Yes it is a nice gentle and slow ride, and I have done it quite a few times, but since this is the first time you are doing it, let me give you some pointers and please take my advice like your life depended on it.

As you have said there will be a high number of participants on all kids of bikes from pokey little scooters (Lambretta's and Vespa's full of mirrors) to very powerful bikes, and anything in between on two wheels, the marshalls are forced to allow the start of the ride divided in groups of bikes at every 15 minutes intervals. So, for some testosterone charged lads on sports bikes this can be a little frustrating, and chances are there always is a group of rowdy dick heads who will spoil it for the rest of them, i.e. ignoring the marshalls and trying to overtake slow group zipping past you at high speed.

The result is that in the 6 or 7 consecutive times I have done this ride it hasn't been without the odd casualty, in 2007, there weer 3 of them at different times, and always sports bikes who on account of witnesses got fed up to queue up in long tails of moderate going bikers and decided to overtake the slow group by riding fast on the opposite carriage way and get caught in the path of the oncoming vehicles, frontal impact, bang you're dead, simple as.

The route just before Hastings is full of 30mph speed cameras and these are all working and set to go off you at 31mph or near enough.

The only exciting part of this ride is to get there eventually in one piece and safe, park up, have a chip batty and beverage and meet up with your mates, otherwise it can be a very boring start and stop ride.

For you to stay safe on this ride it is important to keep a safe braking distance between your bike and the ones around you 360 degrees, you must account for the fact that cars, vans and trucks are still sharing the road with you at various points.

Some of the roads designated are just single carriageways so one lane going and another coming, plenty of twisty corners, so stay in your lane at all times.

Keep safe and enjoy, and once you're there watch out for those pesky seagulls, they'll try to nick your chips if you're not careful.