A20 and cycling?

[Dan_K]

I've just been having a look at the route we're doing for the London 2 Paris ride and basically, we're cycling along the A20 to Dover on the first day.
Is this normal for a London to Paris route?
I'm sure there are prettier ways to get down there but is this the best bet for a group of 25 riders rather than the narrow lanes?
We've got a tight schedule to get to the ferry on Day 1 so maybe direct is the best route....

[Rob Q]

Dan, there are many routes to Paris and depending on the organisations doing these depends on the routes and time taken. The A20 is definitely not the safest route if there are 25 of you. There are many alternative quieter routes to get to Dover and although it may take you a wee bit longer, It would be a lot safer and far more scenic.

[Dombo]

Dan is this the L2P ride on 24th -26th June that did the Pearson 150 on Sunday? Has the route been published yet? If so we'll probably have bigger groups than 25, plus motorbike outriders and support cars.

[Dan_K]

Thanks Rob - I'll have a chat with the other guys doing the trip. I don't drive that way much but thought the A20 would be similar to the A23 and that wouldn't be fun.......

Dombo - I'm going 16th-19th June with the guys organised through Bikeradar. There's literally gonna be 25 of us and one minibus somewhere close by so nothing like the one you're doing. It only cost me £300 ish though so can't complain. I'm not doing it for charity, just the challenge really. Think that people in general are pretty skint at the moment and I don't want to be another person asking for money....

I rode with some of the guys doing your trip on the Pearson 150 at the weekend. Think it was one of the slower groups going 16-17mph. Absolutely shocking handling from most of them! Looked like a real mix of people, some with almost no bike experience. I got to the point where after a few miles, thought it would be safer without them and stepped the pace up to reach a faster/safer group of riders. I'd be suprised if half of them made it to Paris safely.

[Jon H]

The worst bit would be the Sidcup & Swanley bypass, which you easily avoid by taking the local roads through the towns. Once you're past that then the M20 runs parallel and takes all the traffic, leaving the A20 pretty quiet.

[Dombo]

[quote="Dan_K"]

I rode with some of the guys doing your trip on the Pearson 150 at the weekend. Think it was one of the slower groups going 16-17mph. Absolutely shocking handling from most of them! Looked like a real mix of people, some with almost no bike experience. I got to the point where after a few miles, thought it would be safer without them and stepped the pace up to reach a faster/safer group of riders. I'd be suprised if half of them made it to Paris safely.

[quote="Dombo"][quote="Dan_K"]

I rode with some of the guys doing your trip on the Pearson 150 at the weekend. Think it was one of the slower groups going 16-17mph. Absolutely shocking handling from most of them! Looked like a real mix of people, some with almost no bike experience. I got to the point where after a few miles, thought it would be safer without them and stepped the pace up to reach a faster/safer group of riders. I'd be suprised if half of them made it to Paris safely.

[Rob Q]

[quote="Dan_K"]

Is this a pic of you here then? One of the guys i'm going to Paris with thought it may have been me.....

[url]http://bikechimp.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/pearson-150-sportive-fun-in-the-sun/[/url]

[Dombo]

looks familiar but hard to tell from that angle