From capital to coast - beating heart disease together

A huge well done and thank you to the 27,000 cyclists who took part our London to Brighton Bike Ride in great weather yesterday.

Our annual 54-mile ride, Europe's largest charity bike event, on a scenic route through Surrey and Sussex has raised over £46m for our lifesaving work since it started.

Cyclists set off from south London at half-hourly intervals from 6am to 9am and began arriving on Brighton seafront from about 8.30am.

Since 1980, when we first became involved, over 650,000 riders have taken part. Most riders took about six hours to reach the finishing post.

Among those taking part was comedian and author Dave Gorman (pictured right), who completed the route in three hours and 59 minutes.

"I wanted to get under four hours," he said. "I'm really pleased I got up Ditchling Beacon. I'm officially fitter than I was four years ago when I did it last.

"It was brilliant that people came out to cheer. It's a great event to support the BHF."

BHF spokeswoman Tamara Bennett said: "The day has gone really, really well. The weather has been fantastic - dry and sunny but with enough cloud cover to stop people getting too hot."

See our Flickr photo gallery from L2B 2009

Follow the event as it unfolded on our Twitter feed

Did you take part in the Ride, or would you like to pay tribute to those who did? Then please post a comment below...

London to Brighton Bike Ride 2009 Pics and Messages

Take a look at our live coverage on Twitter and our online photo galleries on Flickr

Some great pics of people like John and Rob, doing London to Brighton for their seventh year - five years dressed as fat ladies!

They're doing it for Dad who was affected by heart disease.

Next year they're thinking about dressing up as married fat ladies!

Tell us your L2B story by posting a comment below...

Live coverage of London to Brighton 2009

We'll be tweeting the London to Brighton bike ride tomorrow live from the event. But we're not the only ones.

There will be a tweeting mayor - and we notice a few people have already started their coverage including @lazbash, @adec, and more...

If you'll be tweeting please use the hashtag #L2B and post a comment here with your twitter name.

To get the latest follow us on Twitter

Pedal power hits Pompey

A record number of cyclists pedalled into action for the Round the Harbours Bike Ride in Portsmouth on Sunday - which meant a lot of valuable and much appreciated fundraising for us.

“It was an absolutely fantastic day," said the event organiser Melanie Blackman.

"The sun was shining - well, for most of the day - the participants 

were wonderful and the staff and volunteers that managed the four checkpoints did an incredible job.

"This was the 13th year for the Round the Harbours Bike Ride and it was a record breaker with over 1,300 fundraising heroes taking part. Now I'm very much looking forward to seeing those lifesaving funds come flooding in!”

BHF rides high thanks to Norwich Bike Ride

A round of applause for everyone who took part in the Norwich Bike Ride; a record 2,500 cyclists got on their bikes for our charity event on Sunday.

With a choice of a 50 or 100 mile course, this wasn't the easiest of challenges - particularly when you add some traditionally dreary British weather into the equation. But our intrepid riders didn't let it put them off - and for their reward, as they broke across the finish line, so did the sunshine!

Now in its tenth year, the course takes the riders through perfect cycling country with quiet roads and picturesque villages, so it's hardly surprising that so many people wanted to take part...

“The atmosphere was incredible," said event organiser Rob Cox. "We had people of all ages taking part from early teens to riders in their seventies. I spoke to a chap of 63 who did the 100 miles and he came over the finish line with a massive grin on his face. Many thanks to everyone involved.”

London to Brighton - Doing It for Dad (Part Four)

Chris Olney (pictured right) is cycling in our 2009 London to Brighton Bike Ride this summer for the very first time, and is one of our guest bloggers for the event.

Here's his latest update on his training and fundraising progress in the run-up to the big day...

"Training has been going well! It's much easier to motivate yourself when the weather is good. I've been doing more running than cycling over the last two weeks or so, as I am finding it it building my stamina up more.

