London to Brighton 2004 Ride



Ianmel

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Jan 23, 2004
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I have just found out that my cheque for entry to this years London to Brighton ride has been cashed. I need to make sure i can book a hotel up for the night before so i asked the BHF if cashing my cheque meant i had a place on the ride. All they would say is that all those who have been accepted will get notifaction in March. Daft question, but surely if they have cashed a cheque that means your in? Can anyone who has done the ride confirm this please?
 
"Ianmel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have just found out that my cheque for entry to this years London to Brighton ride has been
> cashed. I need to make sure i can book a hotel up for the night before so i asked the BHF if
> cashing my cheque meant i had a place on the ride. All they would say is that all those who have
> been accepted will get notifaction in March. Daft question, but surely if they have cashed a
> cheque that means your in? Can anyone who has done the ride confirm this please?

Just from a business level, I doubt it means for sure. They will bank all the cheques, make some
money on interest, and then return the monies of those not in. However, you've probably got my place
as I'm not returning my priority form. Enjoy :)
 
Ianmel wrote:

> I have just found out that my cheque for entry to this years London to Brighton ride has been
> cashed. I need to make sure i can book a hotel up for the night before so i asked the BHF if
> cashing my cheque meant i had a place on the ride. All they would say is that all those who have
> been accepted will get notifaction in March. Daft question, but surely if they have cashed a
> cheque that means your in? Can anyone who has done the ride confirm this please?

Might be the old scam:

1) Advertise something in the Press that you know will be grossly oversubscribed...100 adult videos
for £5, or even a BHF charity ride.

2) To keep on the right side of the law, you must fulfil the first few orders, but you can cash ALL
the cheques.

3) Promptly write to all the unsuccessful buyers enclosing your own cheque as a refund. The scam
works because you have registered a company and opened a bank account under the name "John Smith
Hard **** Ltd", which of course appears on each refund cheque.

4) After six months, the uncashed refund cheques are void and you get to keep the money!

Only joking ;-)
 
Sorry to bring this back to the top again but what stops you going along even if they try to stop you? Just start around the corner and at your choice of time. If they ask where your number is just say that it fell offor something.

That is probably what I am going to do as I'm going to attempt to TT it and leave at the first time, so I don't want to be stuck behind everyone.

I'll probably see you there, I'm the guy wearing Domina vacanze kit!
 
Gonzo21 <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Sorry to bring this back to the top again but what stops you going along even if they try to stop
> you? Just start around the corner and at your choice of time. If they ask where your number is
> just say that it fell offor something.

>> You can pay on the day, they have a tent for this purpose even
though they don't advertise it.
>
> That is probably what I am going to do as I'm going to attempt to TT it and leave at the first
> time, so I don't want to be stuck behind everyone.

> IT IS NOT A RACE!!! it clearly says that on the entry form. By all means try to finish in a
> reasonable time but don't be surprised if you get loads of complaints from fellow riders if you
> treat it as a TT and ignore marshalls instructions, and if you have a prang with no number don't
> expect any help from the emergency services en route. If a TT is what you want to do find
> another ride.
>
> I'll probably see you there, I'm the guy wearing Domina vacanze kit!
>
>
>
> --
 
Gonzo21 <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Sorry to bring this back to the top again but what stops you going along even if they try to stop
> you? Just start around the corner and at your choice of time. If they ask where your number is
> just say that it fell offor something.
>
> That is probably what I am going to do as I'm going to attempt to TT it and leave at the first
> time, so I don't want to be stuck behind everyone.
>

IT IS NOT A RACE!!! it clearly says that on the entry form. By all means try to finish in a
reasonable time but don't be surprised if you get loads of complaints from fellow riders if you
treat it as a TT and ignore marshalls instructions etc, and if you have a prang with no number don't
expect any help from the emergency services en route. If a TT is what you want to do find another
ride. Out of interest, I have been at the start at 9.16 to hear that the first rider had just
arrived having left at 6.00, so don't expect a fast time anyway.
 
