London to Brighton

Following on from the London to Brighton bike ride yesterday, everyone at the BHF was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a rider following the bike ride. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends.

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

8:02pm

The live blog and coverage of London to Brighton is now coming to an end, thank you to all those you read the blog, tweeted, emailed and sent us photos and video.

Has been a pleasure to be involved and well done to all those involved and of course, the riders.

Make sure you check the BHF website, Facebook fan page, Flickr page, Twitter page and this blog during the week for more updates during the week.

See you next year

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

Photo by Phil Cole (@demoncheese)

7pm - Coming up to 15 hours of live blogging, surely a BHF record!

This is what all our riders get at the end of the fantastic ride

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

6:03pm

Young man, there's no need to feel down.

I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.

I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town

There's no need to be unhappy.

All together now...

It's fun to stay at the Y...M....C....A

It's fun to stay at the Y...M....C....A

These guys raised an amazing £2.500 - well done guys

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

5:47pm

We have a flood of finishers at the Brighton end. Fantastic atmosphere at the end.

The BBC and Telegraph have both kindly written about the amazing day - read their articles here: http://bit.ly/akjeIf & http://bit.ly/bU9oBI with our very own Gemma Cloke being given a very much earned hat tip.

Congratulations all, keep an eye on the blog for even more updates

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

3:40 pm

Wow what a view from the end point of the London to Brighton bike ride. Over 27,000 riders have taken part today, what an achievement. Some fantastic stories and photos, keep your eye on the blog for updates.

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

1:40pm

It is almost impossible to single anyone out for doing the London to Brighton ride as every single person taking part has worked so hard and raised so much. But here are a few:

Gary Marlow who has taken part in 30 London to Brighton bike rides - amazing considering there have only ever been in existence for 35 years. Fantastic achievement.

James Crowe - finishing his first London to Brighton bike ride at the tender age of 14! Well done James, that is 54miles under the belt.

Dr Rosemary Lennard from BBC Breakfast completed the race looking as fresh as she does on the BBC breakfast sofa: http://yfrog.com/5f5lybj

Finally, these guys - just for the truthful humour: http://yfrog.com/muu68j

Well done to every single person riding, supporting and organising, we couldn’t do it without you.

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

12:04

We have our updated London to Brighton Flickr stream ready for you all to view, right here in the live blog! How exciting.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

11:50



The last riders leave the London to Brighton start point, here is a quick video. Blink and you’ll miss it, as the riders zoom by!

At the other end riders are starting to finish, some excellent times. Tony Galbraith who took part in the BHF connections campaign has just finished with his son. Congratulations Tony!

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

10:24am

There is a really interesting piece in the Daily Mail today: “Why cycling is so close to my heart”. Journalist Sebastian O’Kelly talks about why he is doing the London to Brighton Bike ride.

Also in the article is the amazing story of Brian Unwin, who due to a heart condition couldn’t take part in any sport and barely walk. A heart transplant at 28 his life changed life completely he is now playing football and leading a active life at 48. Shows the importance of the donor register and how it can save lives.

Can’t find the story online but it is on page 30 of the Mail on Sunday today. Very moving story.

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

9:50am

The response on Twitter for the London to Brighton bike ride has been fantastic. You know you don’t have to be on twitter to follow the updates, so have a read of it here.

You can also watch updated photos of the ride on our flickr stream here: http://bit.ly/aYB5zU

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

9:00am

Our first video of the London to Brighton start point....spot anyone you know?

More coming soon!

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

8:30am

Just came across this blog on the Just Giving blog about beetroot juice - I Anyone trying something a bit different to improve performance in today’s ride?

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

7:30am

Just thought we should mention that in the run up to the London to Brighton ride we have been inundated with stories of training on our twitter page using the hashtag #L2B - has been fantastic reading. Here are some of the comments:

“Final bit of cycling training for #L2B was not fun - 10 miles in pouring rain. Newly-purchased padded shorts are a big success though..”

“Time for a bit of #L2B shopping. New cycle jersey I reckon. Well, you need an excuse...”