"I've done a couple of long bike rides to keep the legs working, as I find that if I dont go for a long cycle for more than six days my legs really hurt again. But if I keep I regular they are fine - what a wimp I am!

"I'm going to pick it up a bit over the next week or so and start cycling to things that I need to do anyway, like going to the shops or going into town.

"That way at least I can feel there is a purpose to the training. Strangely, I have also found the motivation of a pub lunch on a long cycle ride helps me to get to the finish!

"Until next time, Chris..."

Are you getting ready for the London to Brighton Bike Ride this year? If so, let us know how your training and preparations are going (or not!) so far by posting a comment below...

See all posts by Chris here

London to Brighton - Doing It For Dad (Part Three)

Chris Olney (pictured right) is cycling in our 2009 London to Brighton Bike Ride this summer for the very first time, and is one of our guest bloggers for the event.

Here's his latest update on his training and fundraising progress in the run-up to the big day...

"Hi everyone! It's been a bit tough going this week. No particular reason, just that I found it hard to motivate myself after a day a work to go out and cycle or run for a couple of hours - a feeling I'm sure that many of you can understand.

"Having said that, I have still done two gym sessions and two long bike rides - one of ten miles and the other a little bit less. Still using the ankle weights, which I definately recommend. They help you train when you are just going about your normal buisness.

"On the fundraising front, I've found some people being a bit tight due to the credit crunch, but it is ticking along nicely. My company britishinformation.com have said this week they will be sponsoring me to do the ride, which I'm sure will boost the pot quote a bit.

"I was getting a bit bored of cycling on the roads where I live, so I'm doing a few rides further afield than my local area Dartford, and am hoping that will give me some more inspiration.

"All in all it's going well though, and it helps knowing that you are getting fit for a goal not just for the sake of it."

London to Brighton 2009 - Doing It For Dad (Part Two)

Chris Olney (pictured right) is taking part in our 2009 London to Brighton Bike Ride this summer for the very first time, and is blogging about his training for us.

If you missed his first blog post you can read it here - meanwhile here's the second of his weekly instalments...

"Since I last wrote I have had a good week on training front. I have started wearing some ankle weights when i am not training too, and am finding that these are helping my legs to get in shape.

"The tops of my legs have been killing me after I do the long weekend cycles. Mind you, these ankle weights do look funny - when they are covered with jeans I look like I have elephant feet.

"I did a 12-mile cycle at the weekend, and did not find it too bad considering that it was mostly uphill. I purchased a new bike for this, which I got at the weekend.

"I think the new one has made it easier than my knackered old thing i was using before. Am also looking at fancy dress outfits I can do the London to Brighton in!

"I am doing it with a friend of mine, Shaun Buckle, so let me know if you have any funny ideas for the two of us. The only thing I'm ruling out is a kilt.

"I am finding that running every other day is proving to be as much help to us as the cycling practise. Talk again next week!"

If you're also taking part in the ride and would like to share your training experiences or other L2B stories with us and others, please post them in the comments area below...

London to Brighton 2009 - Doing It For Dad

Chris Olney (that's him on the right) is doing our London to Brighton Bike Ride this summer for the very first time. He's now one month into his training, so we've asked him to post regularly to this blog in the run-up to the event.

If you are also taking part in the ride and would like to share your training experiences or other L2B stories with us and others, please include them in the comments area below this post. Here's Chris's story so far...

"Hi! My name's Chris, I am 24, from Dartford in Essex, and am doing the London to Brighton Bike Ride this June.

"I am interested in raising money for the BHF because I have lost many family members, including my Dad nearly four years ago, through heart problems of one form or another.

"My Dad was a healthly man and never smoked or drank to excess, and so I want to help raise awareness that it can affect anyone, not just the danger groups you always hear about.

"I, like most of the country, find it difficult to do make sure I am exercising at least three times a week, so I have had to be extra disciplined with my training for this ride.

"Don't get me wrong, I am not hoping to win it! But just to finish I have realised will be quite some achievement.