Gonzo21 <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Sorry to bring this back to the top again but what stops you going along even if they try to stop
> you? Just start around the corner and at your choice of time. If they ask where your number is
> just say that it fell offor something.

They can't stop you. It's a public road and you have as much right to be on it as the
official entrants.

> That is probably what I am going to do as I'm going to attempt to TT it and leave at the first
> time, so I don't want to be stuck behind everyone.

That's a good idea - the earlier the better. Firstly you won't be adding to the congestion; secondly
you might have a chance of actually getting somewhere.

--
Dave...
 
[email protected] (MartinM) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> IT IS NOT A RACE!!! it clearly says that on the entry form.

What entry form? He's riding the route as a private individual.

> By all means try to finish in a reasonable time but don't be surprised if you get loads of
> complaints from fellow riders if you treat it as a TT and ignore marshalls instructions etc, and
> if you have a prang with no number don't expect any help from the emergency services en route.

As long as he goes early, and is as fast and fit as he thinks he is, he won't be in anyone's way. If
he gets caught in the crowds then he'll just have to trundle and I agree that any attempt to go fast
would be anti-social if not downright dangerous.

> I have been at the start at 9.16 to hear that the first rider had just arrived having left at
> 6.00, so don't expect a fast time anyway.

A 6:00 start would be about right.

--
Dave...
 
IT IS NOT A RACE!!! it clearly says that on the entry form. By all means try to finish in a reasonable time but don't be surprised if you get loads of complaints from fellow riders if you treat it as a TT and ignore marshalls instructions, and if you have a prang with no number don't expect any help from the emergency services en route. If a TT is what you want to do find another ride.

The reason that they say it is not a race is so that little old dear on her 1950s bike isn't put off. I intend to drop all slow people from the start and so I won't get in anyones way.

I did it 2 years ago, leaving at about 7:30. I got stuck behind loads of people and did it in 5 hours. That was on a hybrid in non bike clothing. Now I have been training up throughout winter, mainly for the puropse of racing but I want to do this even, raise some money and get a good time.

If I leave at 6 and average 22-25mph I'm not going to get in the way of slow peope, and I will obey marshals (on TTs I usually slow down at juctions even if the marshal waves me through, just to be safe!).
 
Forgot to add that last time I did it I didn't do any stops and so I doubt I will do any this time. Besides I'm entering normally and so I don't see a problem.
 
Gonzo21 wrote:
> The reason that they say it is not a race is so that little old dear on her 1950s bike isn't
> put off.

<G>During last year's Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride (I only did the 9 mile "Family Fiesta" ride)
someone yelled "it's not a race" as I passed them with a fair speed differential while riding at
a very comfortable speed towing my daughter's trailer up the Portway.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine
 
[email protected] (Dave Kahn) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (MartinM) wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>
> > IT IS NOT A RACE!!! it clearly says that on the entry form.
>
> What entry form? He's riding the route as a private individual.
>
> > By all means try to finish in a reasonable time but don't be surprised if you get loads of
> > complaints from fellow riders if you treat it as a TT and ignore marshalls instructions etc, and
> > if you have a prang with no number don't expect any help from the emergency services en route.
>
> As long as he goes early, and is as fast and fit as he thinks he is, he won't be in anyone's way.
> If he gets caught in the crowds then he'll just have to trundle and I agree that any attempt to go
> fast would be anti-social if not downright dangerous.
>
> > I have been at the start at 9.16 to hear that the first rider had just arrived having left at
> > 6.00, so don't expect a fast time anyway.
>
> A 6:00 start would be about right.

