Thinking of entering the London to Brighton Bike Ride? Got a question? Here are some of the most common questions and answers:

London to Brighton Bike Ride 2008

1. When is this year's London to Brighton Bike Ride?

The Ride will be held on Sunday 15 June 2008. Please note this event is not a race and is designed for bicycles (ie two wheeled, non-powered cycles). Please note that the places available for the 2008 Ride were filled by 26 March.

2. What is the distance of this year's Ride?

The distance this year is 54 miles.

3. How much is the Entry Fee?

The entry fee was £28.00 per person in 2007 but has not yet been set for the 2008 Ride. Included in this are the services of the bike mechanics at the Refreshment Stops (you only pay for parts needed) and a 'rescue' service should you or your bike not be able to make it under your own steam. 

4. Where do I send my completed entry form?

You should send your completed and signed entry form with your payment to:

London to Brighton Bike Ride, PO Box 509, Cheadle, Stoke on Trent, ST10 4EZ.

5. What if all the places have already been allocated when you receive my application?

We don't bank any cheques unless we are able to offer a place. If the Ride is already full, we will return your entry form and cheque to you.

6. I understand that I won’t be able to take my bike on the trains on the day of the Ride. Please could you give me details of the alternative service you are organising?

The alternative service uses coaches and lorries. Tickets for the services must be pre-booked either on the entry form or by using the Order Form which accompanies the Rider Pack sent to successful applicants. All orders must be received by 31 May 2008 and the ticket price is £21.

Morning service to the Start
Services will operate from Madeira Drive in Brighton, Haywards Heath and Crawley to Windmill Drive adjacent to Clapham Common.
Departure times:
Brighton (Madeira Drive) – 04.30, 05.00, 05.30, 06.00 and 06.30. Journey time approx 1 hour 50mins
Haywards Heath (Railway station forecourt) – 05.30 and 06.30. Journey time approx 1 hour 30 mins
Crawley (TNT Express depot) – 05.30 and 06.30. Journey time approx 1 hour 10 mins.

Afternoon service back from Brighton
These services will operate from Hove Lawns, one mile west of Palace Pier, close to the Finish area of the Ride. There will be four destinations: Haywards Heath, Crawley, Coulsdon (outskirts of Croydon) and Clapham Common.
Departure times:
Haywards Heath – 10.00. Journey time approx 1 hour
Crawley – 16.30 and 19.00. Journey time approx 1 hour 30 mins
Coulsdon – 16.30 and 19.00. Journey time approx 2 hours
Clapham Common – 12.20 and half-hourly until 19.30. Journey time approx 2 hours 30 mins

7. If I stay overnight in Brighton can I take my bike on the trains on Monday morning?

Southern and First Capital Connect will not allow anyone with a non-folding bike on their trains leaving Brighton before 9am. This is because of limited capacity on certain trains. Also, they cannot guarantee the time at which those with bikes will be permitted to board trains. They will be operating a queuing system and places will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

8. Is there a minimum age for people to be able to enter?

All riders must be aged 14 or over on the day of the Ride and if 14, 15 or 16, must be accompanied by an adult. Therefore the Ride is not open to children under 14.

9. How fit do you have to be to complete the Ride/how much training do I have to do?

All riders must be reasonably fit. If you are not a regular cyclist, we recommend you go for a bike ride two or three times a week for several weeks in advance of the Ride, gradually increasing the distance you cycle.

Cycling can be strenuous and riders must be in good health. If you are in any doubt, please obtain your doctor's approval before participating.

10. Can I have details of the route taken in advance of the Ride?

We don't give out details of the route before the Ride. Generally, once out of the Greater London area, the route uses minor roads and diversions and alternative routes are put in place and signed for local traffic. Having already caused considerable inconvenience to local residents by bringing 27,000 cyclists through the area we don’t to add to any congestion experienced because riders on the event have encouraged their supporters to join them along the route. We very much depend upon the patience and goodwill of the residents along the route for the continuation of the Ride - our biggest fundraising event of the year.

A Route Planner is handed to every rider at the start of the Ride which lists where the Refreshment Stops, first aid and bike mechanics can be found, together with an indication of mileage and profile of the route. Riders can use this to arrange meeting points with friends should they become separated during the day.

11. I want to enter a team into the Bike Ride. How would we go about this?

All riders must complete and sign their own Entry Form, whether riding as an individual, in a team or on a multi-seater bike (ie tandem).

Please either download and/or photocopy as many Entry Forms as you need for each person in your team and please make sure that each person clearly states the correct team name and team leader's name when completing the form (it would be ideal if the team leader completes this section on each form before handing them out).

Forms can be returned individually with the entry fee (making sure the team  details are correctly entered) but it is preferable that the entire team's forms are sent as one  package, with either individual entry fee cheques or one cheque to cover all the entries.

NB. If you are a team of friends taking part, please tick the Club Challenge team box on the Entry Form.

12. Are you able to ‘hold' places for people wanting to take part as a team?

Unfortunately, we cannot hold places for anyone wanting to take part in the Ride.

To maximise your chances of securing places, please complete and sign your own Entry Form and return this together with the rest of your team's as soon as possible. If you would prefer/need to return the entry forms individually or if you have extra people to add to your team once the bulk have been returned, please ensure that your team details are entered on  the form exactly as it was on the forms already submitted.

13. Is the entry fee per person or per team?

Each person entering must pay an entry fee, even if they are part of a team or riding a tandem.

14. Is there a minimum each person needs to raise if we take part?

The London to Brighton Bike Ride is over-subscribed every year and if you are accepted onto the Ride we ask that you raise as much sponsor money as possible for the British Heart Foundation. However, there is no minimum you need to raise.

However, if you are accepted onto the Ride, raise over £150 and send in your sponsor money by 30 November, you automatically qualify for a Priority place in the following year's Ride.

15. If we are accepted onto the Ride, can we split any sponsor money we raise with another charity?

As the Ride is a British Heart Foundation fundraising event all riders must raise sponsor money for the British Heart Foundation only.

The British Heart Foundation incurs all the costs of putting on the Ride. Your entry fee only helps to cover the cost of putting on the Ride and the BHF relies on the sponsor money raised by participants to help it continue its vital work.

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