LeJoG or JoGLE - go for it - its easier than you think

[spen666]

Reading so many people thinking of doing LEJoG or JoGLE is heartening.

Reading all the worries/ questions people I have remind me of myself early in 2009.

On NYE 2008/9 I foolishly said I was going to do LEJoG in May 2009. Now, I was best part of 20 stones in weight and had never ridden more than 70 miles in a day ( and only done one ride of this distance)

With regular commuting to work Jan - May and increasing my ride distance from 12 miles each way to 25 each way, I did no other training.

I did the ride mainly unsupported and carried all my own luggage over Dartmoor. It was hard, but it is do able.

I chose to take a pretty direct route and never had any problems with the main roads or traffic.

The biggest thing stopping you from doing this ride is yourself. Be positive and you will be able to do it

I kept a blog of the ride which is at spen666.wordpress.com and the actual ride starts in May 2009, but the period before that deals with my preparations for the ride.

Good luck to you all and safe riding

 

[steve52]

so thats helped lol im giveing it a go kickoff is the 3th off jan (steven is easily led)

 

[vernon]

I'm with Spen666 on this.

I did LEJOG weighing around 24 stones. My planning consisted of tearing the pages out of a road atlas that had camp sites marked on it. My 'training' was a regular weekend ride of around thirty miles for a few months - never with the camping gear. I never had an itinerary or suffered from severe introspection or self doubt. I treated the ride as a series of days rides and just went out and did it. I liked it so much that I did a JOGLE two years later with a Channel to Med ride in between.
The biggest enemy of End to Enders is their minds. Self doubts grow and demoralise riders.

 

[Dayvo]

Not having done the LEJoG/JoGLE, but two other six-week trips, I agree that most of it is in the mind.

Have realistic daily targets, and concentrate on each day and the journey that's happening 'now'.

Don't think of the end/finish, or each day will just be a chore, similar to a marathon runner (you NEVER see them smiling) who s l o w l y counts down the miles to go.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Agreed absolutely. It's basically just an x-mile ride (whether your x is 40, 60, 80 or whatever) followed by another one the next day, rinse and repeat. Within a few days, it just feels totally natural to get on the bike each morning, and I'm one of many who - heading towards JOG - really didn't want the ride to end.

 

[PpPete]

It is indeed easier than you think....
The hardest part for me & Mrs PpP was what we called the "cat herding"
Keeping 10 teenagers (well actually one was only 12, but some were nearly 18) going at approximately the same rate and in the same direction. The few times we go them orgasnised into a nice chaingaing were exhilerating.

 

[alans]

I found the hardest part was getting to the start line.
After too much equivocation & some JFDI advice I started within a month of allocating the time off work,including a 2 week delay to do a house-account project.
That was May 2009. JoGLE

The itch to do it again in the opposite direction requires more & more scratching.

 

[CopperBrompton]

The itch to do it again in the opposite direction requires more & more scratching.

Yeah ... though given my success with the prevailing winds, I'd do it in the same direction again. Given enough time and money, I'd love to do it at a 40-mile/day pace to be able to take time out to explore places en-route.

 

[alans]

Well,having next to no work since last Xmas I've certainly got the time.The same circumstance means that £ is a serious obstacle.
I did have a few 100km+ days but most were much less & I took 21 days.I'd not be inclined to do it quicker.
I had a headwind of varying degree every day.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Yep, having time and money at the same time is the tricky bit!

We did it in 18 days, which was fine, with from memory only one or two days of headwinds. Of course, starting at Lands End meant it was all uphill ...

 

[Fubar]

Not that I've done it but the thought of finishing at John O'Groats I think would put me right off going in that direction - not that Lands End is any great shakes but from what I've read JOG provides traditional highland hospitality, i.e. none!

 

[alans]

Note,I have edited my first post to read JoGLE.

My LEJoG typo reflected my forward planning

 

[alans]

My decision to ride JoGLE was soley because it's easier to get home from Penzance than John O Groats.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Not that I've done it but the thought of finishing at John O'Groats I think would put me right off going in that direction - not that Lands End is any great shakes but from what I've read JOG provides traditional highland hospitality, i.e. none!

They are both absolute dives, so I don't think there's anything in it from that perspective. It's not like you spend much time in either location.

 

[robgul]

Yep, having time and money at the same time is the tricky bit!

We did it in 18 days, which was fine, with from memory only one or two days of headwinds. Of course, starting at Lands End meant it was all uphill ...

Not so! - for the pedant - John O'Groats start point is almost at sea level, Land's End is on high cliffs - so on a net basis LEJOG is downhill!!

... and seriously, having ridden both ways I thought JOGLE was easier - possibly as you start with drags rather steep hills for most of Scotland northern England before you get to the very steep, but short, hills in Devon & Cornwall.

My ext plan that is hatching slowly is to ride from home (Stratford upon Avon) to JOG to LE and back home again.

Rob
(www.cycle-endtoend.org.uk webmaster
... loads of stories of journeys and resource for the BIG ride)