Amanda P
Legendary Member
- Location
- York. Well, York-ish...
What is the point of doing LEL if you can't use it as an excuse to buy some more toys...?
London-Edinburgh-London 2013: The thread
- Thread starter Arch
- Start date
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PalmerSperry
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
ChrisKH said:+1. I may well enter and then pull out through "injury" after acquiring sufficient toys.
Surely to really maximise the potential there, you need to acquire SON + appropriate lights (and anything else that takes your fancy, I mean, that would be useful), then have the "injury" but use it to justify the purchase of a recumbent so that you "can still do the LEL", and then later on have "another injury" meaning you have to pull out after all?
Some people rode LEL with lights costing under £20. Takes all sorts.
With less faffing and a bit more effort on day 1 I think I could have got to Thorne in daylight (many people did). I would have then been able to have the same amount of sleep but been up and ready to go at sunrise rather than at 6.30am most mornings. Those extra few hours would have meant almost all of the subsequent days riding would have been in daylight, maybe a bit at dusk. It's certainly possible for a fast rider to complete LEL in daylight.
The things that slowed me down were all in my own control:-
1) Stopping for too long at controls (mind you, it's not a race)
2) Not getting up at 4am as first planned on day 2. (Ended up leaving Thorne at 6.30am).
3) Not pushing on from Eskdalemuir to Traquair at the end of day 2 when I wasn't feeling that tired and sleeping at Eskdalemuir was a nightmare.
4) Not pushing on from Eskdalemuir Southbound in the dreadful weather (very localised weather there, torrential downpour but dry 15 miles down the road in Langholm). There was no reason why I couldn't have left earlier, I just didn't want to.
5) And not using the 3 hours of waiting for the weather to improve at Eskdalemuir to best effect by sleeping (I sat around chatting instead). Serious case of dozies between Eskdalemuir and Alston which required a catnap in a church porch.
6) Pub lunch in Middleton-In-Teesdale took too long, but it was lovely to stop for some really nice food.
7) Very slow last section from Gamlingay to the finish, mainly because of lots us slowing down with tiredness and dozies. Plus we knew we had time to spare so we weren't rushing.
The bits I did in the dusk/dark were:-
Wragby (8pm-ish) to Thorne (midnight)
Alston (8pm) to Eskdalemuir (2am)
Eskdalemuir (10pm) to Alston (6am)
Coxwold (9pm) to Thorne (2am)
St Neots (9pm) to Finish (3.30am)
With less faffing and a bit more effort on day 1 I think I could have got to Thorne in daylight (many people did). I would have then been able to have the same amount of sleep but been up and ready to go at sunrise rather than at 6.30am most mornings. Those extra few hours would have meant almost all of the subsequent days riding would have been in daylight, maybe a bit at dusk. It's certainly possible for a fast rider to complete LEL in daylight.
The things that slowed me down were all in my own control:-
1) Stopping for too long at controls (mind you, it's not a race)
2) Not getting up at 4am as first planned on day 2. (Ended up leaving Thorne at 6.30am).
3) Not pushing on from Eskdalemuir to Traquair at the end of day 2 when I wasn't feeling that tired and sleeping at Eskdalemuir was a nightmare.
4) Not pushing on from Eskdalemuir Southbound in the dreadful weather (very localised weather there, torrential downpour but dry 15 miles down the road in Langholm). There was no reason why I couldn't have left earlier, I just didn't want to.
5) And not using the 3 hours of waiting for the weather to improve at Eskdalemuir to best effect by sleeping (I sat around chatting instead). Serious case of dozies between Eskdalemuir and Alston which required a catnap in a church porch.
6) Pub lunch in Middleton-In-Teesdale took too long, but it was lovely to stop for some really nice food.
7) Very slow last section from Gamlingay to the finish, mainly because of lots us slowing down with tiredness and dozies. Plus we knew we had time to spare so we weren't rushing.
The bits I did in the dusk/dark were:-
Wragby (8pm-ish) to Thorne (midnight)
Alston (8pm) to Eskdalemuir (2am)
Eskdalemuir (10pm) to Alston (6am)
Coxwold (9pm) to Thorne (2am)
St Neots (9pm) to Finish (3.30am)
arallsopp
Post of The Year 2009 winner
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
johnsss said:
Welcome Johnsss. Hell of an opening post
arallsopp
Post of The Year 2009 winner
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Greenbank said:
If that's the case, I'm sure he'll usher us round like a shoving leopard on a well-boiled icicle.
OP
OP
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
arallsopp said:
Um....?
Anyway, John, if you'd like to be on the map of prospective riders, PM me a rough address - town or simething similar will do.
