Ditchling Beacon - anyone done it?
Discussion
I'm a pretty casual road cyclist so I thought I'd strech my legs a bit and make the trip from london to brighton.
No problems in covering the distance itself, although the heat and backpack didnt help - but I got half way up the beacon and had to stop - I was f'ing knackered. This is despite the fact I had sure I kept sipping water the whole way, and I stopped off for a sarnie half way.
I'm going to go back and tackle the b
d in a few weeks time - is it just me or is it a bit of a slog - especially after having done 60 odd miles from north east london??
No problems in covering the distance itself, although the heat and backpack didnt help - but I got half way up the beacon and had to stop - I was f'ing knackered. This is despite the fact I had sure I kept sipping water the whole way, and I stopped off for a sarnie half way.
I'm going to go back and tackle the b
d in a few weeks time - is it just me or is it a bit of a slog - especially after having done 60 odd miles from north east london??I did the L2B when I was about 23 (long time ago lol) and I was only a casual cyclist too with no formal training beforehand (it was a rash lets do the London to Brighton work thing) and I got up Ditchling in one go on a good old Halfords special Peugeot road bike.
The trick is avoiding all the people in front of you weaving about and keeping your momentum.
I think my fitness was down to being pole vaulter and a ski instructor at the time.
The trick is avoiding all the people in front of you weaving about and keeping your momentum.
I think my fitness was down to being pole vaulter and a ski instructor at the time.
I think that part of the problem is that there are seemingly flat bits which appear to offer respite but are actually still quite steep. They just sap your will. Much better to go the other way - I even overtook a car on the final part of the descent once, whilst suffering from a heavy dose of red mist.
The_Jackal said:
I did the L2B when I was about 23 (long time ago lol) and I was only a casual cyclist too with no formal training beforehand (it was a rash lets do the London to Brighton work thing) and I got up Ditchling in one go on a good old Halfords special Peugeot road bike.
The trick is avoiding all the people in front of you weaving about and keeping your momentum.
I think my fitness was down to being pole vaulter and a ski instructor at the time.
I'm a 25 year old, slightly overweight solicitor, who, asides from cycling to work and maybe doing the odd 30 miler of a weekend does no other major exercise.The trick is avoiding all the people in front of you weaving about and keeping your momentum.
I think my fitness was down to being pole vaulter and a ski instructor at the time.
However and that said I am not in bad shape, and think that I am fit enought to manage the beacon, but I was quite tired by this point, and also hit a bit of a "wall" when faced with it, which is quite unlike me. Perhaps it was the heat. I also find it hard sometime to concentrate on the job in hand as I find cycling a good way to relieve stress from work, which is good in some ways, but not in others.
In any case I'll be going back in a few weeks to settle the score.
Edited by princeperch on Sunday 25th April 13:09
It's definitely a good place to help you focus. You have to do things every now and then that push you a bit further, especially mind over matter type things.
Your body is capable you just have to tell your brain that it is, so it can send the signals to your legs and lungs to keep working lol
Your body is capable you just have to tell your brain that it is, so it can send the signals to your legs and lungs to keep working lol
I might head down this week and give it a go.
Anyone got an exact London - Brighton GPX or KML File? or a link to the route?
Looks scenic.
http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=50.901057...
Anyone got an exact London - Brighton GPX or KML File? or a link to the route?
Looks scenic.
http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=50.901057...
Edited by el stovey on Sunday 25th April 23:02
On the L2B it's doable on a double. I'm not the fittest man in the world, far from it in fact, but I got up it on 39*23 gearing. The key thing that worked for me was not to go too hard in the early stages of the day. Then if you can avoid the crowds going up you should be fine.
I did do a trial run recee a couple of weeks before but my map was the highly sophisticated version of photocopied bits of road map with the route highlighted on then stuck together with sellotape
Oh and yes I did want woofers and tweeters with that (copyright NTNON)
Chris
I did do a trial run recee a couple of weeks before but my map was the highly sophisticated version of photocopied bits of road map with the route highlighted on then stuck together with sellotape
Oh and yes I did want woofers and tweeters with that (copyright NTNON)Chris
. I got up Ditchling on a double last year without any problems. You have to shout at people to get out of the way, and my pride was rather dented by a 12 year old who WHEELIED past me, but I did it. - AS ABOVE** in reguards to the L2B I have a 8.30 start and will be doing an OK pace (mates are quite slow on MTBS):
I love hills and like to push myself flat out, out the saddle all the way up hopefully top or if I have to on middle ring, I was really looking forward to the beacon last time I did the L2B yet all the bloody people pushing got in the way: ITS A CYCLE RIDE NOT A FECKING HIKE, GET ON THE BIKE YOU GAMMON SLIPPERS OR WALK SINGLE FILE UP THE HILL. Some actually tutted as I rode past them quite close, becuse they were blocking the way!
