LeJoG & 3 Peaks done!!!!

[wintonbina]

Hi Guys,

Just to say that I completed the ride & climbs in 11 days & what an experience it was . The riding was fantastic even if we did get 4 days of headwinds all the way through Scotland. The 3 Peaks really done us in though, they are tough at the best of times but after 900 miles of riding, well I suffered big time, I had to lance my big toes just so I could climb Snowdonia & it peed down at the summit .
The A30 was good riding but the hills around Crediton & Tiverton were killers, the one before Bristol was tough(hottest day of the year as well!). Shap I thought was easy, I think the hill after Moffat was worse & the hills after Wick were tough but awesome at the same time!

The A9 was very monotonous but the Scots were very welcoming & generous (we had a lot of donations from the locals & in Pitlochry the girls from Scotch Corner gave us a 3kg bag of Jellybabies to keep us going! ).

Great cameradie, I spoke or waved to a lot of Jolers & lejog'ers & our mechanic replaced a wheel for a Macmillan cancer rider who had a bit of a bump which meant he could continue!

Downside the coach drivers on the A9 are dangerous(all seem to drive flat out!) Lorry drivers on the whole were very good.

The manager of the Carlisle Central Travelodge wasn't the nicest I've ever met .

The Alvey House Hotel in Newtonmore was the top place to stay. Great breakfast, Drying room, bike store,reasonable price & hosts who cannot do enough for you. I give them the highest recommendation.

All in all a fantastic experience I met Schoosh what a star who guided us through Edinburgh to the Forth Bridge! Much respect Dave .


If anyone needs any info about the routes, stopovers etc just ask, I will be more than pleased to help.


Cheers,



Tony

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Hi Guys,

Just to say that I completed the ride & climbs in 11 days & what an experience it was . The riding was fantastic even if we did get 4 days of headwinds all the way through Scotland. The 3 Peaks really done us in though, they are tough at the best of times but after 900 miles of riding, well I suffered big time, I had to lance my big toes just so I could climb Snowdonia & it peed down at the summit .
The A30 was good riding but the hills around Crediton & Tiverton were killers, the one before Bristol was tough(hottest day of the year as well!). Shap I thought was easy, I think the hill after Moffat was worse & the hills after Wick were tough but awesome at the same time!

The A9 was very monotonous but the Scots were very welcoming & generous (we had a lot of donations from the locals & in Pitlochry the girls from Scotch Corner gave us a 3kg bag of Jellybabies to keep us going! ).

Great cameradie, I spoke or waved to a lot of Jolers & lejog'ers & our mechanic replaced a wheel for a Macmillan cancer rider who had a bit of a bump which meant he could continue!

Downside the coach drivers on the A9 are dangerous(all seem to drive flat out!) Lorry drivers on the whole were very good.

The manager of the Carlisle Central Travelodge wasn't the nicest I've ever met .

The Alvey House Hotel in Newtonmore was the top place to stay. Great breakfast, Drying room, bike store,reasonable price & hosts who cannot do enough for you. I give them the highest recommendation.

All in all a fantastic experience I met Schoosh what a star who guided us through Edinburgh to the Forth Bridge! Much respect Dave .


If anyone needs any info about the routes, stopovers etc just ask, I will be more than pleased to help.


Cheers,



Tony

WOW congratulations. That is one hell of an achievement!!!!

 

[ro45rt]

Hi,

My friend and I are thinking of doing JOGLE, please could you give advice on a route, and roads to avoid. Could you also give details on were you stayed?

Rob

 

[wintonbina]

Hi Rob,

We went A30 to Okehampton then to Bristol (via B3215,A3072,A337 to Crediton then A38 via Taunton & Bridgwater). Bristol to Ludlow(via Chepstow thro Aust over the old Severn Bridge then A466 thro' Hereford then A49). Onto Chorley/Preston(A49 thro' Shrewsbury,Warrington & Wigan) A6 over Shap hill thro' Penrith to Carlisle. Then onto the new road thro' Gretna onto B7076 to Moffat then A701,A72,A701 then A702 into Edinburgh. Over the Forth Bridge thro Kinross & Perth on the A9 to Newtonmore. Onto Rogart Station (Sleepzzz.com) on the A9 then all the way to JoG on the A9.(Just reverse the route).