"I started training for this about one month ago, and my general week consists of two gym sessions during the week with lots of work on the cycling machine and a bit of running.

"Then I do one cycle on a Saturday or Sunday. The big ride I do at the weekend I have been increasing the distance each week. I did ten miles last weekend, and I could really feel it on Monday morning on the front of my legs - there was a lot of uphill involved though!

"So as 10 miles is still a long way off the length of London to Brighton, I still have a long way to go. I am doing 12-15 miles this weekend and will let you know how it goes this week - as long as i can reach my computer!"

More from Chris here next week. If you are also taking part in the ride and would like to share your training experiences or other L2B stories with us and others, please include them in the comments area below.

On your marks for London to Brighton 2009!

For the first time ever, we're pleased to announce that this year you'll be able to register online for the nation's favourite charity cycling event, our own London to Brighton Bike Ride which takes place on Sunday 21 June.

Entrants to most other BHF bike rides have enjoyed online registration facilities for several years, but with around 27,000 participants in London to Brighton it's a much bigger undertaking than our other smaller, regionally-based events.

A number of L2B entrants who have qualified for priority places in this year's ride - by raising £125 or more in last year's event - have been using the new online registration system successfully since last month.

Standard place online registration starts from 1 March and you will be able to access it then at
bhf.org.uk/london-brighton

Find out more about the ride, how you can enter offline, plus see videos, photos and reports from the 2008 event, in our London to Brighton Bike Ride section

Have you ever taken part in the ride, and would you like to recommend anyone else to do it?
Do you have any training tips or fundraising advice etc?
If so, please leave a comment below...

It's one helluva ride for hearts

Are you brave enough to go to hell and back for the British Heart Foundation?

News reaches us of a fiendish challenge being organised by Catford Cycling Club in London called, 'Hell of Ashdown Challenge'.

The ride is on Sunday 1st February and comes at the start of our major fundraising National Heart Month. Half the proceeds from the event registration, plus all additional sponsorship will go to the BHF.

The tough 110K route goes from Biggin Hill to Ashdown Forest taking in some devilish hills.

If you'd like to take part and help raise money for our live saving work, go to http://www.hell.gb.com/

Or see our event finder for a British Heart Foundation event in your area.

Date announced for 2009 BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride

We thought you'd like to know that we've just announced the date for our 2009 BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride. It's Sunday 21 June.

We'll be publishing further details of how to register to enter the Ride - which is the largest charity cycle event of its kind in Europe - from mid-December this year.

The 54-mile event is our biggest fundraising event, raising over £3.9m in 2007. This year we're hoping the Ride will raise even more to help continue our lifesaving work.

Cyclists really took the event to heart this year, with all places selling out weeks beforehand. And since we became involved in 1980, over £42 million has been raised for us.

You can see photos from this year's Ride and also read comments from those who part. There are also TV news reports of the event on our BHF YouTube Channel

Did you take part in the Ride this year? Would you recommend it to others interested in taking part? Are you already looking forward to it? Let us know by posting your comments below!

Martyn's race against time - and Le Tour!

Martyn Jones, from Hertford, is riding the gruelling route of Le Tour de France ahead of the professional racers.

He set off three days before the event and hopes they won’t catch him up!

The money he raises will be split between ourselves and the Association of Young People with ME.

Always active as a youngster, Martyn loved most sports, however, in his late-teens he was diagnosed with M.E. For a very energetic person, this was extremely debilitating.

Martyn says: “You feel like a living dead person so to speak. Imagine having a really hard bout of flu, but for years and years.”

Fortunately, at 34 Martyn is now well over his M.E. and it was cycling that got him fit.

“I wanted to donate half of the money I raise to a charity that promotes sport and especially my passion – cycling. The BHF organise so many fantastic rides including London to Brighton, Oxford to Cambridge and the Norwich Ride, so they were an obvious choice.

