Hi folks,
Happy new year! Hope you’re all well, rested and ready to go on an adventure in 2025??
Registration for LEL is about to open, and it was on my mind, I never filmed my effort, it was a few years ago now and pre YouTube for me. It was my first really big event, and a huge learning curve. Injuries, rookie mistakes. But all in all I loved it.
Hopefully this helps some prepare for their own efforts in future, take it easy
andy
Insta – https://www.instagram.com/andyc_trp/
This ride – https://www.strava.com/activities/13200365198
Veloforte.com 20% discount! – ANDYC20
Why Veloforte – https://youtu.be/OcOS6d9OhuY
Podcast links –
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2425879/free_share_page
17 Comments
It was a good story with things to learn for those, like me, who never did an event like this. I would ask about the secret checkpoint too, but I might would do it even worse and ask on the startline. 🙂
Thanks for this Andy.. Great account. Contemplating it myself. But every time I do thinks it's too much. Harder I think than most other longer ultras but have a more relaxed time limit.. less space for sleep. . It's 5x back to back 300s…shermers neck territory I fear. But still can't stop thinking about it!
Re the secret control, that is because LEL was a compulsory route, don't know if this year's one is. It's very unusual for an Audax, normally you just have to visit the controls, even if a GPX is provided, it's up to you if you use it.
I loved the last edition of LEL, really looking forward to riding again in 2025. Like you I carried all my stuff, being self sufficient saved quite a bit of stress, I met other riders who didn't make it to the control with their drop bags in, and the stuff they wanted 'now' was still 100km away. I also took a bivi, and I will again, sleeping in the school halls with all the noise and faff doesn't work well for me! The ride took me 111 hours. The last few hours through those lumpy lanes were the worst!
Hey, that's the second time we heard the story with the clapping baby – and I have yet to get tired of it. Thanks for your insights, this sounds like so much fun. We have a similar event each year with Berlin – Munich – Berlin. 1500 km in 128 hours – it sounds really really tempting as a goal for next year. What other events/ultras did you complete before LEL? What were typical mileages you did for training? Did you test riding sleep deprived or even pushing back to back 300s?
Great video, this really re lives the experience of the Ultra bike event, and the roller coaster of highs and lows.
Ha ha, sharing a village hall with 70 people lying on the floor is not fun.
I actually got some sleep in my bivvy in the playing field Always take a bivvy bag and a puffy jacket.
Though sounds like it was a hot 🥵 one.
Would have suited a reptile 🦎 like me.
Amazing achievement and kudos for finishing in a good time in spite of your Achilles and hand pain😊
Love your honesty. Never change buddy 🤙
Thanks Andy very interesting video even for someone like me who is never likely to do this or any other long distance ride. That said I admire all of you that do.
That sounds about right. I DNFd my first LEL in 1993 and finished 3 since then. It was a very different event in 1993, starting from a campsite near Doncaster (LEL didn't start from London until it was an option to starting from near Doncaster in 2001) with something like 35 starters.
Last time I rode was 2013 and it was much more like it is now. I will probably ride again this year as it's been a while and I am probably overdue. I route checked the event in 2005 as well and helped at controls in 2005 and 2009.
You had a pretty hard time. Probably not enough miles in the legs beforehand, as you said, you were doing double centuries, which is good going but ideally you want to be doing them comfortably and a few days consecutively, or at least close to that for a more comfortable LEL.
Good tip too, to work out a sleeping plan to work around the crowds. In 2013, I started in the last group and slept early at 250km. With my 10:30 am start I had a good sleep the night before, a good breakfast before the ride then an easy 250km first day with a good tailwind through the Fens and had about 21 hours until I had to leave the control at 250km. I had a full night of sleep and left the control which about an hour in hand and only about a dozen riders behind me. Everyone else was mostly miles ahead so whenever I got to a control they weren't very busy and I always got a bed when I wanted one.
Never heard of this before but now severely tempted, just honestly not sure if I could manage it in the time control having only done the one century. Although tbh I was feeling alright at the end of it, and there's months before August…
Love the story and event Andy, Im doing a 300K brevet in April and hopefully 400k brevet in May. I think an event like that LEL would be an amazing adventure we have some like that here in the USA i would like to try it out. perhaps in a few years i got two big foshbto fry in 2026 and probably 2027. take care my friend
That was great, Andy! A really good story, well told.
Would you consider doing LEL again?
I just signed up for the ballot!
Hi. I really enjoy your videos and honesty but please don't vlog on busy roads and through junctions. It's dangerous, hypercritical and not going to make us any friends. Cheers
Did it in 2017. Had 30 minutes sleep in the final 48 hours. Absolutely appalling headwind in the Fens on the way back – a hellish place – which meant a lot of people were outside the time limit. Had super-positive experiences with the organisers and the volunteers. It's the volunteers that differentiate this from any other event. Wonderful people and so many of them.
Thanks.
I literally just completed my ballot application. Went to you tube and there’s you video. I did PBP in 2019 89 hours 55 minutes.
Great info in your video now I’m off for a ride.
Cheers
Great storytelling. Really interesting . I was expecting to see the ride but not disappointed by what i got.