The London to Brighton Off Road bike ride; a long-distance challenge over hilly terrain amongst 2,500 riders. And every single member of the Spoke and Spanners crew made it – one of whom was third across the finish line in a mere 4 hours and 57 minutes.
Just some of the Spokes & Spanners riders at the start of the ride
Spanning 75 miles, this event is on the bucket list of many bike enthusiasts. It’s a unique event, packing in all the best bits of off-road in one very technical, very varied route. From steep inclines to tricky descents, rocky paths and adrenaline-fuelled tracks, this event has it all. Although it’s one of the more technically demanding challenges on offer, the variation offers something for cyclists of all abilities.
We asked some of our shop friends and family to tell us what they thought about it:
Dean Llewhellyn
“This was my first London to Brighton and I was surprisingly calm about it! Some of the hills were definitely challenging but I finished in a pretty respectable time of around 7.5 hours.”
Chris Smith
“This year I convinced my brother to join me on the ride so my priority was to get us both over the finish line, regardless of how long it took. Unfortunately he was hit by some pretty nasty cramp around 30 miles but he still persevered to the finish line. We settled into a slowish pace but this did mean I had plenty left in the tank for that evil Beeding hill.”
Damon Lock
“This year I finished in around 7 hours – and that’s with having stopped for a cheeseburger! I really enjoy this type of riding, though it’s definitely longer than our average outings.”
Damon’s Strava recording of the challenge
So, registration for 2017 opens in a week or two and most of us are planning on signing up again. We’ve even managed to convince some of the wives and girlfriends to join us! Watch this space…
Watch Dean finishing this year’s London to Brighton off road challenge