West London Cycling is heading for Brighton on the Bank Holiday Monday, it’s gotta be THE BRIGHTON BEANO, Allez Simple ou Allez Retour, train or strain home; 118km and 219km options.

It’s back for 2023, West London Cycling’s popular Brighton Beano Ride to Brighton, and we’ve had a few questions from people planning on doing it for the first time, so here’s a little more insight.

This year, it is on the Coronation Bank Holiday set for Monday 8th May. We set off at 8am with 100km or 200km options. The 100km riders can gets trains back to London from Brighton. Trains back cost around £15 and we suggest getting the Thameslink trains and changing at Farringdon for the Metropolitan or Elizabeth lines back to West London. This is tried and tested, and whilst there other alternatives, this is definitely the favoured route back.

The ride out ends at Brighton Pier where we have Fish and Chips on the beach. Some even take a dip in the sea (lycra can dry quite fast in the sun). Brighton Station is a five minute ride (uphill) from the beach.

Alternatively, some of us ride back making it a 200km DIY Audax ride (and thus claiming Audax points).

We will split into speed groups and there is at least one cafe stop en-route, although some riders stopped twice last time. Naturally, those riding the 200km option are likely to be in faster groups. The route is relatively unhilly, but there are noteworthy climbs in Surrey and at Steyning. Generally though, this is a very manageable route.

There is an unofficial stop for faster riders at The Queen Stage (A cycling cafe) at Effingham 42km

There is an official stop at Billy’s On The Road after Five Oaks just before Billinghurst at 71.6km

VIEW THE 118km ROUTE HERE

VIEW THE 219km ROUTE HERE

We will form groups of different paced riders for the ride, you can choose your group, but with the stops and the long stop on the beach, we have always seen regrouping such that slower groups tend to catch the faster ones at the stops, keeping it social.

Be at the Polish War Memorial at 8am Monday 8th May for the West London Cycling Brighton Beano.