Lessons from the road: Ride London
Traffic-free roads should be a regular occurrence in major cities, to reduce pollution and remind people about the simple pleasure of riding a bike (Grab any old bike and have fun, not ‘shave your legs and squeeze into a skin-suit’).
The world needs more bikes and fewer cars. Events like the FreeCycle, Ride London 100 and the Surrey Classic are helping the capital slowly achieve this goal and mindset.
I wanted to contribute, to encourage more people to take part in Ride London events; to help people have a positive experience, achieve their goals, get around safely and promote cycling to the masses.
That’s why I became a Rider Safety Captain at the Ride London 100.
The role
To be an ambassador for cycling safely during the Ride London 100 event. Focusing on rider behaviour and encouraging/supporting riders to get the best out of themselves.
‘LOOK – THINK – COMMUNICATE’ has been drilled into me from a young age and practiced on weekly club rides. When you ride as a chain, pace-line or social group you are ‘one vehicle’ not ‘one rider’. While on the front - passengers are your responsibility.
I’m used to driving a mini-bus (6-8 riders), but this time I was driving a double-decker bus (50+ riders).
Responsibilities:
Improve and encourage communication
Provide advice on poor riding skills and friendly guidance for safe cycling
Share information on the Ride that is helpful to participants
Assist in case of an incident until event resources are available
I was armed with:
A whistle (apparently, a BB gun ‘isn’t OK’ 😉) to alert riders behaving dangerously, or call attention to a situation
A Safety Captain jersey provided by Castelli - to give presence.
2x inner-tubes provided by Continental
A few Pursu endurance bars to make sure no one ‘bonked’.
What situations did I face and need to correct?
Changing line suddenly, undertaking without calling it, dive-bombing on corners, not calling out road furniture or pointing at pot-holes, dropping litter, and my biggest bugbear of all - riders staring at their Garmin/Wahoo & not concentrating on the road ahead.
What did I learn and what advice can I give?
Club Cyclists
Most of the riders in my wave were experienced club cyclists, some needed the odd safety reminder, but the standard was very high. Non-club riders needed a bit of advice, but the group dynamic became strong, self-aware and responsible after 40km or so.
I strongly advise keen cyclists to join a local British Cycling registered club, the older the better. You can learn from the experience of older riders, and find sparring partners to challenge you -
“The only way to get smarter is by playing a smarter opponent.”
Bike Fit
Some riders were really starting to suffer after 100km, not with their fitness levels - with comfort. Lot’s of riders were shaking out numb hands and rolling shoulders due to poor bike-fit.
Invest time in your fit. People are obsessed with long slammed stems and trying to get aero, in my experience comfort = speed, especially during long events.
Focus on your:
Saddle Height
Saddle tilt and layback
Reach
Drop
Experiment and adjust your position over time. Your fit evolves with you. Get lower and more aerodynamic as you become more flexible. If you suffer an injury - adjust accordingly. Your bike should look and feel like a part of you.
(Go and see a professional if you need help.)
Gender Equality
There was an entertaining level of toxic masculinity and unconscious bias on the road. Guy’s, let the women do some work on the front and don’t be offended if they are stronger than you.
Riding in a mixed group creates a really great dynamic. Our sport is making great progress with equality, but we still have a long way to go. Be a part of the solution, not the problem. Call out other people if you witness anything that doesn’t sit well with you.
The Ride
I know these roads like the back of my hand. Box Hill usually bores me to death, so a bit of healthy half-wheeling made it more entertaining. Ride London 100 helped me realise that I take my home roads for granted.
The highlight of my ride was entering the embankment. The ‘peloton’ really started to get hot, everyone wanted to move towards the front for a sprint finish. I used this as an opportunity to take a few riders on my wheel, switch on the afterburners and lead out the sprint. I peeled off and sat-up when we entered the Mall and enjoyed watching my group battle it out.
I received a few ‘thank-you’s’ at the end, which was nice. It’s good to know that I did my job.
So, what’s the best form of training for Ride London 100? Regular training. Keep it simple and fit it into your lifestyle and commitments.
As a general rule, my grandfather used to say - “become the master of half the distance”. That always seems to work well enough. When you can comfortably do 50miles at pace - 100 will feel… Okay...
The Pros
After spending the morning feeling like a pro - having closed roads, crowds and supporters on the roadside, marshals, police escorts, etc, you gain deeper insight and respect for what the real pros go through.
Watching the Surrey Classic immediately after the Sportive was incredible. You can position yourself in their shoes - because you experienced the same roads and relative effort. The race started in my back garden, so that was nice.
2020
Will I be back next year? Hell yea.
Removing the pressure of ‘getting a fast time’ and focusing on helping others was hugely rewarding. I did the whole ‘Sportive race’ thing back in 2016, setting a sub 4hr time with my club mates. I have no idea what time I set this year and I don’t care, I was there to help other people reach their time targets, and finish with a smile/grimace on their face.
Yes, there were a few hairy moments: bottles falling out of cages, hitting pot-holes, narrowly avoiding traffic bollards, rubbing elbows and hitting the brakes unexpectedly - but that’s to be expected and that’s why Ride London needs Safety Captains.
Fire any questions in the comments below.
Gareth.