Lessons Learned on a Lejog

meursault

I was attempting a seven day x 200k lejog recently, but came unstuck at the end of day four at Penrith.

http://app.strava.com/activities/150184242

http://app.strava.com/activities/150184187

http://app.strava.com/activities/150184131

http://app.strava.com/activities/150184211

Days 2,3 and four were longer than what is on Strava but Garmin edge 800 battery ran out before the end. Actual endings were Fairford near Cirencester, Congleton and Penrith.

I aborted due to not having enough power in the legs to carry on. It was the gradients that did for me, and not the elevation. If I can spin the pedals I can pretty much go all day, but once it's brute strength, I was found wanting.

It may have been I took too much out of the legs on the famous lumpy day one Cornwall. Contrary to what I had read, It certainly doesn't flatten out after Cornwall and Devon. Maybe in Comparison but I didn't find any flat.

Hard lessons I learnt were:

Did not train hard enough.

I rode plenty of 100k's and some 200's but I think you need to be able to ride a 200k as if it is a comfortable training ride to achieve this Lejog.

Did not research route hard enough.

I used an excellent tool www.gpxeditor.co.uk but did not check it at the detail I should have. It has an audax mode which will pick a shortest route, excluding any roads that are 70mph. If anything it went too far the other way at times and picked farm tracks over very steep valleys. Surface and gradient not suitable for a road bike. There were times when I was pushing the bike near vertical up muddy tracks. I mashed my cleats after one day. I realise this is not the fault of the program, but I needed a mode that was B road minimum and some way of checking gradients.

Would I re attempt?

Probably not, the route I would need to take would include too many, or nearly all A roads. As well as dangerous, this would not appeal to me as I hate the sound of traffic whooshing past me all day.

I also had a problem right off the train at Penzance. As I rode to my youth hostel at St Just, the gears were not smooth and not shifting properly, despite myself tuning them to perfection before setting off. Looks like someone damaged them on the train, so this did not help. I was able to bend the derailluer back into some sort of working order but not ideal.

Anyways, just wanted to post in case it helps with any info for others attempting the same.

Cheers

Meursault.

plet

Solo or supported? Your day 1 was more or less the same route I took over 2 days. Respect due. Route choice does look a little suspect I'd say. Too far east and then through Birmingham, can't have been much fun?

meursault

plet wrote:

Solo or supported? Your day 1 was more or less the same route I took over 2 days. Respect due. Route choice does look a little suspect I'd say. Too far east and then through Birmingham, can't have been much fun?

Oh mate, Birmingham had no redeeming features whatsoever, I am sorry to say, no parks, monuments, or water features to please the eye, and terrible, aggressive drivers, that was a major mistake.

Manchester on the other hand was excellent the opposite of above.

Unsupported in a group with two other riders who initially were trying the Audax four days twenty hours, whatever it is. They abandoned that, joined my seven day attempt, and completed it.

Mikey23

Chapeau for day one... A heck of a ride!

meursault

Thanks, did enjoy this stat

Max 73.4km/h

My rear light pinged off as I grazed a catseye.