London to Brighton Rider Stories – Shelley (Total Newbie Rider)

Why I took on the London to Brighton Bike Ride

A year ago, my fitness levels were pretty low. I’d completely fallen out of the habit of working out, and whenever that happens, my stress levels go up and feel tired 90% of the time.

London to Brighton gave me a challenge to focus on and a date to work towards. Motivation to work out has always been a struggle for me (especially as my family has grown, and my free time has shrunk… and shrunk… and shrunk!).

Having signed up, I made time to train – squeezed into my day whenever and however I could (and being the Fundraiser for The Loss Foundation, I also knew taking part would give me helpful first-hand knowledge – like the stuff I’m sharing today).

How I Prepared for L2B

Before this event, I hadn’t ridden a bike for more than 20 years (I’m talking wobbly on our first few practice rides). This was our first training session (it took a while to get used to gears again – I can’t recall if my childhood bike even had two sets of gears! 😬).

Note on My Bike

I had zero knowledge about bikes before this ride (and didn’t even own a bike). For training and the day itself, I borrowed my sister’s bike, which was a hybrid (half way between a road bike and a mountain bike). This was the exact model for anyone interested.

Overview of L2B Prep

• I walked as much as I could – like extra weekend family walks, and switched the car for walking the school run.
• I cycled 66 miles in total – on canals and in parks – over seven practice rides (this wasn’t enough – which I cover further in this post).
• My longest ride was 17 miles which took 1 hour 40 minutes (which wasn’t far enough either!).
• I’d also squeeze in the odd 5k treadmill jog.

Tip: The Strava app is a great for motivation, and also analyses your progress.

It shows you stats on how you compare to other people who’ve taken on the same activity in the same place (if you’re competitive, this can really push your progress). Strava can also link up to JustGiving – so your friends and family can keep up with your training.

This is London to Brighton – you can view the L2B route on Strava if you’d like to study it in detail – including a road by road breakdown of the entire journey, distances, % inclines/declines, and times from other riders.

^^^ Side note: Looking at the L2B route from the zoomed out viewpoint makes it feels like a real accomplishment!

0 – 10 miles of L2B

For the first few miles, the pace is relaxed, as you gradually work your way out of London.

One thing I hadn’t prepared for was the road cycling (the event is advertised by BHF as being ‘mostly on closed roads’).

While this is true, I’d have definitely worked in some road cycling in preparation had I known about the start and end of the ride.
That said, you set off from the start line with so many people that cars don’t really pass by, so it was a good way to get used to riding on an open road. You can see a roundabout that comes early in the ride in my pics (or view here on Google Maps).

The first rest stop comes pretty early in the ride (I can’t recall for sure, but it may have been at around 15 miles).

Over this section, riders became more spaced out. A word of warning however, by this point, I’d already made the mistake of rushing the ride. So my advice would be to maintain a gradual pace (and fuel up on a hot dog or two along the way!).

The first ‘real’ hill (as many L2B riders refer to it) is ‘How Lane‘ (which you can see in the pic and on Google Maps). In previous years, this closed part of the ride has gotten busy with riders attempting to not get off their bike (though at 7.9% incline, I did – and many others did too).

Turners Hill comes at around the 25-mile mark, I remember this section as being the liveliest for people who cheer you on, and there’s an ice cream van – the exact location for which is here on this Google map (also featured in my pics).

The mileage marker signs can be pretty spaced out, so I’d recommend using a smartwatch if you’d like to keep track of where you are.

On the flip side, the lead up to the halfway point was tricky mentally, as I was so focused on reaching 27 miles that it seemed to take forever!

At this stage, we’d taken about 3 short rest stops (too short, in all honestly – I’d recommend at least a couple of 30-minute rests to really get re-energised!).

Like me, you might find that other riders are of great help for taking your mind off the task at hand. Along the way, I spotted a clown, Mario and Luigi, and a fair few superheroes. 

By now, even the smaller of inclines began to feel difficult – like Lunce’s Hill (see my pics, and view on Google). This hill has a 4.6% incline (I stopped here too for a short breather).

Towards the end of this section, you’ll pass a pub with a sign marked ‘Final Stop Before Ditchling’ – you should rest up here for sure, because Ditchling Beacon isn’t too far down the road.

At 45 miles, it was time for Ditchling Beacon – a hill running to 0.9 miles in distance with a 456-foot climb. This is the most challenging part of the ride (it has an average gradient of 9% – and honestly, I’d struggle to even jog that gradient for very long!). 

Pics in order and links for Google Maps:

Start of Ditchling Beacon | The Way Up | The Top

I walked 90% of Ditchling… (as did about 80% of the other riders!) My husband managed around 3/4 (read our guide on conquering Ditchling if you fancy taking on this challenge!)

The good news is that ice cream and chocolate brownies await you at the top – and after you pass Ditchling it’s pretty much all down hill! 

Speaking of which, I took it slower than some other riders at the steepest declines, simply because I was tired and wanted to manage my speed.

Final 4 miles of L2B

The final 4 miles into Brighton involved road cycling. This started off pretty easy (as you can see in the dual carriage pic (view on Google Maps).

Leading further into Brighton (the pic with the buildings / view on Google Maps here) we worked our way through rush hour (the roads were busy). It was also raining, adding to the challenge (typically, there’s fewer than 10 days in June when it rains – so we were unlucky with the weather).

For me, adrenaline came in handy for this final mile. But riding the last part of the race with Brighton beach right next to you was a fab way to finish the ride!

L2B 2023 gave me the confidence to take on other event challenges (like the Bath Half) for which my stamina and fitness meant I just about managed it. But there are definitely a few things I’d do differently next time for L2B.

First, I’d start preparing earlier (latest March), so I’d have more practice rides, at least three of which would be longer in distance.

I read a great tip on distance for your practice runs – if you can cover 70% of the distance during practice, the atmosphere of the day will carry you the extra 30% (after completing the ride, I’d say that tip was 100% correct).

As mentioned above, I’d also incorporate some road cycling.

Finally, a stop over at a Brighton hotel would be a must. We’d booked train tickets to get back to London, and it was a bit of a rush to make it in time (we didn’t even get to savour a celebratory beer! 🍺)

P.S. I rode London to Brighton in memory of Fiona Larden

In the run up to the event I asked friends and family to send me their favourite photos of Fiona, and to share their memories of her. This was the result.

If you’re riding in memory of your loved one, you might want to check out our Fundraising Pack.