Anyone on here riding the RideLondon-Essex 100 this year?
I never got a place on the RideLondon-Surrey 100 up until 2020 which of course got cancelled, as did last years and then they changed the route. Should be nice day out on the bike, if nothing else 
Iām not doing the Essex one but I have done the Surrey one twice. It can be fast and is a good buzz. The same with any big sportive just watch out for some sketchy riding and have fun 
I tried every year to get a place on the Ride London - Surrey and when I finally did, it was when bloody covid kicked off and it got cancelled.
The Essex route didnāt appeal in the same way and it was very expensive for what it is IMO.
Iāll be riding it. As has been said itās not cheap but Iāve never done traffic-free road ride before and I am looking forward to the experience! No route details yet but the finish is now on Tower Bridge.
Iām told feed stations are usually very busy so Iāll try to carry most of what I need to eat and drink for the 100 miles to avoid the queues.
I have a place. Have done the Surrey one 4 times and enjoyed it. Closed roads and big groups are such a treat! Hoping the Essex one will be more of the same but a new route, as i know the Surrey area pretty well.
As for feed stations etc, i think it depends how early you start. The first year i did it, i stopped at one of the larger stations they call āhubsā and it took a while. Later years, i was faster and more prepared so just carried enough to get me round.
Iāve got a place. Think a few of my teammates have too. Looking forward to riding on some new roads
I see they have released the route now
Through Epping on the same route as the Etape used. Some similarity to that route around Chelmsford too.
Be a fast course. I canāt recall much out that way to stop you when I Stayed in Chelmsford for a few months.
Same here, first time through ballot and it got cancelled, although i did do the Surrey one twice through back door entries (Team entries via BC). And again, Essex didnāt appeal, although it does look like a sub 4 hours route!!! 
Not this year, but hopefully in the future!
I did Ride-London in 2016, thought it was pretty crazy, a mass peloton / drafting at 20mph+ for the whole 100 miles, I nearly went under 5 hours and that was before I had really started trying to get better at cycling. Saw a lot of accidents, lost count of the number of ambulances I saw and the guy who finished in front of me had blood soaking through his vestā¦
I forget which two years I done it.
In one there was me and two club mates rotating. When circa halfway someone tagged on the back and never done any work. Not that really was a problem. Heād be drafting whoever was the fastest, so he would be on one wheel on the inside. But when we went roubd a bend the rider at the front on the outside would be marginally faster. Heād jump on to their wheel regardless that there was a rider already there. Lol, eventually I got sick of him nearly taking everyone down so often I upped the pace and dropped him. 30 or so minutes after weād finished he came rolling in and actually thanked us 
Other mass sportives can be just as bad though. Entrants just need to keep their wits about them (realise that folk do stupid things) and have fun
route is outā¦ looks terrible, but v.fast. should be good for a 4hr effort
I did London-Surrey in 2014 and 2016. 2014 was cut short due to a storm and heavy rain. 2016 took me nearly 9 hours due to crashes. This was the queue waiting to get up Leith Hill. I am doing the Tour of Cambridge this year.
im doing Ride london this year. will be my first ever cycling event. dont really know what to expect but looking forward to it!
QQ for anyone who knows. how often are there stations to refill water bottles or get help if you have a mechanical?
thanks
Feeding station spacing varies from Sportive to Sportive but the exact spacing for this new course will be on their route plan. Given its so new it might not be released yet. Support varies from Sportive to Sportive also but IIRC it was quite good on the previous edition of Ride London. That said I have only needed support once on 50 or so sportives. I wouldnāt worry about it just enjoy the event
I did Ride London years ago, was a nice and fast course. Closed roads does give it a special feel. The only caveat is that the ride is a busy one and has a lot of riders who, can best be politely described as, ānot used to riding in a groupā. It consistently feels like a huge crash about to happen with lots of āinterestingā and fairly unpredictable movements. Stay on your toes
I missed the rain year thankfully but Iām in that queue somewhere
Some of the riding is sketchy to say the least. In my first year there were 3 of our club and half way someone jumped on the back of the two lead riders. Whoever of the two was marginally ahead heād jump to their wheel regardless of the 3rd man next to him. He was particularly bad for it through bends. After a bit I got sick of it and decided to up the pace and drop him, it worked. He came up to us after the ride though and thanked us for the tow
From memory theyāre 3 main food stations, but plenty of fluid stops on the way. As others have said keep your wits about you. Look around you and be aware people will overtake and undertake. If you havenāt looked up Leith Hill. Look it up on YouTube. Try and have a plan. If you get stuck behind someone going slower, it will be hard to get around. Donāt worry about Box Hill, that is easy.
Its London-Essex now, London-Surrey is no more
Especially as they wonāt go up it, its a different route this year 
