London Edinburgh London 1400km

vorsprung

This international AUK event is running this week, it started on sunday and the participants have 116 hours, including sleep, to go up to Edinburgh via Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Alston and the smaller mountains on the scottish borders.

As you may have noticed the weather is less than ideal

Approximately 10% of the field of 500 starters have given up so far and most riders are over half way by now

The first finishers got back to the start at Lea Valley YHA just before 5am today

This event runs every 4 years and attracts riders from all over the world

TomF

Vorsprung - you forgot to mention that all of the competitors, bar none, are absolutely crazy..! Good on them..!

Crapaud

I've been following it over-by. It sounds like another Paris-Brest-Paris. Nobody been carted off to hospital claiming that they're Emperor of Lea Valley (or whereever) yet?

vorsprung

Crapaud wrote:

I've been following it over-by. It sounds like another Paris-Brest-Paris. Nobody been carted off to hospital claiming that they're Emperor of Lea Valley (or whereever) yet?

The guy who was to stopped riding Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km when he claimed to be the Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche isn't doing LEL!
Seems like they might get some better weather today

Gary Marshall

i was just searching to discover why there are loads of cyclists grimly cycling through my local villages (elvington . sutton on derwent nr york) with a 1400 km race number on!

bahzob

Did it and just finished (survived better word). Without any shadow of doubt the hardest thing I have ever done or will ever attempt. Weather beyond belief. Stonking headwind and so cold felt like winter.

Huge field, (all ages, types of cyclist, types of bike) from all around the world including shed loads of Italians. My favourite question was from a bemused Austrian making first visit to our shores "Is weather always like this in summer?". Said guy also gets one of many awards for heroism/madness beyond the call of duty for pushing on despite broken front spoke, biblical storm and nightmare ascent to Alston. Others worthy of note were chap doing event on fixed and the German who I saw coming back from edinburgh just after I crossed the border going north. Think he finished in 50 something hours which beggers belief.

Stunning event. Stunning organisation and support from armies of helpers at stops the length and breadth of the land.

popette

@bahzob - wow! you did Etape a week ago and then this? Fantastic

Le Commentateur

The Etape was obviously just a training ride, or else LEL is the craziest warm-down ride imaginable.

i was just searching to discover why there are loads of cyclists grimly cycling through my local villages

Welcome to the forum!

dgoody

I have a friend from USA who is riding LEL. Is there a place other than BikeRadar to find updates? Ivo Miesen doesn't seem to be posting to Facebook, my only good resource.

My friend is Laurent Chambard, BTW.

Thanks.
Diane Goodwin

Greenbank

Finished at 3:30am this morning. That was fun.

I think there were 7 of us on fixed. I know one who packed on the way up as it just wasn't going well, and assume the other 5 finished (I know 3 of them did for sure).

Here's me and a few others sitting in a ditch hiding from the hail somewhere between Sleaford and Thurlby yesterday during the horrible storms:-

http://twitpic.com/c4m6b

Audax UK: Embrace your inner tramp.

andrew_s

dgoody wrote:

I have a friend from USA who is riding LEL. Is there a place other than BikeRadar to find updates? Ivo Miesen doesn't seem to be posting to Facebook, my only good resource.

My friend is Laurent Chambard, BTW.

Thanks.
Diane Goodwin

http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=67.0

http://www.danialwebb.com/lel.html

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23lel

Le Commentateur

dgoody wrote:

I have a friend from USA who is riding LEL. Is there a place other than BikeRadar to find updates? Ivo Miesen doesn't seem to be posting to Facebook, my only good resource.

My friend is Laurent Chambard, BTW.

Thanks.
Diane Goodwin

Try the Eurobike yahoogroup: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/EuroBike/
Ivo posts ride reports there sometimes. I mean like epic rides across Eastern Europe (see July 19 2008).

Crapaud

bahzob wrote:

Did it and just finished (survived better word). Without any shadow of doubt the hardest thing I have ever done or will ever attempt. Weather beyond belief. Stonking headwind and so cold felt like winter. ...

Chapeau, Bahzob. It sounded like a fairly miserable ride, so kudos to you for finishing (never mind even contemplating doing it in the first place). *And to you too, Greenbank, well done.

Quite a few DNFers (not surprising given the conditions), one with hypothermia, I noticed, and one crash.

Anyone know how Toontra got on? Does he post elsewhere under a different username?

Someday I'll do LEL - only 4 years to get up to speed.

*Edit.

Greenbank

Toontra also posts over on YACF (also as toontra) although he hasn't since he got back.

He finished on Thursday evening with plenty of time to spare according to someone who rode most of the way with him. I saw him twice; once at the start and then once on the way back from Dalkeith as I was still going North.

bahzob

Some pictures from the event

Welcome to Scotland!


Any place will do for a kip.


They counted them out, they counted them back..

More here:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bahzob/LEL200902#

(Pics from start to Edinburgh + some at finish). Nothing from trip back as too knackered + so wet worried camera would go the way of my legs.

Still aching but, in retrospect though not at the time, very happy I did the event and would recommend to all. All being well will take part as a helper at one of the controls come 2013 so maybe see some of you then..

toontra

toontra reporting! As Greenbank says I got back Thursday afternoon after an interesting 4 days and 8 hours (mostly wet!). My body is going through various states of recovery but generally feeling OK.

Everyone will have their own high/low points. Mine was looking out the window of the hostel near the top of the Pennines on Tuesday night and seeing the small trees bent double with the (head)wind and torrential rain and thinking "I've got to go out and cycle over the top of the Pennines in that soon!"

bahzob

toontra wrote:

toontra reporting! As Greenbank says I got back Thursday afternoon after an interesting 4 days and 8 hours (mostly wet!). My body is going through various states of recovery but generally feeling OK.

Everyone will have their own high/low points. Mine was looking out the window of the hostel near the top of the Pennines on Tuesday night and seeing the small trees bent double with the (head)wind and torrential rain and thinking "I've got to go out and cycle over the top of the Pennines in that soon!"

Ditto. Mine was when I awoke 3.00 Wed morning Alston in a room of snoring Italians. Took out earplugs and snoring was drowned out by rain battering on windows. I then had one of those karmic 5 minutes when (due to a monumental short circuit in brainware due to lack of sleep) I worked out I had to ride remaining 500km in just under 30 hours. A moment of panic was replaced by a calm acceptance of my fate and from then on things got quite simple, just question of non-stop riding.

Whole experience has re-calibrated my sense of suffering.

milltag

I got back on Friday, 15 minutes before the control closed...nothing like cutting it fine. Did the first 500K in 24 hours but after that the weather, exhaustion and physical problems took hold and it was a slow limp home. I agree an awesome and unforgettable event, an orgy of suffering for sure but still totally worthwhile. It will take some time to comprehend what happened on the ride but thankfully i was twittering to keep friends and family informed, took a few photos too - for those who are interested have a look at

http://twitter.com/petekelsey

the horror...the horror.