London-Edinburgh-London 2013: The thread

[Tynan]

59!

Although I too well remember arriving at a control on a 200 to see two doddering riders leaving as I entered, I couldn't help but ask and the older one said he was 'well over 80'

 

[arallsopp]

I think I can honestly say I enjoyed finishing, recalling, and retelling.

Its like the opposite of junk food, or a Micheal Bay film. Not particularly enjoyable in the present tense, but leaves you feeling massively satisfied and full of good feelings once its sat with you a while.

Andy

 

[frank9755]

Deckertim of this parish and I rode the outbound leg this week. We rode from the Dartford Crossing, picked up the route in Loughton and then made our way to Edinburgh.

50 1/4 hours elapsed time. 460 miles.

Learning.
1. It's hard.
2. It's very hard.
3. The Fens is boring beyond compare and will be tough if there's a headwind. You will pray for a hill. A corner. Anything.
4. The hills proper start at 200 miles.
There are no insane hills, but fatigued legs make even the normally easiest a challenge towards the end of a leg.
5. Riding the first 300 miles in one hit is not a good plan.
6. Eat proper food whenever you can - sandwiches and cereal bars is not good enough.
7. If you lose your appetite, force it down. Little and often. Don't forget this.
(I bonked about 4 miles from the end and it wasn't until later that I realised how little I'd eaten during the preceding 16 hours)
8. Be sure you are comfortable on your bike, especially the saddle. A Saturday club run is not the same as 48 hours solid.
9. They do a good roast dinner at the Gretna Green visitor centre. That's the only reason to stop there. And don't expect any veg!
9. Don't do it if you expect to enjoy it.


I'm sure once my body and mind have healed I'll be able to provide some more considered advice!

I'm now heading to the station for a well deserved 5 hour sit down journey back to London.

Later.

EDIT: corrected the distance to miles, not km)

Well done, Ross!
I was particularly struck by 4. From what I'd picked up I was expecting it to be quite a hilly route. They are saying it is hillier than last time, and that was rather putting me off. If I do it, I'll want to press on, so a very hilly (and lane-y) route wouldn't be great. But what you say is encouraging.

 

[rb58]

Average age is 55 apparently. Which is what I'll be next year. Hence my interest.

As Andy says, I don't think it's something you do to 'enjoy' - a sense of achievement perhaps, but not pleasure.

I think as Ppp says above, four and a half long days would probably do it. Tim and I did a 300 mile / 26 hour first day, grabbed 6 hours sleep, then completed it with a 175 mile / 16 hour (almost) daylight session. If we'd spent 8 hours resting in Edinburgh before starting the return trip, we'd still have had an additional 8 hours in the 'bank' to spend resting on the way back.

If I were doing it again, I'd do 200 miles, then get some sleep before tackling the Howardian Hills around Castle Howard with fresher legs. Of course timing sleep sessions with sleep places needs some planning and good fortune.

In terms of recovery, my legs could have turned the pedals of my bike yesterday again, but I'm not sure my backside could have coped. In fact, I'm still saddle sore today. So you need to be really sure about your saddle. Which I guess means getting the miles in between now and then on the bike / saddle you plan to use for LEL. I hadn't used my Thorn / Brooks combination for any serious distance since the Lands End to London leg of LE-LON-JOG earlier in the summer, other than for the FNRttC/SMRbtH a few days before. Clearly that was a mistake!

There are some stunning stretches to be cycled along the route. Around Castle Howard, around Barnard Castle, the Pennines, north of Moffat to name a few. But there are also some tedious stretches - The Fens and the road north of Gretna ( the old A74 I think) are examples.

As I said in my post above, proper food and proper hydration needs careful management. I got that seriously wrong.

In fact. Planning is the watch word. This is not just another ride, it's a serious undertaking and will require a lot of prep.

At the moment, I'm inclined not to enter LEL13. However, as Mrs rb58 said when she was mopping my brow, it could be (a bit) like having a baby...... At the time you swear you're not going to go through it again, but time heals and you end up remembering the good bits. (of course, I know riding a bike is not in the same pain league as having a baby, but you get my drift).

 

[yello]

Not particularly enjoyable in the present tense, but leaves you feeling massively satisfied and full of good feelings once its sat with you a while.

I'd go with that. There'll be times you wonder why you're doing it, conversely times when you wouldn't be doing anything else. Afterwards, an incredible sense of fatigue and achievement.

I found a perverse delight in the rain and wind of 2009. The first time I've ever needed to pedal down a hill, incredible.

 

[arallsopp]

At the moment, I'm inclined not to enter LEL13. However, as Mrs rb58 said when she was mopping my brow, it could be (a bit) like having a baby...... At the time you swear you're not going to go through it again, but time heals and you end up remembering the good bits. (of course, I know riding a bike is not in the same pain league as having a baby, but you get my drift).

Now, you see, this is the problem with preparing properly. I didnt start to feel like this until I was 450 miles into LEL2009, by which time completing was the easiest way to get self and bike home You are far better prepared than I was (or indeed am) and a stronger rider to boot.

