Ride London 2016 ballot open
Discussion
rs4al said:
wonder how the ballot is run ?
If it's the same as previous years then it's not a straight ballot. Entries are grouped by age/gender/experience/etc and then a certain number are drawn from each group to ensure a diverse range of riders. Short story is that if you're a typical MAMIL then your odds in the ballot are pretty low - it's a massively over-subscribed group.There are other ways in though. Aside from the charity places, cycling clubs can also apply for team places and a lot of the people I ride with have had success that way in the past.
Mr Will said:
If it's the same as previous years then it's not a straight ballot. Entries are grouped by age/gender/experience/etc and then a certain number are drawn from each group to ensure a diverse range of riders. Short story is that if you're a typical MAMIL then your odds in the ballot are pretty low - it's a massively over-subscribed group.
There are other ways in though. Aside from the charity places, cycling clubs can also apply for team places and a lot of the people I ride with have had success that way in the past.
Zero chance then, as 43yrs old !!There are other ways in though. Aside from the charity places, cycling clubs can also apply for team places and a lot of the people I ride with have had success that way in the past.
rs4al said:
Mr Will said:
If it's the same as previous years then it's not a straight ballot. Entries are grouped by age/gender/experience/etc and then a certain number are drawn from each group to ensure a diverse range of riders. Short story is that if you're a typical MAMIL then your odds in the ballot are pretty low - it's a massively over-subscribed group.
There are other ways in though. Aside from the charity places, cycling clubs can also apply for team places and a lot of the people I ride with have had success that way in the past.
Zero chance then, as 43yrs old !!There are other ways in though. Aside from the charity places, cycling clubs can also apply for team places and a lot of the people I ride with have had success that way in the past.
yellowjack said:
Preparing for the same rejection notice, but a slightly different 'consolation' magazine next February. I'll be 45 years old then, and no club, no previous sportive experience, and a projected finishing time of around 6hr 40min (it took me 7hr 50min to do 113 miles solo, open roads, on mostly the same route this year, but not as part of the event itself). I've failed to get a place via the ballot every year so far, yet some riders have ridden every year since it started.
I've applied 3 years in a row and got nothing - have had friends who've ridden it the last 3 years in a row...
All the crashes, two deaths, and unpredictable weather have mitigated my disappointment at not getting a place most years, to be fair. This year, I rode most of the route in the afternoon, after the roads had reopened. Aside from a bit of company, I got to experience most of the route, minus the London bits north of Kingston, but got all the climbs done. I won't be massively disappointed now, if I don't get in again. Apart from shockingly early start times, timing mats, congestion on climbs, and water stops, did I really miss much?
rs4al said:
Zero chance then, as 43yrs old !!
Ditto. Entered every year, not ridden in any year.(Except yr one as a business entry, where I rode the first leg and only the guy who rode the last leg got a medal)
Pretty galling that they ask how many times you're entered and ridden, the assumption being there are people who've ridden every year.
This ^^
Something like 25 thousand folks rode it. A few complained, mostly (I suspect) as a result of having inappropriate starting slots; I tend to think it's a case of the 'vocal minority'. Done it twice; last year in the wet as a club entry which was miserable and utterly brilliant, and this year in the dry which was epic via a ballot place.
I'd highly recommend it, but bear in mind when estimating your time that you'll go massively faster than you would on a regular ride due to a) not stopping for every light, junction etc., and b) drafting. I reckon at least half to 3/4 of an hour.
Something like 25 thousand folks rode it. A few complained, mostly (I suspect) as a result of having inappropriate starting slots; I tend to think it's a case of the 'vocal minority'. Done it twice; last year in the wet as a club entry which was miserable and utterly brilliant, and this year in the dry which was epic via a ballot place.
I'd highly recommend it, but bear in mind when estimating your time that you'll go massively faster than you would on a regular ride due to a) not stopping for every light, junction etc., and b) drafting. I reckon at least half to 3/4 of an hour.
Mr Will said:
Yes. The atmosphere and support from the crowds make it the most special event I've ever cycled. Very different to a regular sportive and it's got me looking at the continental gran-fondos to try and find something similar.
The Italian Fondo I did was big on occasion, for me at least, but small on spectators. There's a Gran Fondo or two somewhere in the country every weekend so there's little novelty value for the public. If it's cheering and support from crowds you want then I can wholeheartedly recommend the Tour of Cambridgeshire. 
Hackney said:
rs4al said:
Zero chance then, as 43yrs old !!
Ditto. Entered every year, not ridden in any year.(Except yr one as a business entry, where I rode the first leg and only the guy who rode the last leg got a medal)
Pretty galling that they ask how many times you're entered and ridden, the assumption being there are people who've ridden every year.
You are asked to give a time for one of a few recent sportives as part of the entry. Will they check these times?
One of the events is the Cheshire Cat. The time in that this year through a hurricane and a downpour, over Mow Cop is surely no guide to a time on Surrey on closed roads in the summer!
Steve
One of the events is the Cheshire Cat. The time in that this year through a hurricane and a downpour, over Mow Cop is surely no guide to a time on Surrey on closed roads in the summer!
Steve
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