Chapeau! Ride London 100 - a spectator's review

Today was an inaugural event in London's sporting calendar - the Prudential Ride London 100 mile cycle sportive. Initially set up to celebrate the anniversary of the London Olympics, it has already become a fixture, with ballot details for the 2014 race outlined before this year's debut had even taken place. So why the excitement?

Well, it's a very special sportive in that the roads are closed. Normally, when you ride in a cycle sportive in the UK, you take your place on the road with the rest of the weekend traffic. But not Ride London. Mayor BJ had decreed that the roads should be closed, allowing people to cycle freely and safely - and in massive numbers.

And the chance to ride most of the 2012 Olympic course, to emulate Cavendish and Armistead, was too good for nearly 20 000 people to miss. And so it was that so many turned up at the Olympic Park in Stratford on Sunday 4 August to start their 100 mile ride across London and the South East, with 15833 cyclists finishing the route on Sunday.

Obviously the fact that so many London and Surrey roads were closed was not popular with everyone. Many people complained about the road closures, but many of the complainers were people who spend a good section of their time whingeing about cyclists in general and were glad to have another reason to hate them. It didn't stop 1000s of people turning out to cheer the cyclists along the route, even in NIMBY Surrey. And for tourists and many Londoners, a quieter capital - with free entertainment - is something of a treat. There is a special feeling to be able to cross roads and not have to sprint to avoid an erratic taxi or bus. And I can only begin to imagine how surreal it must be to be able to ride your bike without worrying about cars, buses and lorries. I think the route quite cleverly covered areas with rail or tube links as well, ensuring that only the infirm were really trapped in their homes for the day.

I went along to watch my Beloved race. Normally he gets to watch me run plenty of times, but I never get to watch him ride sportives (as I can't be arsed to get up at 5am usually) so it was nice to have the opportunity to return the favour and be on spectating duty. I'd arranged to spectate at two points: near Monument and at the finish. Unfortunately, thanks to a severe delay on the Central Line, I missed him at Monument by just a few seconds, but I did manage to see a couple of other friends there who were in a later start. Determined not to miss him at the finish, I then headed straight to the Mall and got myself in position, just in time to watch the first finishers.

Despite it being a sportive, there was certainly a lot of competition. The first group of riders really went all out to 'win', making for an exciting finish to watch. It didn't work out for everyone, with someone called Joe coming off worst in a final run-in spill, but he got to walk his bike across the line and get his own special cheers. Hope his shoulder gets better soon.

Spectating for a loved one or friends at cycling is difficult, as riders go past so fast it's difficult to pinpoint single riders You need to know what colour top they're wearing and they need to know where you are standing, so they can spot you. I also distinguished myself with a pink hand clacker inherited from Beloved's Giro d'Italia trip earlier this year. Essentially this meant that friends could spot (or hear) me instead of the other way round. It also guaranteed me lots of space in my spot on the Mall, as it is deafening!

But in the end it wasn't just about watching for people I knew. As a frequent race participant myself, I know how big a different support can make so I wanted to support everybody. I ended up with very sore arms from banging boards and clacking my pink plastic hands at everyone in sight. I spent a good couple of hours watching random cyclists finish, waiting for Beloved to show up. And I loved every minute of it.

There were basically 3 main groups of cyclists at the 350m from the finish point:

• the determined sprinters, desperate for the fastest finish, not noticing where they were. These men and women are just focused on their time and their performance, oblivious to the surroundings. They will not look so good on their race photos.
• the grim faced cyclist, with little left in the tank but wearily focused on the last few 100 metres. These men and women looked so tired, like it was taking them every last ounce of energy to get them to the end. Hopefully one grimace will come out like a smile on their race photos.
• the happy cyclist, the 'oh my god look at all these people thumping the boards for me!' rider, engaging with the crowd and grinning like mad. Adrenalin had kicked in and they were loving it. Some were even taking photos and videos of the finish with their smartphones. They'll have some great race photos!

The happy cyclists made it just as much fun for the spectators, and seemed to get extra loud cheers from the crowd. While the crowd was relatively thin, it was definitely making a lot of noise and not for the first time did I wish I was out there riding, not just because it must be a great feeling to ride such an iconic finish.

I was a bit worried at the end that I might have missed Beloved. I'd been tracking him on Endomondo and knew he was close, so I started to get paranoid I'd missed him a second time. Then the speaker started playing the Black Eyed Peas, which is a band he hates with a passion. I've seen him walk out of parties when they get played. Once I heard the music, I was pretty sure that he would turn up while that song was on - and sure enough, he surged out of a small group at the 300m mark. Apparently the noise of the crowd was so loud, he didn't actually hear the Black Eyed Peas playing, which is just as well as it might have caused him to storm off course in protest. I was so excited at actually getting a glimpse of my speedster (100 miles in 5:01 seems speedy enough to me) that I didn't manage a photo, but it was still great to see a loved one so close to the finish.

This was one of the best bits of the sportive - spectators could get right up to the end to watch. It constantly frustrates me in the London Marathon that the last few 350m are just you,  a few photographers and a TV newsreader's family. You could really do with the support right to the end. Luckily for the cyclists, and us, you could follow them right to the line and beyond.

It was an incredible spectacle in general. Cycling attracts young and old, thin and fat, grumpy and happy, and it's wonderful to watch. A lot like the London marathon, but with less chafy fancy dress. And with a much, much, better medal.

So much so it's really inspired me to enter the ballot for next year. It's about time I tried a new challenge, and while I know I won't fit a triathlon schedule in my life, I think I can fit some long cycle rides in. And if that means I get to Ride London, then that would make me very happy! I'll definitely be putting my name in the ballot 'chapeau' next week.