WELL DONE AT LAST! COMMON SENSE HAS PREVAILED.

This article was updated at 12:51pm on Tuesday 17th May following a statement from RideLondon.

RideLondon will not have a safety car setting a 22mph speed limit at the head of the event after all...

In a statement released on social media this lunchtime, the organisers admitted the 22mph information was "stated incorrectly" and confirmed the "event safety car would travel at a pace determined by the conditions and what is happening on the road".

The apology comes after several days of heavy criticism from participants, disappointed by the pace limit, which many feared would see long tailbacks behind the lead car, and potentially dangerous scenes if faster riders opted to start later to ride at 22mph+ alongside less experienced entrants.

Last night, RideLondon's official Twitter account said the decision to implement a safety car setting a 22mph pace limit at the head of this year's event was "to ensure the safety of our participants". However, the event's same account has since backtracked on this, insisting the race guide included an "error".

Yesterday, we reported the news that entrants to the sportive, which will debut its new Essex route on Sunday 29 May, had been left disappointed after the race guide published over the weekend included news of the safety car.

> "Ludicrous": Disappointed RideLondon cyclists learn safety car will set 22mph pace limit

Following much criticism and debate as word spread on social media yesterday, RideLondon addressed the decision in a now-deleted reply last night.

If anything, the explanation prompted even more questions and frustration from riders with places in next weekend's event.

One asked: "Could you let me know how making riders in the first wave slow to 22mph, thus causing riders in earlier waves to bunch up behind them into a group of riders (many inexperienced in large groups) numbering many thousands is likely to be 'safer'?

"I regularly ride solo at 23mph for 100 miles. As do lots of others entered in the sportive. Every year previously, on a much lumpier course, thousands of people finished the ride safely with an average speed well in excess of 22mph.

"I sincerely hope the answer here is not 'every wave will have a safety car in front of it'."

Another said the decision would, in fact, "endanger participants" and would "push faster riders back in the waves" meaning "you will have large chaingangs forming at speeds of over 25mph in the later waves going past slower riders".

The participant who asked the initial question to RideLondon was also left unsatisfied by the explanation.

"None of this explains the 22mph limit, I'm afraid. You've got this one wrong. Why wasn't the limit clearly advertised during the entry process? And why did you ask people to estimate finishing times which would involve travelling at speeds in excess of the 22mph limit?" they said.

Yesterday, we heard from several riders who reported they had been asked their average speed target when signing up for the event. Riders were reportedly able to put down speeds in excess of 22mph, which some feel was disingenuous considering, having paid, they may no longer be able to ride at their target speed.

https://road.cc/content/news/ridelondon-addresses-criticism-22mph-safety-car-292817

On 17/05/2022 12:59, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> WELL DONE AT LAST! COMMON SENSE HAS PREVAILED.
RIDELONDON IS SAYING SPEED LIMITS ARE DANGEROUS.

FALL ABOUT LAUGHING.

LETS GET RID OF THEM ALL.

YOU COULDNT MAKE IT UP.

> This article was updated at 12:51pm on Tuesday 17th May following a statement from RideLondon.

> RideLondon will not have a safety car setting a 22mph speed limit at the head of the event after all...

> Last night, RideLondon's official Twitter account said the decision to implement a safety car setting a 22mph pace limit at the head of this year's event was "to ensure the safety of our participants". However, the event's same account has since backtracked on this, insisting the race guide included an "error".

> <https://road.cc/content/news/ridelondon-addresses-criticism-22mph-safety-car-292817>

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Spike

Gkam84 | 9467 posts | 5 hours ago
6 likes

The whole "As is customary at major sportives" falls flat on it's face when you then cite the 22mph limit. I've worked in major sportives and I've also been a lead car driver for some. We are normally told to go at the pace of the leading riders, keep them in sight, but don't let them draft.

So as an example, if you are going up a climb, you can whizz on to the top and as the leading riders hit about 3/4 of the way up, you start on the descent, because you know they are going to be faster than you, once at the bottom, regulate your speed until they are in sight again and carry on. I normally try for around 100/150m in front depending on the route.

It's the same being the broom wagon, never be right up the last riders arse.. If you see them up ahead, that's good, if you get too close, just stop and have a 5 minute break.

The ONLY way they could possibly make this work is by having a lead car with every single wave, limited to 22mph. Otherwise, as I've already seen, people are changing their waves back to a later start time and they'll be linking up with faster riders and still going round in fast times, just at the danger to everyone else who's on a leisurely ride (maybe charity riders in a slower group).

I notice you haven't covered other things in this report though. There appears to be no bag drop this year. Previously, your bag would be loaded and transported to the finishing area, which also seems to have been done away with. So unless you have someone meeting you at the finish, you've got to figure out logistics to get home in full kit.