Getting involved with the London to Brighton Bike Ride

A full English and a sausage bap, but where's my eggs?

It's been a while since we've been to Merstham, or at least it seems that way; I can't remember the last time I tucked in to scrambled eggs on toast but there I was on Saturday, with Andy and Jon, doing just that. The weather was good too, not great, but not bad, and rain was the last thing on our minds. To top it all, shaving man was there, but he wasn't shaving, just mumbling to himself and smoking his pipe. Very odd.

Jon and Andy eat breakfast

Jon and I went back via Markedge Lane, that's quite a tough hill, and I reached home around 11am. Sunday had to be cut short as I had to work in the afternoon, just for a couple of hours, so we headed off for Woodmansterne Green and got caught up in a bit of the London to Brighton cycle ride. If you've read the previous post to this one, you'll see that somebody died on the ride and now I'm beginning to wonder whether he passed us as we sat on Joyce Lowther's bench drinking tea.

Riders on the London to Brighton cycle ride 2010

I've riden on the London to Brighton many times. Once, after two pints of Young's, I went over Ditchling Beacon without stopping or leaving the saddle, that was on my old Marin Bear Valley SE. The last time I took part was in 2007 (on the Kona) and I came off, right at the end, just past the Brighton Pavilion. I had this ridiculous bag slung over my shoulder and the strap came undone, I lost balance and wham, down I went. I cut up my shoulder, my arms, my hands, not pleasant, but I still finished the ride and got my medal and then I had to sit on a coach, all the way to Clapham Common, sore and a little sunburnt.

The return of Shaving Man

Jon doesn't like the idea of doing the London-Brighton and I'm not sure if Andy's that keen either, but they're missing out on a good laugh. I reckon No Visible Lycra should put in a team for the 2011 ride (thoughts, gents?). Mind you, I reckon if we're going to do it we should stay over in Brighton, in a Premier Inn and come back the following day. I'm up for it! And if we book the hotel rooms early they won't cost a thing.



Big, sponsored bike rides are great fun: you stop at the pub on the way down, you have a few beers and then you head in to Brighton; and if we were staying over somewhere we could have more beers! Sounds like a plan to me, so keep the Sunday in June free, it'll be around the same time of the month.