RideLondon 100 for Rockinghorse
It was reported by the BBC recently that the Manager of
Reading Women’s Football Club, Kelly Chambers, returned to
the workplace just 12 days after giving birth but employees and
employers should avoid following this example if they want to stay
within the boundaries of the law.
For Jennifer this was the challenge of her
first “century” ride, for which she had been
training for many months. For me the hope
was that this time I could go round the
course without getting drenched. I had
taken part in 2014 when the event was on
the tail-end of Hurricane Bertha and took
place in torrential rain and flooding. We
hoped to complete the course and hit our
£1,000 fund-raising target.
The morning was bright, the forecast
good, according to the weather apps
(cyclists tend to have at least two to cross
check against – weather becomes almost
as important as coffee as you become
more addicted to the sport) and we set
off in high spirits, along with 26,000 other
cyclists.
off (we were lucky enough get the same
start time and wave) at a cracking pace,
and were soon out of London, through
Richmond Park and out into “leafy Surrey”.
Tragically we were then held up for an
emergency. There are initially mixed
emotions when this happens. There
is frustration because you want to get
on, and we had about 65 miles to go.
However, you also know that the hold-up
is for a reason – you cannot say a “good”
reason because you fear it is far from
that. The longer the wait the more you
fear the worst, and the arrival of the air
ambulance confirms your worries. This
year a rider – Robin Chard – lost his life as
a consequence of a heart attack, whilst
riding for charity (as the vast majority of
riders are) his being Cancer Research UK.
Contingency plans kicked in and many
riders therefore “missed out” the bigger
hills of Leith Hill and Box Hill. We missed
the first of those but were just in time to
avoid the second being cut for us. From
there the finishing 30 miles are quick, and
the last 10 into London are a blast. Jenifer
and I were separated for those 10, and
both went hell for leather trying to find/
catch the other, and as a consequence
had some really good times on the Strava
segments (one for the “anoraks” there).
Ultimately the cuts meant our ride was
“only” 92 miles, but what a 92 it was.
The event is unique, and part of a broader
Olympic cycling legacy that is one of the
few legacy stories that is a (continuing)
success. To borrow a phrase, if you ever
get the chance to enter, “just do it”.
By Dean Orgill
The logistics of this event are awesome.
There are multiple start colours and times
of waves consisting (I believe) of 700
people in each wave. Within a very few
miles these waves converge and riders
set off for central London experiencing
the unusual joy of closed roads. The
chance to ride 100 miles without traffic is
a big attraction to riders. The fact that you
take in sites and routes such as Trafalgar
Square, Box Hill and The Mall along the
way really makes it extra special.
It is also a fast course. Jennifer and I set
91