Anyway, what time does the traffic start building on the beacon?
If you leave at 8:30am you'll be in traffic all the way, and you'll spend large parts of the day standing still. Hills will be hard to ride because of the traffic.
Going out by 7:30am should be OK. You'll need to ask people to move over on the hills at times, but Ditchling should be fine.
The problem on L2B is that you get a lot of people who don't otherwise ride a bike, and who relax on the closed roads and therefore forget their "roadcraft." If you're going through at any pace you need to have your wits about you, and your hands near the brakes.
Going out by 7:30am should be OK. You'll need to ask people to move over on the hills at times, but Ditchling should be fine.
The problem on L2B is that you get a lot of people who don't otherwise ride a bike, and who relax on the closed roads and therefore forget their "roadcraft." If you're going through at any pace you need to have your wits about you, and your hands near the brakes.
I've done it twice on the London 2 Brighton - and if you can manage to dodge casualties on the way up. It's do-able I reckon, you just have to keep your head down and focus on keeping the pedals going round.
First time I did it was on a mountain bike with slicks, - in lowest gear it was quite easy. Then second tiem was on a 2 ring road bike, much quicker, but much harder on the legs.
Actually I have done it three times - but I crossed it sideways doing the South Downs Way on a mountain bike.
First time I did it was on a mountain bike with slicks, - in lowest gear it was quite easy. Then second tiem was on a 2 ring road bike, much quicker, but much harder on the legs.
Actually I have done it three times - but I crossed it sideways doing the South Downs Way on a mountain bike.
Stuart said:
If you leave at 8:30am you'll be in traffic all the way, and you'll spend large parts of the day standing still. Hills will be hard to ride because of the traffic.
Going out by 7:30am should be OK. You'll need to ask people to move over on the hills at times, but Ditchling should be fine.
The problem on L2B is that you get a lot of people who don't otherwise ride a bike, and who relax on the closed roads and therefore forget their "roadcraft." If you're going through at any pace you need to have your wits about you, and your hands near the brakes.
So true Stuart, me and my pals have been rideing non stop since we were toddlers (late 20s now) and roadcraft comes "naturally" where as some of the riders on the ride drift into their own world at times!Going out by 7:30am should be OK. You'll need to ask people to move over on the hills at times, but Ditchling should be fine.
The problem on L2B is that you get a lot of people who don't otherwise ride a bike, and who relax on the closed roads and therefore forget their "roadcraft." If you're going through at any pace you need to have your wits about you, and your hands near the brakes.
Is it easy enough to turn up earlier than your agreed slot? Ie a slot for 8.30m but turn up at 7.30?
TwistingMyMelon said:
Stuart said:
If you leave at 8:30am you'll be in traffic all the way, and you'll spend large parts of the day standing still. Hills will be hard to ride because of the traffic.
Going out by 7:30am should be OK. You'll need to ask people to move over on the hills at times, but Ditchling should be fine.
The problem on L2B is that you get a lot of people who don't otherwise ride a bike, and who relax on the closed roads and therefore forget their "roadcraft." If you're going through at any pace you need to have your wits about you, and your hands near the brakes.
So true Stuart, me and my pals have been rideing non stop since we were toddlers (late 20s now) and roadcraft comes "naturally" where as some of the riders on the ride drift into their own world at times!Going out by 7:30am should be OK. You'll need to ask people to move over on the hills at times, but Ditchling should be fine.
The problem on L2B is that you get a lot of people who don't otherwise ride a bike, and who relax on the closed roads and therefore forget their "roadcraft." If you're going through at any pace you need to have your wits about you, and your hands near the brakes.
Is it easy enough to turn up earlier than your agreed slot? Ie a slot for 8.30m but turn up at 7.30?
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