 

[alans]

I bailed out with a rear wheel problem early on yesterday. Unfortunately it also gave me time to think about riding through the night on my own with a massive distance still to go, and I've decided I'm sticking to rides up to 200km for the time being. I think that means I'm out of LEL

Allow me to suggest that it's too soon to decide not to ride.It's still the thick end of a year away & lot of water will pass under the bridge km may pass under your wheels twixt now & then.
I too plan to get a few 200km rides under my wheels & then I'll start to ramp up the distances in the spring of 2013,hopefully being able to do a couple of 600km rides next April & May to allow for a little tapering.
As far as solo night riding is concerned I imagine that you're not likely to be alone much given the number of riders on the road.In the meantime you may find someone whose style & pace matches your own & is happy to ride with you for the duration.This latter plan was much in evidence from my observations in 2009.
IME it's also unwise to make any sort of long term decisions in the immediate aftermath of a ride which may have been a dissappointment for whatever reason.

 

[alans]

Deckertim of this parish and I rode the outbound leg this
9. Don't do it if you expect to enjoy it.

At the risk of sounding masochistic,I don't expect to enjoy all of it in the same way that I currently don't enjoy the whole of a 200km audax.
However I would hope to get a feeling of satisfaction from fulfilling a long held ambition,even if that is a delayed reaction as was the case wrt my E2E.
It's a challenge:if it was easy I'd not be interested in the doing of it.

 

[martint235]

You are far better prepared than I was (or indeed am) and a stronger rider to boot.

You do realise you say this to everyone don't you? You really just need a little device where you can push a button......

 

[arallsopp]

You do realise you say this to everyone don't you? You really just need a little device where you can push a button......

Doesn't make it any less true. Makes it more marvellous that I actually got round in '09, but no less true

What was I thinking? Well, I probably wasn't, and this (in hindsight) is what makes a ride audacious

Glad, proud, and amazed I did it, and looking forward to testing my mettle in 2013...

Andy.

 

[martint235]

Glad, proud, and amazed I did it, and looking forward to testing my mettle in 2013...

Andy.

Well I'll be alongside you at the start and I'll wave as you pass me on your way back in the rocket

 

[Trickedem]

.

50 1/4 hours elapsed time. 460 miles.

Learning.
1. It's hard.
2. It's very hard.
3. The Fens is boring beyond compare and will be tough if there's a headwind. You will pray for a hill. A corner. Anything.
4. The hills proper start at 200 miles.
There are no insane hills, but fatigued legs make even the normally easiest a challenge towards the end of a leg.
5. Riding the first 300 miles in one hit is not a good plan.
6. Eat proper food whenever you can - sandwiches and cereal bars is not good enough.
7. If you lose your appetite, force it down. Little and often. Don't forget this.
(I bonked about 4 miles from the end and it wasn't until later that I realised how little I'd eaten during the preceding 16 hours)
8. Be sure you are comfortable on your bike, especially the saddle. A Saturday club run is not the same as 48 hours solid.
9. They do a good roast dinner at the Gretna Green visitor centre. That's the only reason to stop there. And don't expect any veg!
9. Don't do it if you expect to enjoy it.

Thanks Ross for a great summary.
Yes it was tough and I certainly never intend to ride so long without at least a little nap. By the time we left Thirsk I was on my last legs and starting to hear a weird commentary in my head on what was going on around me and if it had been dark I am sure I would have nodded off. We did have the relative luxury of having 6 hours sleep once we finally stopped, but it was tough starting out at 4am, although once we got started it wasn't too bad.
I have had issues with losing my appetite on past rides and I think I got it right this time. Although I do remember struggling at the 24 hour petrol station outside Spalding. I try and eat at least every 30 minutes and when I stop I find something salty like crisps is really good. I would second the point about having some proper meals as well. I was definitely sick of cereal bars, sandwiches etc. I don't think this will be an issue on LEL as there is food available at the stops.

I have also found that I can get dehydrated even though I am drinking constantly. When we started after the stop at Scotch Corner I had a headache and realised I was dehydrated. I over compensated by the time I got to Scotland though and was stopping every 20 minutes at one point to answer the call of nature.

No saddlesoreness for me, as I clearly have a Brooks shaped backside, but an expensive pair of shorts I was wearing were chafing my inner thighs. A swap over to some favourite Aldi shorts sorted that out. I also had some problems with my hands and ended up riding without gloves for some time. It made me realise you have to be happy with your clothing over long distances.

The scenery on the route is great and although Yad Moss in Cumbria and Devil's Beeftub outside Moffat were long, they weren't so steep, so it was possible to get into a good rhythm going. We were lucky with the weather though and I expect it could be cold in the wind and rain.

I wasn't sure I could have ridden home, once I arrived, but I did manage to go out to the festival and have a few drinks and watch a show and I only fell asleep once.

It is great to have someone to partner with (Thanks Ross), but you also need to be self reliant and it would be unfair to expect them to wait if you needed an extra stop or a little nap.

 

[arallsopp]

Hey! Apparently as of twenty to midnight last night, I've been here 4 years. That's official then, LEL is approaching!

 

[Trickedem]

I've just had notification that my 600km has been verified by Audax UK and I am now officially a Super Randonneur for 2012. I told my family of course and you can imagine the response......whatever.

 

[martint235]

I've just had notification that my 600km has been verified by Audax UK and I am now officially a Super Randonneur for 2012. I told my family of course and you can imagine the response......whatever.

Congratulations Tim. Well done. Obviously far more committed than some who managed no audax at all let alone an SR! (that'd be me)