We stayed at Travelodges for most of the jaunt, they are cheap & clean & you can keep your bike in the room! The Alvey House in Newtonmore was top class(01540 673260). We didn't stay near JoG because we went to Ben Nevis straight away and we stayed at The Penzance Backpackers in Penzance 01736 363836 which was ok with drying & bike storage facilities.
I wouldn't say avoid any of the roads but you might not be comfortable on the A30,A6 or A9 whereas we were, so that would be your shout Rob.

Good planning & bright clothes is the key.

Tony

 

[Christkd]

Well done Tony, fantastic achievement!!

Hope the withdrawl symptoms aren't too bad, I was on a real downer for a week after I got home!!

So whats next?!!!!

 

[wintonbina]

Well done Tony, fantastic achievement!!

Hope the withdrawl symptoms aren't too bad, I was on a real downer for a week after I got home!!

So whats next?!!!!

Well once my toenails grow back I will be considering all crazy things (I like the notion of Athens to London Olympic ride next year 2750miles!).

You are right about the withdrawal symtoms, I'm missing the cameradie & the Jelly Babies being passed out by fellow riders! not missing the flapjacks though! or the sudocrem sessions .

Tony

 

[Sienna]

Sounds like you had a fantastic time. I am considering doing JoGLe next year, just in the planning stages at them moment. I have back up in the form of my dad in his motorhome, but all other advice would be greatly received, for example do I change my tyres, if so what size,etc. I am riding a Kinetics carbon fibre road bike.


Sienna

 

[Rebel Ian]

We've just completed day 8 of 12 and I have LOTS of tips. However, my LEJoG tip for the day is......get a good saddle, wear decent shorts and bring lots of ar*e cream! 91 miles in the saddle beckons tomorrow and I have pains in places I didn't even know I had!

 

[wintonbina]

We've just completed day 8 of 12 and I have LOTS of tips. However, my LEJoG tip for the day is......get a good saddle, wear decent shorts and bring lots of ar*e cream! 91 miles in the saddle beckons tomorrow and I have pains in places I didn't even know I had!

Hi Ian,

Quick tip, Grease yourself well & pull your shorts up tight then when you position yourself on the saddle start from the rear of the saddle(no pun intended!) & slide forwards. This keeps the shorts in the correct position on your backside thus reducing the chances of chafing/soreness .

Good luck & may the wind be behind you!

Tony

 

[George82]

I'm planning to do the same challenge in 12 days next spring so I'm delighted to hear it's possible!!

Quick question: I'm guessing 2-3 day old bib shorts with 20+hrs of use might get a bit funky! what do you do for washing/cleaning your cycling gear? Are Hotels/hosteld pretty accomodating with this?

 

[alans]

I had two pairs of bib shorts: one to wear & t'other spare.

I wore each pair on alternate days & the washed the duty shorts at the end of the day.Wring the wet shorts out as hard as you can & then wring them inside a towel which will absorb more water.They were dried overnight onna radiator*.

* I did my ride in early May & the weather was such that most places I stayed had the heating on overnight.

 

[wintonbina]

I'm planning to do the same challenge in 12 days next spring so I'm delighted to hear it's possible!!

Quick question: I'm guessing 2-3 day old bib shorts with 20+hrs of use might get a bit funky! what do you do for washing/cleaning your cycling gear? Are Hotels/hosteld pretty accomodating with this?

Yes, as alans said, you can use the radiator! I put my stuff in the bath put the plug in & then had a shower whilst treading on top/shorts/socks, then swilled them with clean water then washed in sink with small amount of washing powder, wrung them out & hung out on balconey or radiator & ready for the next day if required!
If you require any tips about one finger dip only assos cream!!!!