London-Edinburgh-London 2013: The thread
- Thread starter Arch
- Start date
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It all depends on whether the ride is BR or BRM (the extra M means it is run under slightly stricter rules as it gets validated/homologated by ACP in France).
For a BR ride of 208km Audax the organiser can set any minimum speed between 14.3kph and 15kph. So you could have any amount of time between:-
208/15 = 13h52m and 208/14.3 = 14h32m
BRM rides (up to 800km) have a minimum average speed of 15kph *EXCEPT* for a 200 and a 400 which have specified timelimits of 13h30 and 27h respectively (which equate to a minimum average speed of 14.81kph); not entirely sure why but probably related to the original definition of Audax in the late 1800s which was a ride done between sunrise and sunset.
For a BRM ride you also don't get any extra time for it being over distance, so you get 13h30 whether it is bang on 200km or 210km. BRM rides should not be more than 5% over distance because of this, but some still are (the good thing about rules is they are often ignored/broken).
For longer rides (like PBP or LEL) the minimum average speeds change (whether it is BR or BRM). PBP is 1200km and 13.3kph, LEL is 1400km and 12kph. More details on the AUK website.
DIY rides are BR, so the 14.3kph minimum average speed limit applies, plus you also get extra time for the full agreed distance.
Note that the distance of an Audax may not be the distance used to calculate the timings and finish cut off. The cutoff times are based on the total distance of the route following the shortest distance between the controls; this may not be the route the organiser has decided to take.
An example of this is the Upper Thames. It's a 200km Audax with a shortest distance between controls of 208km (if you took some main roads), but to get off those major roads the routesheet uses a slightly longer route that comes out as 213km. The time limits (IIRC) should be based on the 208km distance since that is all that visiting all of the controls guarantees you to have cycled.
My DIY ride up to Cambridge and back is a shade over 200km using Autoroute, but that uses big chunks of the A10 that I don't really want to cycle on, so my actual route is closer to 216km, but I still only get the time to complete 200km (albeit at 14.3kph minimum so a shade under 14 hours).
Anyway, none of this is that important for a ride like LEL where you just plug away keeping an eye on the time limits until day 2 or 3 where you can't even remember what day it is.
I finished my first 200km yesterday.
Route was 212km, I cycled 236.5km. I was less than two minutes over the time limit.
I'm glad to have done the ride, it's the furthest I've done in one go before. Shame about the time limit though, I've got to get quicker.
Route was 212km, I cycled 236.5km. I was less than two minutes over the time limit.
I'm glad to have done the ride, it's the furthest I've done in one go before. Shame about the time limit though, I've got to get quicker.
arallsopp
Post of The Year 2009 winner
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Anyway, none of this is that important for a ride like LEL where you just plug away keeping an eye on the time limits until day 2 or 3 where you can't even remember what day it is.
...and therein lies the truth. At least, I think it does. I don't remember if it was day 2 or 3 when I started losing track of things. Broadly speaking, there's a bit of tarmac that reaches ahead for a week. Sometimes its smooth. Sometimes its coarse. Sometimes its lit by the sun. Sometimes by the moon. Sometimes its underwater. Sometimes its under gravel. Sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it goes down.
The trick is to stay on it through as much of the above as possible.
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
...and therein lies the truth. At least, I think it does. I don't remember if it was day 2 or 3 when I started losing track of things. Broadly speaking, there's a bit of tarmac that reaches ahead for a week. Sometimes its smooth. Sometimes its coarse. Sometimes its lit by the sun. Sometimes by the moon. Sometimes its underwater. Sometimes its under gravel. Sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it goes down.
The trick is to stay on it through as much of the above as possible.
I think that's about it....
Just done a 20 day E2E on which we slept on hard floors on all but 2 nights. I've been trying to write it up but it's all a bit of a blur, despite being very modest mileages in comparison with LEL. Still my MCL total is now comfortably over 2000 miles, even if my average speed is way down.
Really want to do a 200 before weather turns bad
but there's none local that are on convenient dates.How long to you guys take to create a gpx file? I am using the waypoints (with sequentially numbered with route instructions as their name) + direct routing + underlying track approach. I'll acknowledge that compared to the "just a track" approach, it's a bit belt and braces, but it's taken forever. Must have taken nearly 10 hours all told.
