L E L 2013

iPete

Not yet completed the big 2012 challenge but a cycling mate has told me he is doing this in 2013 and it got me thinking hmmmm..

5 days, 1400km audax.

http://www.londonedinburghlondon.com/

stuaff

I know a couple of people who did LEL 2009, and one of those plus a few others I know are planning to do 2013. In the wrong conditions- and they had some of those in 2009- it's a very, very hard ride. Certainly a challenge even in decent weather.

cyclingprop

Worryingly, I'm interested.

optimisticbiker

cyclingprop wrote:

Worryingly, I'm interested.

We have a London offce and an Edinburgh office... and keen cyclists in both... LEL 2013 has been suggested as an alternative to L2P... very worrying... especially as we completed London Revolution today and that was hard enough!

cyclingprop

OptimisticBiker wrote:

cyclingprop wrote:

Worryingly, I'm interested.

We have a London offce and an Edinburgh office... and keen cyclists in both... LEL 2013 has been suggested as an alternative to L2P... very worrying... especially as we completed London Revolution today and that was hard enough!

I've done L2P twice. Not too bad, apart from one tactical dismount.

iPete

Seeing as I'll probably never afford to enter RAAM this is getting very tempting. StuAff do you know how many people entered the last one?

stuaff

iPete wrote:

Seeing as I'll probably never afford to enter RAAM this is getting very tempting. StuAff do you know how many people entered the last one?

Nope, though it's definitely on a rather smaller scale than PBP. Finish list here http://www.aukweb.net/el/lel09finish.htm I imagine there were quite a few abandonments though...There's a lot of info on YACF and CycleChat (among others, aforementioned acquaintances post on one or both).

tailwindhome

iPete wrote:

Seeing as I'll probably never afford to enter RAAM this is getting very tempting. StuAff do you know how many people entered the last one?

If you're looking for a race rather than a audax you could consider the Race Around Ireland....shorter, closer to home but by no means an easy ride.

karlb

It's sickening that I actually think this is a good idea. Unfortunately my weekly commute is only 1/10th of the distance of L-E-L, and I only do occasional long weekend rides, so the amount of extra training this would require is huge.

Hrm, if I added a lap of Richmond park a day to my routine that would make the weekly distances (ex weekends) 1/7th...yeah...nah.

pangolin

I've been thinking about doing this for a year or so. Will probably enter it, would be good if there were some others from the forum there.

optimisticbiker

Can you do just one way... say Edinburgh -> London?

pangolin

Not as part of the event, no.

The route is free though, you could do it whenever! I did London - Edinburgh a couple of years ago, using their route. Very nice it was too.

Headhuunter

Souds good.... So are we entering a BR team?

optimisticbiker

Hmmm... thinking of organising a E > L ride over 4 days, semi-supported as a works charity thing but open to others outside as well... if I can get work to sponsor the basic organisation then it wouldnt be too expensive..

LEL is too far I think in 5 days for most of the riders here (at work that is)

vorsprung

Headhuunter wrote:

Sounds good.... So are we entering a BR team?

I did LEL in 2005.

I live in Devon so found the southern section ( London, Cambridge, Lincoln ) a bit crap. If you live in the SE you'd probably find this bit easy and familiar.

But everything north of York was totally great

It's nowhere near as big as PBP, I expect a few hundred riders. But there will be some international entrants.

mrc1

TailWindHome wrote:

iPete wrote:

Seeing as I'll probably never afford to enter RAAM this is getting very tempting. StuAff do you know how many people entered the last one?

If you're looking for a race rather than a audax you could consider the Race Around Ireland....shorter, closer to home but by no means an easy ride.

Me and one other lad from our RAAM team considered doing this as a two man but it looks brutal. Constantly up or down, Irish coastal weather and nasty head/cross winds. Fair play to anybody who does it!

cam_fell

I'm in! getting into the preparation stage in the next few weeks - trying to maintain a good base over winter! Just bought Simon Doughty's guide for long distance cycling, which contains a lot of good info, particularly training advice.

Has anyone else here undertaken long audaxes - recommend any training plans for the coming months?

Cameron

Cleat Eastwood

cam_fell wrote:

I'm in! getting into the preparation stage in the next few weeks - trying to maintain a good base over winter! Just bought Simon Doughty's guide for long distance cycling, which contains a lot of good info, particularly training advice.

Has anyone else here undertaken long audaxes - recommend any training plans for the coming months?

Cameron

Have a look in the Tours/Routes theres a few in there done some massive audaxes.

vorsprung

cam_fell wrote:

I'm in! getting into the preparation stage in the next few weeks - trying to maintain a good base over winter! Just bought Simon Doughty's guide for long distance cycling, which contains a lot of good info, particularly training advice.

Has anyone else here undertaken long audaxes - recommend any training plans for the coming months?

Cameron

Here's a plan

1) in the winter ride at least 100 miles a week
2) on new years day ride a 100 miles
3) do an early season 200km or two (march)
4) do an early 300km (early april)
5) 400km, 600km - by the end of May or early June
6) June / July do speed work. Do intervals, enter some time trials. Also try and fit in regular long rides. Two weeks before event try and go out and average 30kph for 300km on the flat. Or 200km if this seems a bit much
7) Two weeks before the event, after step 6) cut back your riding to recovery pace only
8) One week before the event do not ride at all if possible. Take public transport to work. Riding to the start of LEL is allowed

pangolin

Others still thinking of entering this? I'm still planning to. Entries open in Jan and expected to be about £200 - £250. Not bad as all food and sleeping facilities for the week are included.

tetm

I'd be very keen. Having done LEJOG 2011 and L2P24 2012, I need a 2013 challenge.

pangolin

I have entered :shock:

Entries are here if anyone is interested

http://www.londonedinburghlondon.com/enter

Opened at 10pm and the org posted on another forum that they were up to 400 entries at 10:25! There is a limit of 850.

Kieran_Burns

So... this is 175 miles a day for 5 days in a row?

I just want to get that absolutely clear... 175 miles a day. For 5 days.

pangolin

When you break it down like that it doesn't sound too bad! Cheers KB

lastant

I'm in too, SCR as the team name and went for the early slot (although it appears that can be amended for a while yet).

Have also realised it's 300km shorter than my LEJOG was which is cracking news. The fact it's got a time limit that's SEVEN DAYS shorter than I did that in is less pleasing to realise!

Need to up the miles, don't think 2011's total of c.900 will cut it as training...

rick_chasey

You lot are crazy.

stuaff

All 950 places gone in just under 12 hours.
The only audaxes I've done have been 200, the longest day I've had on a bike just short of 300, so this wouldn't have been beyond me, but I don't think I'd enjoy it very much (!). Quite a few people I know off CC & YACF are doing it, so I'll be seeing some of them on training rides. One of those wrote a very good book about 2009.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barring-Mechani ... 207&sr=1-1

tetm

Got my place.

Just see it as London-Eastbourne-London-Brighton every day for five days.

Or Brighton-London-Newport five times.

How hard can it be?