Page 60 - RADC Bulletin 2022

British Heart Foundation London- Brighton
Cycle Ride
Lt Col Leigh Valler
The London to Brighton Bike Ride is the oldest charity bike ride in Europe. It’s an excellent cycling event that caters for a wide range of cycling abilities, from a few in fancy dress to some serious lycra-clad Tour de France wannabies. In total there were 14,000 people taking part.
The route is 54 miles long and starts on Clapham Common, early on a Sunday morning in June (traditionally it’s held on Father’s Day). The roads in South London are closed to cars for the event so it’s
a wonderful ride through the pleasant, and not-so-pleasant, areas of Clapham, Balham and the rest of
58 RADC BULLETIN 2022
South London. On leaving suburbia
it’s the countryside beyond, it builds as
you roll along an almost constantly
changing environment,
passing through the country lanes
of Sussex and the surrounding areas,
with spectators lining the route to
cheer riders on. There are
several stops on- route providing
water, toilets, bike repair
workshops and some very tasty
BBQs. Two of the stops are at pubs, which is always enjoyable.
The route approaches the South Downs, with a tough climb up to Ditchling Beacon, providing excellent views of Brighton and the sea beyond at the summit. Most riders resorted to walking up this hill climb, so it was very satisfying to cycle past many of the lycra-crew who were struggling.
A fast drop down into Brighton meets up with some treacherous traffic where the roads unfortunately remain open to cars
in the town. The final straight is along the seafront and once again is bikes-only so provides with an exciting sprint finish.
And obviously it raises a lot of money for the British Heart Foundation...
So I would thoroughly recommend this great cycle event. There’s also an off-road mountain bike ride which takes place later in the year.
www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/ events/london-to-brighton-bike-ride
CHARITY