"Plus, both my grandparents died of heart disease. I didn’t even get the chance to meet my granddad as he died in his fifties.”

Martyn is riding the exact same course as Le Tour de France participants, staying in the same towns along the way.

He is paying for the event out of his own savings. He hopes to raise £30,000 to split between both charities. Visit Martyn’s site at www.justgiving.com/letour4good

And just in case you missed this...

There were some great TV news pieces about our 2008 London to Brighton Bike Ride last weekend.

One of them was on BBC Breakfast News early on Sunday morning, but if you were taking part in - or making your way to - the Ride itself you will almost certainly have missed it.

Anyway, those very kind folk at the BBC and ITV have just given us permission to host the clips on our BHF YouTube video channel, so if you haven't seen them yet, here they are. First up, BBC Breakfast News...



And here's the ITV London Tonight news report...



Reminder - you can also see our gallery of 150 great photos taken at the Ride

And once again, if you took part in the London to Brighton Ride please let us know how you got on by posting a comment below.

Thanks very much to everyone who took part, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Enjoyed London to Brighton? Cyclists wanted for Vietnam to Cambodia

We're sure most of you have now fully recovered from the London to Brighton Bike Ride and are thinking about the next big challenge.

Good news. Places are still available for our Vietnam to Cambodia Bike Ride in November. This spectacular ride involves peddling from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cambodian border, along the banks of the Mekong River to the ancient temples of Angkor Wat.

Find out how you can enter by going to the Overseas events section our main website.

For other UK bike rides see our event finder.

Once again, if you took part in the London to Brighton Ride please let us know how you got on by posting a comment below. Thanks very much to everyone who took part, and we look forward to hearing from you!

London to Brighton Bike Ride - Individual rider photos now available!

We hope that the aches and pains of all our London to Brighton Bike Ride 2008 participants are now easing away, and being replaced by lots of happy memories of the big day!

It certainly seems that way judging by the comments being posted to yesterday's entry.

We'd also like to let you know that individual photos of riders are now available to purchase from our event partner Action Photos.

There is a cost for the photos, but this is all detailed on the website. It will take a few days to get them all on there - so if you can’t find yourself please try again later as your photo may not be up there yet.

Just select 'United Kingdom' and 'London to Brighton Bike Ride 2008' from the drop downs, and then enter your official BHF race number to find whether your photo was taken at the event.

You can also take a look at 150 general shots from the day on our online photo gallery

Once again, if you took part in the Ride please let us know how you got on by posting a comment below. Thanks very much to everyone who took part, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Well done and thanks to all our London to Brighton riders

A huge well done and thank you goes out to all of our 27,000 cyclists who took part in yesterday's London to Brighton Bike Ride!

You can see photos from the Ride in our online gallery

Riders from all over the UK turned out to cycle from the capital to the coast to raise funds for us in the largest charity cycle event of its kind in Europe.

The 54-mile event is our biggest fundraising event, raising over £3.9m in 2007. This year we hope the Ride will raise even more to help continue our lifesaving work.

Cyclists really took the event to heart this year, with all places selling out weeks ago. And since we became involved in 1980, over £42 million has been raised for us.

Julie Sorrell, our Head of Events, said: “The London to Brighton Bike Ride is a major fundraising event for us, and thanks must go to all the Riders and sponsors for their support.

"The funds raised from this year's Ride will make a huge difference to so many people’s lives and will help us continue our lifesaving work.”

You can see photos from the Ride in our online gallery

Did you take part in the Ride? If so, please let us know how you got on by posting a comment below. Once again, thanks very much to everyone who took part, we really look forward to hearing from you!

London to Brighton 2008 - a view from the saddle

Our very own Amy Burns, just one of the 27,000 participants in this year's London to Brighton Bike Ride, reports from the event...

You can see photos from the Ride in our online gallery

"After a slightly anxious night’s sleep thinking of the 55 miles I was due to ride the following day, I woke up very early on Sunday to bright sunshine, feeling pretty excited about taking part in the ride with my good friend Kat (that's her on the right in this photo).

