Frequently
asked
questions
The London to Brighton Cycle Ride is an iconic 55 mile cycle ride starting from Clapham Common in South London, to the seaside town of Brighton.
Our early bird price is £55 per person. This includes a fully supported ride, complimentary water stops and not to mention that we’ll be waiting with your medal at the finish on the sea front in Brighton!
The minimum age for participants is 16. Those under 18 will need a letter of parental consent. Please contact our team to get a consent form or simply send a signed letter of consent to our team.
The ride will start from Clapham Common, off Nightingale Walk, Clapham SW4 9AH. There will be a staggered start between 06:00-10:30. Participants will be emailed their allocated start time a few weeks before the event.
Yes! We offer a bike and coach transfer from Brighton back to the start on Clapham Common. Once you are signed up you’ll be sent a link to book a place. Places are limited for this service and do sell out so worth booking in good time.
The route is available as a downloadable file in your participant area. The route will also be signed on the day with brightly coloured arrows from the start to the finish which you can follow if you prefer.
The route will finish at the Brighton Seafront on Madeira Drive, 500m walk from the Pier.
The route is entirely on road so please ensure your bike is suitable for this. For a full list of bikes we permit on the ride and those we don’t please see below.
When taking part in London to Brighton the rider must use a bicycle with brakes on both front and rear wheels and without child seats, trailers or attachments that may cause injury to the rider, another participant or a member of the public. Any configuration that varies from this should be cleared in advance by sending details with photos to the organiser – info@londonbrightoncycle.co.uk
The following bikes ARE permitted:
- Road bikes
- Single-speed (both fixed and freewheel) bicycles are permitted provided they have fully functioning brakes
- Hybrid and Cyclocross bikes
- Mountain bikes are allowed – however we do advise that you fit slick tyres to them to help you save energy
- Folding bicycles
- Handcycles
- Recumbent bicycles or trikes are permitted as long as they have a head height safety flag attached
- Tandem bikes – if you are planning to ride a tandem, you do need two entries as there are two of you riding
- Electric bikes (remember, a sportive is not a race!)
- Bikes fitted with disc brakes
The following are NOT permitted:
- Fixed wheel with no brakes
- Fixed wheel with only a front brake
- Any bicycle with only one brake
- Penny Farthings
- Quadcycles
- BMX bikes
- Towed trailers
- Child carriers
- Tag-a-long trailers bicycles
- Trailer bicycles
- Cargo bicycles
- Specialist time-trial bicycles are not allowed as they do not allow for immediate control of the bicycle
- Any bicycle without 360° rider visibility
- Unconventional handlebars (including triathlon bars, aero bars, clip-ons, prayer bars, Spinaci bars and cow bars)
- Handlebars without bar-end plugs
Whatever bike you choose to ride we strongly recommend that the bike is serviced before the ride to ensure it is in good condition. Please bring a puncture repair kit with you and any spare parts you think you may need. Whilst there will be mechanics positioned throughout the course it’s important that riders are able to change a punctured tyre to keep you moving as we cannot guarantee we will be able to assist you quickly due to the number of riders.
The London to Brighton Cycle Ride is challenging but achievable. In order to maximise your enjoyment you do need to train and get out on your bike before the ride!
We will have friendly mechanics at the water stops and roaming along the route to help out with any difficulties you have during the ride. However please do bring a spare inner tube and a pump or gas cannister to inflate it, as well as any spare parts you think you may need. Our mechanics are often very busy, riders will need to be able to take care of their own punctures leaving our mechanics to be available for others issues to keep the maximum number of riders able to complete the course.
The route is clearly waymarked by directional event arrows. Please follow these at all times but do not panic if you haven’t seen one in a while! They are put on all turns, and along straight roads for reassurance. However we strongly recommend you also download the route using the link in your participant area so that you can follow the route on your favourite GPS device. If you find yourself lost please call the contact phone number on the front of your bike number.
No, certain sections of the route are closed to other road users, such as Ditchling Beacon but the majority of the route will take place on open roads.
There will be a full support crew as well as medics and mechanics – should you need their assistance please text your location using What3Words, with your Rider Number and the support required using the number on your bike number. If for any reason you need to retire from the ride you should text this number with your Rider Number and RETIRE.
Free water will be available at our water stops, which will be at 17 miles, 30 miles, 39 miles and 48 miles, at the top of the infamous Ditchling Beacon. In addition, snacks will be provided at the 30-mile stop and a packed lunch at the finish line.
There will be portable toilets at the start, water stops, and at the finish in Brighton.
You may have seen the adverts for What3Words. It divides the world into 3m squares, each with a unique 3-word reference. It is being used by emergency services across the globe to accurately locate individuals requiring assistance. By downloading this free app, it will provide an accurate 3-word code for your location. We will be using this system to expedite the mechanical or medical support that we provide on the event and advise if you haven’t already, to download the app and try it out.