A 200 in about half an hour from start to finish using the same method (one routepoint per routesheet instruction, sequentially numbered).
I use the routesheet to plot out a track on bikehike/bikely/whatever first. Once I'm happy that I know where the route goes (based on the routesheet) then I'll turn off 'follow roads' and plot out a route of one point per instruction as I now know which junctions correspond to which routesheet instructions.
I'll admit my first attempt at this may have taken more than half an hour. I can now usually forego the track option as I know what kinds of junctions on maps will translate into routesheet instructions. Looking ahead a few instructions (for placenames that you go through) helps as you can keep an eye on whether or not you're going in the right direction or not.
Haven't bothered with a track before now as I only had a bog standard eTrex (with no mapping).
EssexRider
New Member
- Location
- Brentwood
I wanted to do the last one but tore my ACL and LCL which gave me 6 months off of training 
not too sure I really want to do this but I just don't think I could do it haha
not too sure I really want to do this but I just don't think I could do it haha
OP
OP
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
<Irish Accent>
Ah, go go, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on....
</Irish Accent>
Why not have a try anyway. Even if you never do it, you'll get really fit training...
Ah, go go, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on....
</Irish Accent>
Why not have a try anyway. Even if you never do it, you'll get really fit training...
EssexRider
New Member
- Location
- Brentwood
well the starting point Redbridge is East London.... I live West Essex so I can't use getting there and back as an excuse can I
Suppose I'd be interested in doing it with a group of people, definately wouldn't on my own..
Suppose I'd be interested in doing it with a group of people, definately wouldn't on my own..
What is the advantage of using waypoints? When I make a gpx, I just trace the route out on say mapmyride and then save it as a gpx and download to my Garmin -
How do you use waypoints - and why is it better?
By the way, still interested in the LEL, but I don't like to sign up to something unless I'm definite.
Martin
What is the advantage of using waypoints? When I make a gpx, I just trace the route out on say mapmyride and then save it as a gpx and download to my Garmin -
How do you use waypoints - and why is it better?
By the way, still interested in the LEL, but I don't like to sign up to something unless I'm definite.
Martin
This is a good starting point: http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~jwo/landserf/audax/
Particularly the section: How do I create a GPS route to navigate with?
It's particularly useful for GPSes that don't have any form of mapping.
http://
Nice to meet MancSimon, albeit briefly, on the Mildenhall 300.
I had a great day out, spent mostly trying to hang onto the coat tails of a chap who was intent on getting around in 15 hours. We did it; getting back at 6.52pm. Great fun and really good company.
Felt spent at the end, but ecstatic to have made it around so much quicker than I expected. Has made me realise, I need to get some hilly 200 and 300kms in before I make the leap to 400kms. It's also convinced my wife that she wants to do a 100. Possibly going to enter PBP with her... Pyecombe-Billingshurst-Pycombe, that is.
I had a great day out, spent mostly trying to hang onto the coat tails of a chap who was intent on getting around in 15 hours. We did it; getting back at 6.52pm. Great fun and really good company.
Felt spent at the end, but ecstatic to have made it around so much quicker than I expected. Has made me realise, I need to get some hilly 200 and 300kms in before I make the leap to 400kms. It's also convinced my wife that she wants to do a 100. Possibly going to enter PBP with her... Pyecombe-Billingshurst-Pycombe, that is.
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
What is the advantage of using waypoints? When I make a gpx, I just trace the route out on say mapmyride and then save it as a gpx and download to my Garmin -
How do you use waypoints - and why is it better?
By the way, still interested in the LEL, but I don't like to sign up to something unless I'm definite.
Martin
I'm another that doesn't bother with Routes.... just make a Track on bikehike, use the Options to cut it to 500 points, before sending it to the Legend HCx.
Might be different if I had a non-mapping GPS.
Tend to put waypoints for Info controls if I remember so I don't sail right past them
I miss turnings like you miss controls. Even with the alerts on routes, I am a terror for getting lost in conversation. Next thing, I am having to zoom right out because the track and route are nowhere to be seen. There's no way I could enjoy a ride concentrating on following a line. At least I know with routes that I ought to concentrate in X many km.
