Ride London 100 litter: 96 gel wrappers found in 600m in Richmond Park

I live very near Richmond Park and run/ride/walk though it regularly.
It's noticeable that the Friends of Richmond produce a report for the Ride London event detailing the litter found that looks like it was from bikes, but after a hot day like Saturday there be much more litter (with more further away from the road out of sight) from picnics/dog walkers/other visitors. The Royal Parks staff do a sweep in their truck early in the morning, but litter further away from the road gets missed for longer and eaten by the deer.
The Friends of Richmond Park always make more fuss about cyclists than almost anything else, even though cars, dogs and litter are the deer killers.

There is something about psyche of these charity or mass events where huge numbers of plastic bottles and wrappers are dumped by the participants.

I suspect these same participants would not do the same during the day so some thought needs to be done by the organisers about awareness raising, practical ways to dispose of handouts and environmental.

My hunch is that they will save money on waster collection if disposal is thought about. Participants too need to ponder their behaviour at these events.

A Belgian Sportive that I rode had huge nets strung out on the downwind side of the road at various intervals. You just threw whatever litter you had at it, the net would catch it and there was a truck parked next to it and various volunteers emptying the net into black bin bags for loading onto the truck.

Not even sure if there was a rider briefing to explain this, it just seemed that everyone understood the protocol.

I didn't see any litter at all on the course.

I have put this on here before but maybe this idea is beyond some people. buy sauce/fruit couli in squeezy bottle from shop use then clean and refill with gells before your ride put in jersey pocket take out and use on ride keep and reuse, better for you, better for me and better for the countryside.

I'm with Abu Dhabi Chris. This is being blown out of all proportion. The Friends of Richmond Park have their own agenda and it doesn't include promoting cycling within the confines of the Park (how about a mountain bike course or a cross race? didn't think so - Chairman's letter of Spring 08 "... we [the FRP] will continue to resist ill-considered schemes which would turn the Park into an urban sports ground, and destroy the different and special experience the Park can give to young people"). Even the FRP's website doesn't have the chutzpah to claim that any deer have been killed by the tops of gel wrappers or indeed by rubbish of any kind, although they evidently hope that readers will conclude as much.

I totally agree that gel wrappers etc. should not be dropped.

But banana skins? Is there a problem with these, seeing as they are 100% natural and bio-degradable. No worse than apple cores?

Just a thought.

Story: 25,000 cyclists pass through Richmond Park and some litter was found afterwards.

While there is a clear assumption that some of this was dropped deliberately, the message that people should be more careful and respectful of their environment is a universal one. Personally I do put my rubbish in my jersey pocket - but I have dropped wrappers accidently while on the bike and this will happen in any cycle event to some extent.

Not sure of the necessity of commenting on people's individual nutrition strategies - or of playground name calling, though.

Speaking as someone who did this years Ride LondonSurrey, never mind about gel wrappers, i had to avoid many complete water bottles rolling across the road. And loads of spent laughing gas cannisters on the roads leading to the start at the Olympic Park.

Gels, by the time they'd reached Richmond? 96 of these required, I suggest.

How little sense people have in this day and age. Put your litter back in your pockets you lazy bast'ds.

All Clif gels have a strip that stops the tab from coming away.

As for 'nodders', fuxk off you patronising tw@t.

ride London is a commercial venture, Royal Parks if there is significant risk to the deer, could simply not allow the ride though, it's not public roads the park is under no obligation to do so.

Knowing the friends it's possible the case may be overstated.

But even so i'm sure there are ways of making it work since there is the money being commercial.

Peasants.

I don't care how fast they were riding, anyone who litters is a f*ing noddy

Littering of any form is disgraceful, disrespectful behaviour. Quite why you would need a gel at 20/25miles is beyond me! (I do race, and only use gels when racing, when riding l use proper food). The people doing tho kind of thing are probably the same ones that litter the place with MuckDonalds bags, cartons, etc.

YOU ARE NOT PRO RACERS, YOU ARE JUST RIDERS!!

Even the pro's use disposal zones, to make the post-race clean up easier...

Actually, I've just thought why you 'need' a gel at 20miles, you've swallowed the whole marketing schtick from the manufacturers...

Ironically I think it is the less experienced riders who tend to litter more (and consume more gels). But I guess it is our job to guide them.

I'm not sure what relevance the quote above about motorists being cyclists has. Twats are twats.

The Tour o the Borders this year did not have gels at the feed stations to cut down on the number of wrappers dropped. In addition it was drummed into everyone to take away what they bring.

This appeared to be a great sucess as the resultant clean up only collected less than one black bin bag for over 2000 riders.

From another view point there could be a gel wrapper reward at the end, for every 2 gel wrappers handed in the sponsor would give you a replacement gel.

Seem to spend quite a lot of time avoiding metal gas canisters (the type used to fix punctures) in the gutter too.

littering equals lack of manners and lack of respect.

It was just awful how many gel wrappers were thrown on the ground. Nobody's got the right to litter, your not effing pro cyclists and they don't chuck stuff on the road that won't be picked up by adoreing fans. Just because your on a bike don't mean you can litter. What was really annoying was that some twats were throwing banana skins on the road. Just what you need when your breaking into a corner. WANKERS !!! There were loads of rubbish bins, bloody use them.

It was just awful how many gel wrappers were thrown on the ground. Nobody's got the right to litter, your not effing pro cyclists and they don't chuck stuff on the road that won't be picked up by adoreing fans. Just because your on a bike don't mean you can litter. What was really annoying was that some twats were throwing banana skins on the road. Just what you need when your breaking into a corner. WANKERS !!! There were loads of rubbish bins, bloody use them.

No excuse for this and see it on every sportive. Some think they are actually pros in a race and I do wonder having rode the RIDE100 why they would need a gel that early in the ride. If you are a gel wrapper dropper then surely you are going to wash your jersey after the ride so just shove your empties in the back pocket - banana skins too. Need to grow public support for these events not lose it.