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how hilly


bertie
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I have signed up for a charity bike ride from Crystal Palace to Reims despite not having ridden a bike for 30 years! Although I am riding my bike most days I am having nightmares about the terrain. We are cycling from Crystal Palace to Newhaven and then through Dieppe,Gournay en Bray, Beauvais, Compeigne, Soissons before arriving at Reims. Has anyone had any experience of cycling along this route and if so , how hilly is it?

Thanks

Eillen

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Probably the lumpyist bit is on the UK side.  You have to get over the Tanners (Turners?) Hill then the South Downs at Ditchling Beacon, from then on it's downhill all the way, well almost. It's reasonably flat but can be a bit windy.

 A friend of mine did it a few years back but only made it as far as Calais.  They took the London-Dover-Calais route. Did he run out of puff?  Trouble with the Chalfonts?   No.  Got to Calais no probs, went to hotel, showered changed etc and while going out for a meal, forgot that the traffic came from the 'wrong' side and was hit by a bus when crossing the road. Glancing blow but he got concussion etc. Needless to say that everyone who sponsered him laughed like drains when we heard.

 

Good Luck!!

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The mistakes people often make on these rides are::

1. Position on the bike: Make sure that your saddle is at the right height for a comfortable ride. As a rough guide place your heel on the pedal whilst seated and your leg should just be bent a little.

2. Don't use chunky mountain bike tyres, change them for slicks or semi slicks (worth the investment)

3. When pedalling, use the ball of your foot. Do not put the pedal in the middle or arch of your foot.

Hope this helps

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Ian is spot on with his advice.  So often I see people riding with the saddle too low so their knees come almost up to their chins.  It must be so uncomfortable and tiring.  I find cycling gloves (the ones without fingers) are good for long distance and take some strain off the hands.  Lastly, WATER, lots and lots of.  So easy to become dehydrated and as Rays Mears sais, thirst is a very poor indicator of hydration.
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Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice and practice more.

One month before the event you should be in a condition to do 80 miles a weekend without strain.

This was the advice given to me 8 years ago when I did another charity ride in Australia, I followed it and started training 3 months before, whilst I did not actually get to the required standard (after 80 miles a weekend I was quite knackered) at least I could carry on each day after the strain of the day before.

Most people that did, it despite being much younger than me, were woefully inadequate, the majority of them having done their training on a static bike in a gym!

Some even had problems riding a "real" bike and had no comprehension of what gears were for and how to use them.

Editted

I second the advice re chunky tyres, the bikes we used were provided by the orgainisers but I actually took my road tyres with me and was jolly glad that I did.

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Thanks for all the advice. I am now in France for a few weeks and I am trying to ride here but I am in the foothills of the Pyrenees and the trouble with going downhill is that you have to come back up!

Do semi slick tyres have smooth sides?  I have a hybrid bike, would they be fine on it? 

To keep my feet in the correct position I have changed the pedals and bought cycling shoes which click on to the pedals. I was told you only fall off once as it is a quick (and potentially painful) learning curve. I hope so as I fell in front of a queue of traffic on my way back from having them fitted.[:)]

You are right about the gears JR. I went on a training day to learn how to use gears, it was amazing the difference it made.

Eillen

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You can have slick tyres that are slick all over, or some that are slick in the middle but nobbly on the sides. If you have a hybrid ordinary road tyres will do. Good for you clipping in with the pedals. Makes a lot of difference.

Ian

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Eileen

Using the SPD pedal system you have can greatly increase your power when climbing those big hills that you are afraid of but it will take a bit of practice.

You need to get into the rythm of pushing down on one pedal (as normal) whilst pulling up on the other, that way both legs are being used all the time albeit with the lifting leg being less powerfull than the pusher!

Sorry if this is stating the obvious to you but as you had taken a course to learn the gears and hadn't ridden for many years I guessed it may not have been.

Good luck on the ride

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  • 1 month later...

i hope you have completed the ride and feel a real sense of achievement.