I agree about starting early to avoid the crowds. I had to ride along about a mile of the route
once on the way to another ride and it was very early, only a handful of riders at Walstead by
about 0800. Had to ride back the same way later on that day and they were dropping like flies (year
2000, melting roads)

The issue of unregistered riders is a tricky one. They say they limit entries to 27k for safety, is
that because of all the extra riders that they know will swell it to over 50k? it's not is if you
are doing the BHF out of cash if you ride as an extra, I just heard once that it was in danger of
getting closed down due to too many riders so I would always avoid it myself unless officially
entered. (would avoid it now anyway, it used to be fun, now just a gridlock, IOW is much better);-(
 
Gonzo21 <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<DD7%[email protected]>...
> Forgot to add that last time I did it I didn't do any stops and so I doubt I will do any this
> time. Besides I'm entering normally and so I don't see a problem.
>

Good luck, 3.15 is the time to beat. Does Domina vacanze mean holiday on a Sunday? not on June 20th,
at least not until you reach Brighton ;-)
 
"Danny Colyer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> During last year's Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride (I only did the 9 mile "Family Fiesta" ride)
> someone yelled "it's not a race" as I passed them with a fair speed differential while riding at a
> very comfortable speed towing my daughter's trailer up the Portway.

Non-cyclists who jump on a bike for this sort of thing, especially if they're generally fit, are
just not ready for the speed differential between them and someone who does a reasonable mileage, so
they assume you're going for it when you potter gently past them. The problem with this kind of
remark is that it's irritating to receive and difficult to think of a suitable riposte without being
gratuitously offensive.

How about:

- It's not a slow-race.

- I've got my brakes on but the baby won't stop pedalling.

- I know, but I don't want to waste this EPO jab.

- I'm trying to catch the break so I can tell them.

--
Dave...
 
MartinM wrote:

> On the subject of marsalling; we had some _guest_ riders on our evening 10 last year, one of who
> thought my job was to stop cars and shout _clear?_ on the junction I was marsalling while he
> crossed both centre lines to turn left into a busy road, all because he wanted to win (he didn't).
> In my book that is called cheating;-(

And effin' dangerous but quite common in the obsession to slice that precious second off one's PB.
Sod everyone else.

John B
 
Dave Kahn wrote:
> Non-cyclists who jump on a bike for this sort of thing, especially if they're generally fit, are
> just not ready for the speed differential between them and someone who does a reasonable mileage,
<snip>
> How about:
<snip>
> - I know, but I don't want to waste this EPO jab.
>
> - I'm trying to catch the break so I can tell them.

I think these two would go right over the head of a non-cyclist.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine
 
Originally posted by JohnB
MartinM wrote:

On the subject of marsalling; we had some _guest_ riders on our evening 10 last year, one of who thought my job was to stop cars and shout _clear?_ on the junction I was marsalling while he crossed both centre lines to turn left into a busy road, all because he wanted to win (he didn't).
In my book that is called cheating;-(

And effin' dangerous but quite common in the obsession to slice that precious second off one's PB.
Sod everyone else.

John B

That is what happens on my club 10s, hence perhaps that is what they were expecting, after all I thought that was the point of the marshal. And if someone has got the full aero kit to save a couple of seonds then they are not going to want to lose all the advantages just because of waiting at an intersection.

£:15 was mentioned as the time to beat, what is that time. the course record is about 2 hours I think.
 
Gonzo21 <[email protected]> wrote:
: JohnB wrote:
: > MartinM wrote: On the subject of marsalling; we had some _guest_ riders on our evening 10 last
: > year, one of who thought my job was to stop cars and shout _clear?_

: That is what happens on my club 10s, hence perhaps that is what they were expecting, after all I
: thought that was the point of the marshal.

To stop cars? I've never ridden a TT where the marshalls stopped the cars. Road races yes, but TT's
no. Some TT marshalls do shout "clear" however at our club we now put the following in the start
sheet and in the notes for helpers

"marshalls have been instructed to show direction only. The responsibility for checking that it is
safe to proceed rests with the rider"

(that's not word for word but you get the idea)

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org "Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook