LEJOG

[gregdavies82]

Hi, I am looking to complete LEJOG in April 2013, I have this date specifically because I have another challenge that is going to coincide with this challenge.

My question to all those that have completed the LEJOG/JOGLE is what sort of distance can I realistically be looking at covering each day?

I am 28 yrs old and currently train for the odd half marathon/triathlon (as a hobby) so my fitness is good although I don't do many long distance rides (the odd 60 miler).
My training will be picking up over the next 20 months or so on the run up to this.

I am not looking to break records but to cover as much mileage as I can in a day allowing me enough time to rest in between. Its more a challenge than a lesiurely ride!

any info/advice would be great,

Greg

 

[dellzeqq]

if you stick with it, five days is possible. I've seen people in their 40s go from not cycling very much at all, to a five day LEJoG with 18 weeks training.

 

[Yellow7]

Hi.
You'd be supprised how the miles tick by as you've got all day to spin the cranksl, My first tour across France was easy to knock-up 75 miles / day.

If you pack sensibly you keep the weight down, if you have any 'doubt' over needing something then you don't need it.

Don't carry spares galore, your never far from a bike shop in UK. Choose good tyres. I'm presently on tour to Cape Town, just over 10k miles now
and had just 1 puncture to date, Schwalbe Marathon Plus 'Tour'.

Plot a 50 miles route around your town / city and see how long this takes to ride, an average would be 4 hours, so with a full day to ride (on tour) you can easy muster 75 - 85. If it's a challenge then do 100 mile days. That gives you a good sense of achievement!

Mark. wallisonwheels.com

 

[gregdavies82]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice,

Mark, impressive. I would love to do cape town. I like the idea of plotting the 50 miler and seeing how long it takes i'll have to try it. my friends have got a 127 mile leeds liverpool canal trip coming up that they want to do over 2 days with a stop over somewhere along the way. I can't really afford the stop over so am contemplating putting in a good day and doing it in a one-er!
enjoy your riding,

Greg

 

[Yellow7]

erm, 127 miles in a day on a canal route? I done a big day once but that was on a road without walkers, dogs and thorns. Take a tent and camp, or just a foam sleeping mat and lay somewhere good...next to a pub!

My new blog post will be up by Sunday, 'The Congo'

All the best Greg, Mark.

 

[hubbike]

just in case you didn't notice, there is a specific lejog section too.

 

[vernon]

my friends have got a 127 mile leeds liverpool canal trip coming up that they want to do over 2 days with a stop over somewhere along the way. I can't really afford the stop over so am contemplating putting in a good day and doing it in a one-er!
enjoy your riding,

Greg

127 miles in a day is a tad ambitious for the Leeds Liverpool canal. It's not an uninterrupted route: there's lots of 'bike trap' gates, walkers, other cyclists and horrible surfaces. Pick the longest day and hope that it hasn't rained for a while for an optimum ride.

 

[P.H]

100 hours is the Audax time allowance. Though that's based on a pretty direct route with some busy roads, depends what options you want to take. 200+ miles a day should be doable if you get everything else right.

If you've not come across Audax before, it'd also be a good way to train. It's not just about fitness. Nutrition, bike fit, sleep and time management, pacing yourself and strategies to get through the low points will all need to be learnt. There's an excellent book - The Long Distance Cyclists Handbook - which would be a good starting point, it contains loads of information and several training plans. Good luck

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Distance-Cyclists-Handbook/dp/0713668326

 

[gregdavies82]

Thanks guys for everyones advice, on reflection the leeds liverpool in one day is ambitious, i was basing the distance on my 'harrogate to scarborough and back' ride which was roughly 110 miles in one day. i never factored in the stopping and starting

 

[vernon]

Someone has just done it (Leeds Liverpool Canal that is) and reported upon his ride. It does not sound too enjoyable.

Read about it here

 

[lejogger]

I did LEJOG two years ago at the age of 28 having only been cycling for a year. Training was not as comprehensive as it should have been, but 3 months before I was doing probably 100-150 miles a week and then the occasional biggie thrown in at the weekend. Longest was a 150 round trip.

We completed unsupported in 9 days - Well 8 and a half really . So average of 100 miles a day, but uncomfortably I hasten to add.

If we hadn't been carrying tents and sleeping bags etc we probably wouldn't have done more miles - but we would have got into our night stops earlier giving us a longer recovery time before the next day. We stuck to main roads 80% of the time because in my experience, the smaller the road the sharper and more leg zapping the climbs.

Our longest day was Penrith to Glasgow (125 miles), and we didn't get in until nearly 9pm. This was our biggest lesson learned. I've just got back from a tour of Ireland (admittedly with a lot more weight and camping equip than LEJOG) but this time we rattled out 60 miles a day over approx 4 hours, and then you've got the afternoon to rest and relax before setting off again the next day. If you're not trying to break targets or records then I would heartily recommend this more laid back approach.