 My husband has been riding bikes for a number of year and this year has persuaded me do complete the London to brighton 54 miles, charity ride with him  (this sunday)  i have been practicing as stated in this thread and have now got half slicks on my bike which make a lot of difference, i am really looking forward to the ride and in preperation have completed, 22k in the vendee at easter, for local fotball team, 30mile ride in oxford for breast cancer and last sunday 26 miles for lukemia,  and on sunday for british heart foundation. so not only am i a lot fitter losts of charities have benifitted as well.

There is definntely an art to riding the bike properly that is part of the fun learning. 

So hope all you pushbikers out there are having as much fun as i am this year.[:D]

J

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Good for you!  I gave up doing the London to Brighton when it became too much of a zoo with to many people taking part.  I understand its a lot better now but its a bit of a way for me to get to the start.  I always clocked it closer to 60 miles than the advertised 54 ish, and not just me, my fellow riders did the same but good luck and give my regards to Ditchling Beacon!!
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Thanks Pierre ZFP

Ditchiling beacon has been mentioned to me a few times and someone  offered to sponsor me £50 if i could get all the way up. However i dont think i will manage it with all the people dodging that you have to do as well but will give it a go.

About 26000 people doing it this year so should be interesting.

How long did it take you from start ot finish?  Can i beat it i wonder?[:D]

J

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I seem to remember it took me around 5 hours +  but it used to take more than an hour for the first 5 miles from the start.  I'm sure you'll do much better.  I never came close to doing Ditchling in one go but the good thing about it is that when you get to the top it's downhill all the way!!!
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I think it will take me a little longer than that Pierre, were going in a group of 21 and will be going at the slowest ones speed so could take all day, but never mind, i'm in for the fun and it has given me somthing to aim towards for the last 5 months.

MOH is thinking about doing a 24 hour in july with a team just for fun as well so might get roped into that one as well.  But thats a 10mile VTT course, i can do it, so i keep telling my self, have been around connock chase a couple of times now so know what sort of think to expect. [blink]

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We set off tomorrow from Crystal Palace at 7.30am so apologies in advance to anyone on the road from there to Newhaven! I have done lots of training including a 90km day followed by a 50km day two weeks ago. I am a lot fitter but I still have trouble on steep hills. Maybe if I get behind the fast riders I will get dragged along.[:)]

It is looking a bit wet in France and I don't have any waterproof trousers as I get too hot in them so I need some sun to dry out in between the showers.

I will let you know how I get on, at the moment I am feeling quite nervous but I'm sure I will be fine once it starts.

Happy pedalling

Eillen

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Well Pierre i didn't manage to beat your time, it took 8.45 hours  not that we went slowly when we were riding the bikes, took over 2 hours to walk out of london because of the crush, cars, traffic lights etc, then when we did get going we were stopped for about an hour as some poor people had some bad accidents, but we finally got there at 6.15 and ther were still some people clapping so it was really nice, and best of all the rain stayed away.  

 MY other half managed to ride alll the way up ditchling beacon without stopping and he is no light weight bless him, i am very proud of him,  anyway not going to sit on a bike for at least a week.

J[blink]

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Congratulations and well done!  The time is irrelevant, it has taken me that long on the London to Oxford ride! and its not down to your ability but due to external factors.  It's a great feeling at the finish though isn't it?   Much respect to your OH for Ditchling!  For me, it was just a monster too big to conquer.  Maybe once upon a time ........ I remember now that I stopped doing Lon to Brighton when there were fewer than 20 000 riders and I thought it a zoo for all the things you said above and you had many more than that to cope with. 

An achievement you will remember for a long time I think - when are you doing the next one?  [;-)]

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Well apart from not wanting to sit on a saddle for a while!!!!!

OH thinking of entering a team to the twentyfour7 at cotswold farm park next month, just for fun category with others who enjoy the atmophere etc but dont want to make it a competition.  Sound like fun and somthing else to achieve.

J

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I did it! There were times when I didn't which bit ached more but I am glad I did it. The first day followed the London to Brighton route for most of the way but we headed off to Newhaven.

 I thought Normandy was flat but I now know differently! I was amazed at how beautiful Normandy was, not at all as I imagined it. The cathedral at Reims was wonderful and we managed to find enough energy to party into the early hours. I am wondering what to do next but it will definately involve cycling.

Eillen

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