Sensible time to complete

[Thompson]

Basically, I did the C2C a few months ago and going to do LEJOG next year. One of the guys I did it with said he would gladly do it with me and is organising it too. I had read somewhere that the average time to complete it is roughly 13 days (lets say a fortnight) and he is planning it to be completed within a week. I love a challenge, but not sure whether this is a sensible challenge. I am training up to it (going to sort out a couple of 100 mile routes and do 2-3 a week, then slowly build up).

All I wanted to know is whether a week is too much for a 'kinda newbie' cyclist? I can manage 155miles in two days easy (C2C) and with training will get better.

That is all.

Thanks.

 

[hubbike]

Perfectly doable if you have a fast bike and are not carrying any gear. BUT it would mean very long days in the saddle. so quite a physical challenge but not a crazy one.


I did 9 days in March 2008 on a fairly average 2nd hand mtb carrying camping gear.

As a rule of thumb Lejog is 900 miles (but you'll probably take a shorter route). you can average about 10 miles an hour easily day in day out. so in total 90 hours which splits to

13 hours a day for 7 days or
10 hours a day for 9 days (and if you are taking a week off work then you might as well use both weekends!).

If you have (or acquire) a bit of stamina it won't be a problem.

 

[ColinJ]

It would certainly be a challenge! Even the shortest route is 813 miles and you are probably going to do more like 840+ so that would be an average of 120+ miles a day. One or two days of that might not be too bad, but 7 days on the trot ...?

It's obviously not an impossible challenge if you train properly for it. I think it would be more enjoyable to take 2 weeks and maybe detour to some more interesting places and get off the main roads where possible. If you are going to do it quickly, it probably means that you will be using busier, more direct roads.

I would rather do a meandering, scenic LEJOG but if you want the challenge of doing a quickish one - go for it!

 

[vernon]

Seven days is doable but what do you want to get from the ride?

The ability to say that you've done it?
An opportunity to savour different parts of the UK as you pass through?

Thirteen hours a day in the saddle can literally be a pain in the arse.

 

[Thompson]

I'm not sure about how muc luggage we'll be carrying, but i'll be on a road bike. And I don't mind about time, I want it to be quick paced as I like to push myself and love the speed of it all. Each year i'm gonna push myself further, some time i'll do the C2C in one day, go abroad and do a long route etc etc, i've already seen majority of the UK as we travel alot, and with a dog we often have a long weekend in different parts of the UK.

Thanks for all responses.

 

[ColinJ]

Each year i'm gonna push myself further, some time i'll do the C2C in one day ...

Sounds good!

I've got a fine coast to coast route plotted from Scarborough to Blackpool. It is about 150 miles and my ambition is to catch the first train to Scarborough, ride to Blackpool, arriving in time to catch the train home. I have been fit enough to do that in the past, but I'd have to do a lot of work to get back to that level of fitness.

 

[wintonbina]

Agree with the above. I did LejoG in 9 days then the 3Peaks challenge on the way home and I'm 54 so if you train hard there is no reason why not, but I will also reiterate about the pain in the backside being the biggest stumbling block.

So 'Go for it' life is very short!

 

[RoyW]

A seven day end to end is perfectly do-able. I started from a base level of about the same as you and did a JOGLE is 6 days. My route was nearly all main roads and I B&Bed my way down so got away with a Caradice Tour bag on the back of my road bike (admitttedly it weighed nearly as much as the bike itself once fully loaded!)

If you do 2-3 100 mile rides a week that will be ample training in itself - no real need to put in more than that, you'll run the risk of buring out ;¬)

I put together a training plan for my 6 day tour (which I mostly kept to) which might be helpful - http://www.landsend-...middle/training. I did most of the training and when it came to the ride I found it ok. I wouold add though that getting your eating right is possibly as important as the training for such an endurance ride (more info on this on the site as well as other stuff like my route - with a link to the downloads for GPS).


Riding a 2008 Scott CR1
Site www.landsend-to-johnogroats.co.uk
A wise man once said, "People making quotes have too much time on there hands."

 

[Thompson]

Ahh thankyou for that website, for the C2C I had no training programme at all, just an aim of being able to do 80 in a day then out the next day. Thankyou all for the replies too!

Thanks

 

[Rebel Ian]

As one or two others have suggested I don't think the question is "can I?" as in most cases if you train it'll be possible. The question is "do I want to?".

We did it in 12 days (11.5 to be precise) and that was just about sufficient to spend time enjoying the ride as well as getting some miles done to complete it. Anything less than 10 and it becomes purely about the challenge, getting your head down and covering the distance.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Easily doable. I think the record is 55 hours ? I was going to do the audax one in 7 days with the 2 day rest-bite.

Your only going to be cycling 10- 12 hours a day at a steady pace over 7 days

As I couldn't afford it I opted for a 650km solo audax in three day in Scotland with full camping gear

 

[Tigerbiten]

Easily doable. I think the record is 55 hours ?

Its a bit quicker than that.

Try 41 hours and some minutes for a bent trike.
Or 44 hours plus a bit for an upwrong.

 

[Ticktockmy]

All the training in the world will be no good if you dont have the Mindset, when the weather is being Kind, when the wind is behind you gently helping you along everything is great. But when its heaving it down with rain or even sleet, and the wind is blowing strongly in your face mile after mile, when the traffice is covering you with all the crap off the road, thats the true test.
But, some peeps enjoy that challange, for myself, I enjoy a slow lazy ride, stopping off when I something nice to look at, to sit with my back against a tree and look at the vista, to linger longer than I should in the cafe or tea room more so when the weather is crap. that my idea of the LEJOG.

 

[theloafer]

+1..

All the training in the world will be no good if you dont have the Mindset, when the weather is being Kind, when the wind is behind you gently helping you along everything is great. But when its heaving it down with rain or even sleet, and the wind is blowing strongly in your face mile after mile, when the traffice is covering you with all the crap off the road, thats the true test.
But, some peeps enjoy that challange, for myself, I enjoy a slow lazy ride, stopping off when I something nice to look at, to sit with my back against a tree and look at the vista, to linger longer than I should in the cafe or tea room more so when the weather is crap. that my idea of the LEJOG.