Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
From my perspective, the claim that the Friday tours have become less inclusive since LonJOG does not at all do justice to @mmmmartin's effort.
If you look at hard facts like mileage covered and climbing done, LonJOG was by far the hardest ride of them all, with two +100 miles days (these days, we rarely have +100 km day on a Fridays tours) True, we had van support, but so did we on the Bordeaux gig, with shorter days, nicer weather and less climbing.
And no matter how strong a rider you are, on every tour there can be days where you will be struggling, either due to bad weather / wind or bad personal form.
LonJOG isn't a valid comparison, as you're not taking into account the fact that many people dropped in and out and only did a few sections. There was also the possibility for anyone suffering to simply hop on a train back home.
If we're looking at a foreign tour, then we want to make it as accessible as possible. We're getting 6 or 7 new people turning up on each ride so far this year. Most of of them probably had all sorts of uncertainties about if they could manage a FNRttC. That would be amplified for a foreign tour, so that's why it's vital any route isn't too challenging and puts them off ever considering coming along.
A solution would be to have quite a few days where there are 2 routes available from A to B - a normal route and an elongated, technical route.
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