London-Edinburgh-London 2013: The thread

[Sittingduck]

Ant, you decide your own sleep. Effectively you have to do something like 180 miles per day. If you can do that within say 16 hours, you can have 8 hours sleep. It's just that people do tend to snatch short sleeps in between relatively short bits of riding.

My plan A is not to sleep on night 1 and then have 8 hours a night. We'll see how that works out.

You see, this is the bit that scares me

 

[StuAff]

Now that the summer has arrived, who else is chasing big miles?

I haven't really stopped chasing them. Am thinking of trying to make next month's Winchester-London ride into a 200 miler (box to be ticked since I failed to do it on the Martlets ride last year).

User: You have many options. Whatever you go for, I'd suggest relaxed geometry, comfort rather than stiffness, clearance for 25mm if not wider tyres, and either a compact or a triple chainset. You don't need to spend £2k. But you want to spend it

 

[StuAff]

You see, this is the bit that scares me

Seriously, you can manage that....

 

[Sittingduck]

80 or so per day for 5 days, sure...

Double that is quite a different proposition, I am thinking We'll have to see.

 

[StuAff]

80 or so per day for 5 days, sure...

Double that is quite a different proposition, I am thinking We'll have to see.

It's not actually that much of a step up. I've done consecutive centuries, FNRttC and DunRun the following night...as with any long ride, it's just a question of pacing yourself (on and off the bike).

 

[arallsopp]

I haven't really stopped chasing them. Am thinking of trying to make next month's Winchester-London ride into a 200 miler (box to be ticked since I failed to do it on the Martlets ride last year).

The only way i know to score a 200 is to have nothing else on the do list. No ride to join. No work to fit in. No family obligations. Just one day, preferably with a good friend (or four) an early start, and a 24 hour window. If it goes well, you get home before 18 hours are up and can squeeze in a sleep before the next days demands start anew. If not, well, theres the adventure.

Every time ive tried to wrap a big ride around something else, its been too hard to keep the pace level.

 

[martint235]

[QUOTE 1952938, member: 1314"]
"I need a new and better bike as I'm doing LEL" (to OH) "it's for champions (etc)...I need to spend at least 2k. May need to spend a bit more if I want gears."

OH: "Oh you hero you. OK."[/quote]
Strangely enough that is precisely, word for word, the conversation that preceded the purchase of Lelly. Well ok she never said "you hero you" but she did say "ok".

 

[martint235]

80 or so per day for 5 days, sure...

Double that is quite a different proposition, I am thinking We'll have to see.

I think you'll be fine. You do need to do a ride that pushes you past 200 though. Strangely enough there is my ride down to meet Tim in Winchester and then cycle back that with a bit of tweaking could fit the bill.

Got to get my head back in the zone as I've committed to meeting my family in Cornwall next week, and I'm not planning on using the car... Ah, quite exciting really. Hoping to be there for start of play Thursday, which will be good considering I can't set off until some as yet undetermined hour on Weds.
Its about time i got a long ride in. Missed too many of late, with a resulting dent in my confidence that says "you won't make it past croydon."
Now that the summer has arrived, who else is chasing big miles?

You know you're going to do it. It might hurt but you'll do it. You're just listening to the little voice that shouldn't be listened to. When I left for Nelson I was in such a panicked state that I didn't calm down until St Albans and it just wastes energy.

At the start of the year I was chasing big miles and only one of the rides actually came off and that was Nelson. That was to test whether I could do that distance entirely alone and unsupported. I'll be doing it again next year just because I have unfinished business with the Peak District.

I'm always up for going on a long ride particularly once the Olympics are over and I've got stacks of leave I've not been able to take.

 

[mcshroom]

I messed up my 300km in May, so my planned SR series isn't going to happen, but I'm going for a 400km in a couple weeks.

This time I've made sure that there's no need for me to be home for a certain time so if I run out of time for the Audax I can still finish at my own pace. For the 300 I had it in my head that if I got stuck in the NY Moors in the middle of Saturday night then I would not be able to get back home in time to meet my commitments on Sunday, so I packed at 200km(ish) and rode back to the train home (235km total distance).

I agree with Andy that the big thing you need for a long ride is no other things to get in the way so you can just ride.

 

[StuAff]

The only way i know to score a 200 is to have nothing else on the do list. No ride to join. No work to fit in. No family obligations. Just one day, preferably with a good friend (or four) an early start, and a 24 hour window. If it goes well, you get home before 18 hours are up and can squeeze in a sleep before the next days demands start anew. If not, well, theres the adventure.

Every time ive tried to wrap a big ride around something else, its been too hard to keep the pace level.

Good point. Big Martin's riding from HPC to Winchester, so I'm thinking join him for that, then the ride back to the smoke until some point in Surrey when I'm the appropriate distance from home, then south. The pace should be level enough until the home stretch...

 

[PpPete]

Our problem's not the miles now. OH and I have done our SR this year, and now even lumpy 200s (that half-killed me early last year) are quite comfortable, even with extra 30 tacked on to ride home after.
No, the problem's financial - OH really ought to have a new bike for it - not really fair for her to be riding a 1987 Dawes Galaxy when I'm on shiny new Van Nic, and we can't afford it.
Especially as my car's just written itself off, by blowing the turbo and wrecking the engine.
Spectacular clouds of smoke when it went though !

 

[yello]

Re the daily distance, don't let it freak you. It might sound daunting now as you think about it but there's an important factor you're not considering (and I've said this before, but it's worth repeating)....

...when you're there on the road between London and Edinburgh, riding is all you have to do. It's your only concern. There is no lawn to mow, no car to wash, dogs to walk, dinner to cook, etc etc etc etc etc. All you do is ride... oh, and eat.... and sometimes sleep. That context changes everything believe me.

 

[alans]

but I'm going for a 400km in a couple weeks.
.

which one?

 

[Trickedem]

Now that the summer has arrived, who else is chasing big miles?

I have one more ride to do for my SR this year. On the 8th August myself and RB58 will be cycling from Thurrock to Moffat, or thereabouts to claim the 600km. Hopefully we will then have a more leisurely ride for the remaining 50 miles or so into Edinburgh. The intention is to do 450km straight off to Scotch Corner where there is a Travelodge, after leaving around 7pm. I have no idea how hard this is going to be, but having done two 400km rides this year it seems less daunting. Wish us luck!

 

[alans]

I am ready now for LEL 2013....in my head.My body is lagging a loooong way behind but I'm working on it.

If I don't ride I'll volunteer for one of the controls