"Arriving to a sea of people all 'gearing up' (!!) for the ride only heightened this excitement, while meeting up with Kat and seeing each other in padded cycling shorts proved to be highly amusing to us both.

"Waiting at the starting line, we weren’t entirely convinced when the PA announced it was 'all down hill to Brighton' at least he had a positive outlook … and we got away to a very smooth start with a clear road ahead - so far so good.

"Riding through London with Indiana Jones on our left and the Incredible Hulk on our right proved to be very exciting for the local kids who had woken up early for the event and were waving and clapping from their bedroom windows still in pyjamas.

"The first ten miles saw London thinning out and the greenery of Sussex begin - bus fumes were replaced by country smells, and Kat and I were both amazed by the ease and self sufficiently of leaving London on two wheels - we were having a great time!

"Wanting to pace ourselves, we decided to break after 12 miles at one of the many official BHF stops along the way- bike repair services, hot bacon rolls and toilets were just some of the very welcome services on offer at this village hall and there was a fantastic community feel.

"Scouts, families and councils had all pulled together to put on a really brilliant service for the riders and we were all made to feel enormously welcome already being greeted by 'well dones' and 'congratulations'.

"Riding through more villages we realised this was a quintessentially English event - more and more families were out to watch, cheer and clap and kids had set up trestle tables with drinks and sweets for the riders. One village we passed through even had a brass band, bunting and cake stalls.

"We decided to plough on until the 35 mile mark for our next break. By this point the padded cycling shorts had become a definite necessity and didn’t seem so amusing after all!

"Passing riders with images of their loved ones on their back really bought home why we were all here and made us more determined to not only enjoy this ride, but come back next year and raise even more for the BHF.

"After a well deserved bacon sarnie and some lucozade we got back on the road - by this point rumours were a rife - almost everyone we passed had a different theory on how long we had to go and was the beacon really impossible to bike up!?

"I think it was the idea of a nice cool beer that kept us both going, but at around 4pm, after having survived 'the beacon' (I even rode half of it!) we crossed the finishing line high on adrenalin and very proud of ourselves.

"It really was a fantastic day and Kat and I were both so pleased we did it. Everyone we met felt the same and all agreed the event was organised really well. I would definitely recommend the padded cycling shorts but other than feeling tired the next day, my body felt fine- I even biked into work today!"

You can see photos from the Ride in our online gallery

Did you take part in the Ride? If so, please let us know how you got on by posting a comment below. Once again, thanks very much to everyone who took part and we look forward to hearing from you!

Shiny staff get set to cycle

Good luck to all 27,000 cyclists who are this week getting ready to take part in our forthcoming 2008 London to Brighton Bike Ride, the UK's largest charity cycling event.

Two of those joining the scenic ride from capital to coast will be Kathryn Stewart and Daniel Sung (pictured right) who work for Shiny Media, a leading blog publisher with a network of 40 blogs with around 3.5 million visitors per month.

Among the Shiny stable are widely-read blogs such as TechDigest, ShinyShiny, Shoewawa, Catwalk Queen, The BagLady, Bridalwave and CorrieBlog.

Together with their fellow L2B participants, Kathryn, the Shiny Media operations manager, and Daniel, a Tech Digest writer, will be hoping that the recent hot weather is a bit kinder to them on Ride day itself as they tackle the 54-mile route.

Since 1980, when we first became involved with London to Brighton, more than 650,000 riders have taken part in the event and more than £40 million has been raised to help fund our pioneering research, patient care and vital heart health information.

We'll be featuring more L2B Bike Riders on the blog this week, but if you want to sponsor Kathryn, Daniel or any other of the participants online you can do so at www.justgiving.com/londontobrighton

And if you're also getting ready to take part in this year's Ride, or have taken part in a previous year's event, then tell us all about your experiences by posting a comment on this post.

Happy pedalling!