Ride London - Travel and parking
Discussion
Help. After many years of failing to get an entry this year I am finally in and so i have started looking at the logistics and am seeking advice. I will be travelling from the south coast. Should I book a hotel the night before and if so any recommendations? I assume the train is not an option so if i drive on the day and recommendations for car parking? Also any other advice would be greatly appreciated
Historically if I've got a place I've tried to park somewhere near the end - then cycle to a hotel nearer the start
For parking I recommend here
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/transport...
or
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/transport...
Both of these are mega cheap for parking in London - arrive after 1.30 on the Saturday and parking overnight will be less then £10
The Tower Bridge one is on the route, but by the time you have finished the roads will be open again
Ride to hotel on Sat pm
Hotel wise - Search around for anything nearby - have stayed at various places (Ruskin Hotel in Newham was OK, Travel Lodge in Walthamstow also OK) - both a shortish ride to the start in the morning
Stratford Premier in is ideal but gets booked up very early!
For parking I recommend here
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/transport...
or
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/transport...
Both of these are mega cheap for parking in London - arrive after 1.30 on the Saturday and parking overnight will be less then £10
The Tower Bridge one is on the route, but by the time you have finished the roads will be open again
Ride to hotel on Sat pm
Hotel wise - Search around for anything nearby - have stayed at various places (Ruskin Hotel in Newham was OK, Travel Lodge in Walthamstow also OK) - both a shortish ride to the start in the morning
Stratford Premier in is ideal but gets booked up very early!
We usually book the Travel Lodge at city airport or blackwall tunnel for both Saturday and Sunday.
Easy ride to the start, gentle cool down after the finish and somewhere to have a shower and get changed before the drive home.
Booked nice and early you could get both nights for just over £100 total (£70 for the Saturday and £30 for the Sunday) not sure on current rates.
Easy ride to the start, gentle cool down after the finish and somewhere to have a shower and get changed before the drive home.
Booked nice and early you could get both nights for just over £100 total (£70 for the Saturday and £30 for the Sunday) not sure on current rates.
I drove up in the early hours of Sunday morning from the South Coast (Ringwood) as I couldn't sleep anyway. Parked in Queensgate next to the Natural History Museum (Free on Sunday) and dozed in the car until someone pedaled past at about 5am. Rode to the start which was about 12 miles as I recall, the Oxford Street part was fun with a load of drunk people coming out of Clubs.
Did the ride and then usefully the car was only a mile and a half from the finish. Drove home, had beer and was asleep by about 7pm
Not sure I'd recommend this approach but it worked out and was cheap!
Did the ride and then usefully the car was only a mile and a half from the finish. Drove home, had beer and was asleep by about 7pm
Not sure I'd recommend this approach but it worked out and was cheap!
I stayed in the Doubletree Tower of London (because I'm a Hilton fanboi and had loads of spare points) and didn't pay a penny for parking, because a lot of places have parking on a Saturday which is free on single yellow lines. Kept my bike in my room overnight, rode to the start so I was nicely warmed up from the kickoff, and had a nice room to go back to and shower afterwards. Definitely worth it if you have any spare hotel points.
My wife wants to come up with me, so we've booked a hotel for a couple of nights. If memory serves, it's the Travelodge in Bethnal Green.
It's roughly 5 miles from Buck House at the finish, and 2 miles from QE Olympic Park, via Victoria Park for the start.
It's my first successful attempt to enter, so I'm hoping it all goes to plan. I'm hoping to keep my bike in the room overnight, and to travel light. I've not decided whether to drive up or get the train yet, but I'm hoping to have moved down to Bournemouth by August, so it will take me longer and be more expensive than travelling up from Farnborough where I currently live.
It's roughly 5 miles from Buck House at the finish, and 2 miles from QE Olympic Park, via Victoria Park for the start.
It's my first successful attempt to enter, so I'm hoping it all goes to plan. I'm hoping to keep my bike in the room overnight, and to travel light. I've not decided whether to drive up or get the train yet, but I'm hoping to have moved down to Bournemouth by August, so it will take me longer and be more expensive than travelling up from Farnborough where I currently live.
I haven't done it since the first two years, but drove up on the morning (early!) and used the official car parks both times. They changed from one year to the next, I think the second year was somewhere in New Cross. Getting into the car park was a struggle, all the entrants arrived at the same time probably around 4.30 in the morning and the attendants couldn't cope. Apart from that it worked really well, it was easy to follow all the other cyclists to the start. Getting back was a bit of a hassle but I think getting a bit lost made the distance seem less, ironically.
yellowjack said:
My wife wants to come up with me, so we've booked a hotel for a couple of nights. If memory serves, it's the Travelodge in Bethnal Green.
