LEJOG or JOGLE (depending on which end you start from) has become Everyman’s Everest. In fact it shares much in common with the medieval notion of ‘pilgrimage’ but without the spiritual connotations.
I last completed this most iconic of routes back in 1982, riding a bespoke Evans tourer, accompanied by five students, raising funds for Save the Children.
Two years ago, I made a last minute decision to repeat the journey, but this time as a solo adventure, unsupported and with nothing booked other than my train tickets to and from both ends. I not only wanted to re-visit the journey in minimalist fashion (I carried only one Carradice saddlebag, sleeping bag and bivvy tent), but I wanted to put my Alex Moulton APB21 through its paces and see how it fared on a journey above 1000 miles.
Most people have preconceived notions about small wheeled bikes, and many that I met en route expressed disbelief about its suitability for such a venture, but the reality was that I averaged 85 miles per day (some days were over 100 miles) with a remarkable degree of comfort and speed. The Moulton’s combination of a well-designed rigid frame, suspension front and rear, and more than adequate gearing, made this a perfect long-distance machine, and one that can be separated into two halves, bagged and carried onto trains as hand-luggage.
To read more click here
I last completed this most iconic of routes back in 1982, riding a bespoke Evans tourer, accompanied by five students, raising funds for Save the Children.
Two years ago, I made a last minute decision to repeat the journey, but this time as a solo adventure, unsupported and with nothing booked other than my train tickets to and from both ends. I not only wanted to re-visit the journey in minimalist fashion (I carried only one Carradice saddlebag, sleeping bag and bivvy tent), but I wanted to put my Alex Moulton APB21 through its paces and see how it fared on a journey above 1000 miles.
Most people have preconceived notions about small wheeled bikes, and many that I met en route expressed disbelief about its suitability for such a venture, but the reality was that I averaged 85 miles per day (some days were over 100 miles) with a remarkable degree of comfort and speed. The Moulton’s combination of a well-designed rigid frame, suspension front and rear, and more than adequate gearing, made this a perfect long-distance machine, and one that can be separated into two halves, bagged and carried onto trains as hand-luggage.
To read more click here
