LEL 2017

[martint235]

How much is it to enter? & Do places go quick? - I cant watch the video on the website on my work pc.

IIRC it was about £250 last time out. And places are filled near instantly.

Yep entry for 2013 was £250. Entry opens in early Jan 2017 (unless they change it this time around) and they went in a few hours. There were 1000 entrants last time around and I don't know if they plan to increase that or not. I won't be entering this time.

As you may have gathered from above, if you really, really want to do LEL it may be worth volunteering for 2017 and aiming to ride in 2021 as volunteers are guaranteed entry to the next event.

 

[mcshroom]

£219 last time, though there's an expectation that they will need more paid staff in 2017 (some controls like Barnard Castle where I ended up were really stretched in 2013). It sold out very quickly last time, in a few hours IIRC.

I have also received the email after riding, packing after 400km and then volunteering for 3 days last time. I said I wasn't doing longer rides after 2013, but the DNF is bugging me and I have been offered a guarenteed place.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Oops ... Have signed-up for the newsletter ....

 

[martint235]

Yay!!! There's a picture of me and Lelly on the Colour Finishers photos page!!!

 

[arallsopp]

Yay!!! There's a picture of me and Lelly on the Colour Finishers photos page!!!

Blimey. Your arms look red. Sunny, was it?

 

[martint235]

Blimey. Your arms look red. Sunny, was it?

Just a bit. That last day was one of the worst I've had on a bike. Headwind and 30 degrees across the flatlands of Cambridgeshire. I could actually feel the skin on my arms going crispy!

 

[ComedyPilot]

Got the same e-mail as you, @ComedyPilot, did you reply?
Wondering if I am completely bonkers for even thinking about it for a mili-second... A little voice is telling me that I can just sign up now and decide later
I did actually dig out that infamous book from the bookshelf ... can I join the queue for blaming @arallsopp ?
... and too much mingling with ultracyclist women (Juliana Buhring, Emily Chappell) recently at EdFoC ...

T

OH YES. 2 years to get ready now.

 

[mcshroom]

Hmm, I appear to have replied to the email. The two years start now

 

[Telemark]

hmmm ... I suppose you are right, @ComedyPilot ... might say yes, you never know what'll happen in the next couple of years anyway. If I can't/decide not to do the ride, I can always volunteer again . I really enjoyed it, doing a 36-hour shift rather than two 8-hour shifts as Edinburgh was short of volunteers (i.e. people not turning up, as far as I could tell), got an hour's kip at 7am when some of the next shift turned up but didn't really feel all that tired as there was too much to do. I also blame LEL for discovering my liking of night rides ... never thought I was much of a night owl, but staying awake in a cycling-related capacity or on the bike afterwards didn't seem much of an issue.

T

 

[mcshroom]

I remember turning up at Barney, doing a 24hr shift and realising that was actually quite a short one. @User10119 even went on when we'd packed up to help out at Market Rasen!

 

[Telemark]

eek, what have I done

 

[arallsopp]

eek, what have I done

Nothing, nothing at all.

Spoiler

Compared to what you're going to do.

 

[martint235]

So do we tell the truth about what they're facing or just keep winding them up until they wake up screaming?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Do you also have to ride qualifiers like PBP as well as getting a place when registration opens?

I'm not considering it - just curious.

 

[martint235]

Do you also have to ride qualifiers like PBP as well as getting a place when registration opens?

I'm not considering it - just curious.

Nope. It's just get in early and get a place. No qualification necessary. In the 7 months leading up to LEL 2013 I think I managed 3 rides of 100 miles or more.

I would say for anyone wanting to do it, my experience of it was at 80% mental rather than physical. It's your mind that tells you to give up, your body just says "Feed me". That said I would make sure you can comfortably do 150 miler before attempting LEL.