It's roughly 5 miles from Buck House at the finish, and 2 miles from QE Olympic Park, via Victoria Park for the start.
It's my first successful attempt to enter, so I'm hoping it all goes to plan. I'm hoping to keep my bike in the room overnight, and to travel light. I've not decided whether to drive up or get the train yet, but I'm hoping to have moved down to Bournemouth by August, so it will take me longer and be more expensive than travelling up from Farnborough where I currently live.
The biggest nuisance is having to get your pack from the Excel during the week before. I drove to Hampton and parked free in one of the residential streets. Cycled in ~20miles collect the pack, looked round the show and cycled back. You'll notice I try to save money whenever I can..It's roughly 5 miles from Buck House at the finish, and 2 miles from QE Olympic Park, via Victoria Park for the start.
It's my first successful attempt to enter, so I'm hoping it all goes to plan. I'm hoping to keep my bike in the room overnight, and to travel light. I've not decided whether to drive up or get the train yet, but I'm hoping to have moved down to Bournemouth by August, so it will take me longer and be more expensive than travelling up from Farnborough where I currently live.
What part of Bournemouth you moving to? You'll be riding my local places soon!
I live about 28 miles from the start line, so in theory I had an easier route to the start line than you, however, it was still quite stressful. I stayed in the city view hotel/hostel type place to give myself another two hours sleep before I had to be in the pen.
My advice is spend the money to get somewhere convenient on all counts (IE a middle ground between start and finish areas). You will pay alot for this. Maybe £150 a night?
This reason I say this, is you will have to ride back to your hotel and in your case then drive home. You will be exhausted and cycling through London on a sit up and beg bike is stressful enough let alone a drop bar road bike with single sided pedals. I have watched many people fall over on the ride back to their various locations post event.
You also need to make sure that your hotel will let you keep your bike in your room. My bike is insured for £2k. I am not leaving anywhere else apart from my room.
Have you not got a relative who is willing to drop you off and collect you at a pre-defined location., You can then throw bike in back of car and have a restful journey home.
My advice is spend the money to get somewhere convenient on all counts (IE a middle ground between start and finish areas). You will pay alot for this. Maybe £150 a night?
This reason I say this, is you will have to ride back to your hotel and in your case then drive home. You will be exhausted and cycling through London on a sit up and beg bike is stressful enough let alone a drop bar road bike with single sided pedals. I have watched many people fall over on the ride back to their various locations post event.
You also need to make sure that your hotel will let you keep your bike in your room. My bike is insured for £2k. I am not leaving anywhere else apart from my room.
Have you not got a relative who is willing to drop you off and collect you at a pre-defined location., You can then throw bike in back of car and have a restful journey home.
Steve91 said:
What are the trains like on the day? I'm doing the 46 so will have a slightly later start time, but I'm looking at staying at the Travelodge in Thurrock and hoping to take the train in and cycle the rest
Forget it. The train companies will have a blanket ban on bikes for the weekend.Sk00p said:
yellowjack said:
My wife wants to come up with me, so we've booked a hotel for a couple of nights. If memory serves, it's the Travelodge in Bethnal Green.
It's roughly 5 miles from Buck House at the finish, and 2 miles from QE Olympic Park, via Victoria Park for the start.
It's my first successful attempt to enter, so I'm hoping it all goes to plan. I'm hoping to keep my bike in the room overnight, and to travel light. I've not decided whether to drive up or get the train yet, but I'm hoping to have moved down to Bournemouth by August, so it will take me longer and be more expensive than travelling up from Farnborough where I currently live.
The biggest nuisance is having to get your pack from the Excel during the week before. I drove to Hampton and parked free in one of the residential streets. Cycled in ~20miles collect the pack, looked round the show and cycled back. You'll notice I try to save money whenever I can..It's roughly 5 miles from Buck House at the finish, and 2 miles from QE Olympic Park, via Victoria Park for the start.
It's my first successful attempt to enter, so I'm hoping it all goes to plan. I'm hoping to keep my bike in the room overnight, and to travel light. I've not decided whether to drive up or get the train yet, but I'm hoping to have moved down to Bournemouth by August, so it will take me longer and be more expensive than travelling up from Farnborough where I currently live.
What part of Bournemouth you moving to? You'll be riding my local places soon!
I'm moving to the estate opposite the hospital. I keep calling it Littledown, but it's not quite right. In the process of buying/selling right now. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan really, as whatever happens on the house front, my lovely wife is starting a new job at the hospital during the second week in April.
