we will give it a swerve and just do the closed road rides in Manchester and Cardiff.

    August 15, 2014 at 8:14 pm #810059
    0
    Bob's Bikes

    The only downside of this
    The only downside of this ballot system is that anyone can enter regardless of whether they are capable of doing the route or not (same as London marathon).

    Last year I was on hurst road just past Hampton court and there had already been approx 18 retirements and this was in good weather, thats 18 places that could have been given to better more commited cyclists. I hate to think what the attrition rate was this year.

    August 15, 2014 at 4:52 pm #810057
    0
    Gkam84

    NO, those who paid up at the
    NO, those who paid up at the first opening of the ballot, had the choice of 2 outcomes. You get a place or your money goes to charity.

    August 15, 2014 at 4:33 pm #810055
    0
    Binky

    That’s not fair!
    I could
    That’s not fair!

    I could understand the ones who take part in it paying, but all those people who paid and got nothing for it, then to do that year after year!

    It’s as bad as a ‘Ponzi Scheme’ .

    So the money from all the ones who never took part still gets used towards the service of funding the day, paying for police, support and who ever which means the organizers make a profit and people still keep buying into it ?!

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