“SCARED! #L2B”

“I still can;t believe the ride is this Sunday! Gonna do a mini ride tommorrow and then that is me ready for Sunday! argh! #L2B”

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

6:55am

Any of our riders on Foursquare? Well, if you are make sure you search and check in to the “BHF London to Brighton Start Point” and the “BHF London to Brighton End Point”. We want to get you all swarm badges!

If you aren’t on foursquare, this is what it is: www.foursquare.com

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

6:20am

How about a history lesson...yes it is before 6:30am on a Sunday but it feels right to let you know two historical BHF bike ride facts!

First ride was held in 1976 when 30 friends cycled from London’s Hyde Park to the Brighton seafront. This year’s ride is the 35th! - Any readers ride in that first ride in 1976? Let us know!

Approximately 719,500 riders have taken part in the ride, cycling more than 38 millions miles.

Ok, history lesson over. The first riders are setting off, just 54miles to go. Every journey starts with the first step (although I guess it is more of a rotation on a bike rather than a step, but you get the point!)

Good luck those first riders. Can’t wait to hear the stories

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

5:45am

So the riders are nearly ready....it really is amazing, over 27,000 people will be taking part today. Astounding.

Every single rider today is raising money for a vital cause. We cannot thank you all enough.

A “did you know moment” now...Ditching Beacon part of the ride is the highest point of the ride at 813 feet, on average it takes 15 minutes to reach the top. Bet it is worth it for the ride down though.

London to Brighton - The Live Blog!

5:05am


Morning everyone, welcome to the first ever BHF live blog! We will be blogging about the amazing London to Brighton bike ride today, it is 5:05 and the start is under an hour away! You can feel the tension and excitement....

We will be blogging; pictures, stories and tweets from the day so tune in this Father’s day and hear amazing stories from some of the fantastic riders taking part.

If you are on Twitter don’t forget to follow us @thebhf. You can also follow a live London to Brighton twitter feed here or by searching on Twitter for the hashtag #L2B.

You can also email me your stories at kusabbir@bhf.org.uk - I am looking forward to all your comments, tweets and emails! Stay with me...

Sam Gears up for London to Brighton

Sam Wong works as a media officer at the British Heart Foundation, he will be riding in the London to Brighton bike ride this Sunday – this is his pre-ride blog...we wonder how happy his post-ride blog will be....Visit the blog on Monday to see how he feels.

“I remember the day my mum took the stabilisers off my first bike. I wasn’t happy about it.

‘What did you do that for?’ I complained. ‘It works better with those on!’
I soon learned to ride safely on two wheels, but my cycling career never progressed very far beyond the playground. So when I signed up to do London to Brighton with some colleagues from the BHF’s media and policy teams, I had some preparation to do. I didn’t own a bike, and found the thought of cycling on the road unnerving to say the least. But none of this mattered, because I had months to prepare.

All of a sudden, the ride is only a few days away, and although I now own a shiny new road bike (thanks Mum), I feel somewhat underprepared. I’ve been for a few rides, but nothing of any great length. My training diet has consisted of considerably more burritos than the BHF dieticians would consider acceptable. Importantly, I have invested in a gel cover for my cruel and unforgiving saddle. Fifty-four miles on that would have left me very sore indeed.

Many questions preoccupy me as the big day nears. Will I reach the finish line? How big is this big hill that everyone keeps telling me about? What sort of chafing issues will I encounter?

Despite these worries, the prevailing emotion I’m feeling is excitement. The atmosphere of the occasion is legendary, and I know I’ll get immense support from my teammates and all the other riders. I’ll be motivated by the cause, too – in the nine months I’ve been working at the BHF, I’ve been constantly amazed at how much the charity does, and the difference it makes to people’s lives. And if that doesn’t get me to Brighton, then the thought of sitting on the beach munching on fish and chips will. (Obviously I wouldn’t dream of eating that much saturated fat too often, mind.)”

Good Luck to everyone who is taking part in the London to Brighton bike ride this Sunday. Do check this blog from 10am on Sunday for a live blog from the event!