I'm massively looking forward to riding down there. Purbeck, the heathland north of Bournemouth, the New Forest, etc. I've already got a (fairly) recent 1:25k OS map of the New Forest, along with a 1966 1 inch to the mile version (I'm keen on old maps) to plot some routes, and a copy of the local council cycling map from a couple of years ago. If all goes well with the house purchase I'll be a little over 2 miles from the beach, along a route that's traffic free save for riding along one street and crossing a few roads. My wife was born and raised in Southbourne, so she's "going home" and has a plan to have a less stressful work life. You might find me stalking you on Strava and trying to pick your brains from time to time too...
Sk00p said:
If you have space on the drive there's money to be made renting it to JPMorgan employees apparently 
You'll have great fun exploring the forest, happy to show you round sometime when you are settled
You'll have great fun exploring the forest, happy to show you round sometime when you are settled
One of the houses we looked at had a "sitting tenant" driveway rental from JP Morgan. Nothing mentioned about the driveway income potential from the one we plan to buy, but there is occasionally a car on it when we've viewed it, so maybe they're renting out their driveway too?
I'm constantly looking for potential routes up past Hurn toward Moors Valley, but getting around the QinetiQ site(s?) might make it too much bother. I'll definitely miss the awesome trails on the MOD training areas around here, but a lot of my 'local' segments have, dare I say it, lost their sparkle a bit recently. I've ridden them a few times too many, maybe?
option click said:
Steve91 said:
What are the trains like on the day? I'm doing the 46 so will have a slightly later start time, but I'm looking at staying at the Travelodge in Thurrock and hoping to take the train in and cycle the rest
Forget it. The train companies will have a blanket ban on bikes for the weekend.yellowjack said:
I'm constantly looking for potential routes up past Hurn toward Moors Valley, but getting around the QinetiQ site(s?) might make it too much bother.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29572034This will get you there, avoids as much road as possible I think. St Caths Hill has some stuff to play on, although the dog walkers won't like you
Sk00p said:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29572034
This will get you there, avoids as much road as possible I think. St Caths Hill has some stuff to play on, although the dog walkers won't like you
Cheers Sk00p. It looks like I need to sign up to see the route, or sign in. I can't remember if I already have a ridewithgps account though. I'm sure there are plenty of solutions to the "problem" - hopefully most of them meaning long detours via interesting places This will get you there, avoids as much road as possible I think. St Caths Hill has some stuff to play on, although the dog walkers won't like you
As for St Catherine's Hill, I've seen a few segments on Strava up there, so that was one place I was planning to explore already. I'm not bothered about dog walkers, a lot of them just don't like people at all. Plus I might be tempted to explore Hengistbury Head when it's quiet (and to hell with the no cycling signs!). A coastal route to Hurst Castle and Lymington will be a priority too, as then I'll be able to get the ferry over to Yarmouth and explore the IoW. I need to get Battle On The Beach out of the way first, and then get the move sorted. Any training/preparation for RideLondon is on hold at the moment, as all my riding is on my 'Dale "gravel" bike or my MTB in preparation for BOTB. I haven't ridden my road bike at all since the Festive500, so I'll probably switch fire and concentrate all my riding on roads and hills after that off road event is done and dusted.
I'm also going to have to be patient when I get down to Bournemouth. The temptation with me is to try to do it all in a hurry, trying to cover too much ground too soon. So I might well try to get you to show me around some of the 'better' bits for MTBing, then cast my net a bit wider and explore the area for myself, but in slow time. I should have plenty of time to get to know the area well, after all, as I'm not planning on moving again after this one.
Sounds like a good plan. Some great rides on the IOW
Strava Route instead.
https://www.strava.com/routes/17777361
Might have drifted a little from the thread subject now
Strava Route instead.
https://www.strava.com/routes/17777361
Might have drifted a little from the thread subject now
Sk00p said:
Sounds like a good plan. Some great rides on the IOW
Strava Route instead.
https://www.strava.com/routes/17777361
Might have drifted a little from the thread subject now
Thanks for the links. I've saved a copy of the Strava route, but it is much as I suspected/feared. I'll have to ride up Matcham's Lane for part of it, which i was hoping to avoid.Strava Route instead.
https://www.strava.com/routes/17777361
Might have drifted a little from the thread subject now
You're right about being off topic though. Not sure if it's worth a thread of it's own, mind. I'll try to let it get back on track now. No doubt I'll have plenty of on-topic questions and observations to add as August creeps closer...
Edited by yellowjack on Wednesday 27th March 10:56
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