I'm 60 and can do 10mph all day long

[Barbelier]

Great post and good advice. I'm planning the same next May (solo ride) though would be interested in how much training is required- I currently do 60-100 miles a week commuting and genaral ambling about. I'm hoping to complete in 18 days which should be enough to include a rest day or two and cost in any mechanical failures. I'm not organised enough to book each B&B in advance so will carry a tent just in case (and my wife would quite rightly slap me if I expected her to book a B&B for me each day!).

You've already got a good base with your weekly mileage. I started from not having cycled at all for 20+ years - can still remember having to go to bed after completed my first 10 mile session!

Everyone has a different level of fitness, so difficult to be too precise. I started 6 months before my original start date, building up the mileage each week. I was doing short sessions during the weekday evenings longer session at the weekend. Kept a spreadsheet and set targets (yeah I know - a bit sad!) to motivate me to keep increasing the mileage. I built it up to a single day session of 100 miles and was proably doing 250-300 miles a week leading up to the start. In total I did about 1,500 miles of training. Also did a couple trips of 2-3 day overnighters to get used to doing back to back sessions and let me know what gear I needed to take.

Most important put the rack and panniers on the bike early on and start gradually filling them up to get used to the load. Makes a big difference. Practice as much hill climbing with fully loaded panniers as possible. 18 days should give you plenty of time to enjoy the trip.

 

[Paladin - York]

When you've all successfully completed LEJOG and fancy doing the TRANSAM (San Francisco CA - Yorktown VA) give me a shout.

 

[Glow worm]

You've already got a good base with your weekly mileage. I started from not having cycled at all for 20+ years - can still remember having to go to bed after completed my first 10 mile session!

Everyone has a different level of fitness, so difficult to be too precise. I started 6 months before my original start date, building up the mileage each week. I was doing short sessions during the weekday evenings longer session at the weekend. Kept a spreadsheet and set targets (yeah I know - a bit sad!) to motivate me to keep increasing the mileage. I built it up to a single day session of 100 miles and was proably doing 250-300 miles a week leading up to the start. In total I did about 1,500 miles of training. Also did a couple trips of 2-3 day overnighters to get used to doing back to back sessions and let me know what gear I needed to take.

Most important put the rack and panniers on the bike early on and start gradually filling them up to get used to the load. Makes a big difference. Practice as much hill climbing with fully loaded panniers as possible. 18 days should give you plenty of time to enjoy the trip.

Great stuff- I'll do a few training rides to my folks in North Norfolk and back from the new year onwards, that'll give me the distance if not the hills! I'm used to full panniers having just cycled home 10 miles from the nearest supermarket with a week's load of grub (and grog!), plus laptop, files and repair kit.

I've no interest in breaking any records on the trip, just to pootle along, enjoy the ride and new places I would never normally have got around to visiting (and Preston ). About 18-20 days should do it.

 

[Glow worm]

When you've all successfully completed LEJOG and fancy doing the TRANSAM (San Francisco CA - Yorktown VA) give me a shout.

Sounds good- my dream is home to Pyongyang one day. If they won't let me into N. Korea then Vladivostock will have to do. San Fran to New York could be one route home!

 

[sabian92]

4 Day? What are you using, a motorbike?

That's bloody good going, though. It's averaging 250 miles A DAY.

 

[Ian H]

4 Day? What are you using, a motorbike?

That's bloody good going, though. It's averaging 250 miles A DAY.

That's a slight exaggeration . I did it slowly with a non-cycling friend many years ago. I just fancy doing it at a proper randonneur pace. The main problem would be organising stops with a minimum of faff.

 

[robgul]

I rode JOGLE at 58 and then LEJOG at 63 ... and I'm planning a "double end-to-end" (start from Stratford-upon-Avon - LE - JOG - Stratford) when I hit 70!

Have a look at my website at www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk for ideas, a ride calendar and lots of useful resources ... together with Journals from other riders.

Just go for it!

Rob

 

[Charlie-S]

10mph & 12 days don't mix!!

@ 54 this year I did a JOGLE (into the wind & rain) in 11.5 days (inc Top Dunnet Head & bottom The Lizard) and ended up doing over 100m some days / 12hrs on the road and would NOT recommend it for pleasure. Highly recommend a 10mph target average and agree 50-60miles would be pleasurable however that will take about 3 weeks inc travel from & to each end.

Not sure I'd recommend a group unless you all know each other very, very well or have large enough numbers to be able to circulate. Under pressure it is all too easy to fall out with your ride partner, IMO/experience. Support driver and booking B&B's are also essential IMO.

Good luck to you all. Wishing you a successful ride in 2012.

 

[Staffordshire Pete]

I set off to JoGLE on my 61st birthday, having done very little in the way of training. The furthest I had trained was 25 miles one day (when I got lost - I only planned 15!!) I did it on what my family laughingly called a "shopping bike". I did it solo - and highly recommend that. It's so MUCH MORE of an adventure. I didn't book ahead. Not a problem in Scotland, but harder the further south you get.
My reason was exactly the same as a previous contributor - I was anxious about a precise commitment when I had no idea of the days events. I used family members to check ahead at about 3pm each day and book me somewhere convenient. It involved them in my adventure and enabled them to follow me on a map. As it happened, I averaged 73 miles a day - even with some bad days. Only had one dry day in the whole journey (14 days) and found a headwind every day but one too. To fully enjoy the journey, you'd need to plan 3 weeks. That would enable you to stop at that car boot sale and take some touristy diversions. I can't say that I enjoyed much of the ride - but I miss it like hell and want to go again!! Weird ain't it.
Good luck.

 

[Cush]

I was 67 pushing 68 last year. I set off from Haltwhistle on a Dawes Kharakum and rode down to L/E, Because I had a bit of mech Trouble I missed a bit out between Penzance and Plymouth and because I got miss placed I missed another bit between Bournmouth and Southampton before I went on to Dover and then back up to Haltwhistle via the Humber Bridge. It took 26 days 1,436 miles Longest day 85 miles from Princtown to Litton Cheney. Yes I will be out again later this year but heading North.

 

[Paladin - York]

I was 67 pushing 68 last year. I set off from Haltwhistle on a Dawes Kharakum and rode down to L/E, Because I had a bit of mech Trouble I missed a bit out between Penzance and Plymouth and because I got miss placed I missed another bit between Bournmouth and Southampton before I went on to Dover and then back up to Haltwhistle via the Humber Bridge. It took 26 days 1,436 miles Longest day 85 miles from Princtown to Litton Cheney. Yes I will be out again later this year but heading North.