Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Specific board for this popular undertaking.
IrondadUK
Posts: 14
Joined: 3 Apr 2018, 9:15pm

Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by IrondadUK »

Hi All,

I've viewed a few others, read discussions and come up with the 5 legs below for my attempt later this year. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Day 1 - Lands End to Bristol - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26751247
Day 2 - Bristol to Preston (home) - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26756356
Day 3 - Preston to Edinburgh - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26756388
Day 4 - Edinburgh to Inverness - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26756413
Day 5 - Inverness to John O'Groats - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26756423

I will be travelling solo with minimal kit and be self supported so wanted to stick to main routes for food/drink etc. hence main 'A' roads being used including A7 which doesn't appear in many routes but I like the idea of staying in Edinburgh (though flexible).

Thanks
Chris
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Paulatic
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Location: 24 Hours from Lands End

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by Paulatic »

You might find this discussion of some interest regarding 5 day attempts
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=60717&p=515792&hilit=Day+support#p515792

RE A7 it’s a long while since I’ve ridden it and it was a Sunday. It is a fast vehicle road but quite wide on a lot of it.
I’d prefer the A701 After climbing the Beef Tub it’s a flyer.
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

https://stcleve.wordpress.com/category/lejog/
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IrondadUK
Posts: 14
Joined: 3 Apr 2018, 9:15pm

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by IrondadUK »

Great, thanks Paulatic, useful link (if slightly worrying!)

I'm used to fast road riding and will be taking every precaution, looking for the simplest, flat, fast and smoothest roads - in that order.
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matt2matt2002
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Location: Aberdeen Scotland UK

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by matt2matt2002 »

Interesting routes. I live in Aberdeen but often get to Inverness so like the route north from there.
May I ask what bike your are using?
And GPS unit?
2017 Ethiopia.5 weeks.
2018 Marrakech 2 weeks.
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cycleruk
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Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by cycleruk »

Day 5 - have you got the right bridge for crossing the Forth ?
The new bridge is a motorway I think. :roll:
I don't know if the old bridge (A9000) is closed to motor traffic now (probably not)
Copied your route and modified it and also shorter route to Perth knocking off a few miles and climbs.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27185408
You'll never know if you don't try it.
IrondadUK
Posts: 14
Joined: 3 Apr 2018, 9:15pm

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by IrondadUK »

Thanks Cycleruk, will amend route and avoid motorways! :D

Matt2matt i'm hoping to stay at a Black Isle Berries just north of inverness, will be using my Ribble carbon road bike with tri extensions carrying minimal equipment and a Garmin 1000 unit with extra powerpack and phone as back up.
PH
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Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by PH »

Good luck, that's some undertaking!!
Why 4.5 days? everyone is going to think of it as 5, even an Audax allows slightly more time*. When I do high mileage tours** I don't mind loading the last day, on the principle that I don't have to leave anything for the next. I also think your first day is too challenging, it's probably going to be the hardest anyway, I'd be tempted to take a chunk of distance off and add it back over the next couple of days. But of course it's not me doing it and I can see the psychological advantage of being well ahead, if you have the fitness to do it.

* 1400km - 16hr 40min
**Not 300+ km a day!! But a few at 200 a day with camping gear.
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Mick F
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Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by Mick F »

PH wrote:Why 4.5 days? everyone is going to think of it as 5
I did my first JOGLE in 10.5 days.
JOG to Helmsdale took me half a day.

Left after breakfast, and was in Helmsdale for my first overnight stop in time for lunch.
That's half a day in my book.
Mick F. Cornwall
PH
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Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by PH »

Mick F wrote:
PH wrote:Why 4.5 days? everyone is going to think of it as 5
I did my first JOGLE in 10.5 days.
JOG to Helmsdale took me half a day.

Left after breakfast, and was in Helmsdale for my first overnight stop in time for lunch.
That's half a day in my book.

Your ride, your rules, you can refer to it and think of it in any way you choose. But you don't get to choose how others think of it, which was the point I made.
There's good reason that any ride where time matters for qualification or competition is counted in hours, even when they go over multiple days. If you start counting fractions of days it gets confusing, I left JoG at 11.15am and arrived in LE at 3.30pm eleven days later, always referred to it as eleven days rather than ten and a third.
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Mick F
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Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by Mick F »

Yep. :D

JOG Helmsdale 0.5 days.
Helmsdale Inverness, Pitlochry, Edinburgh, Carlisle, Arnside, Wrexham, Welsh Bicknor, Bridgwater, Gunnislake, LE .......... all took full days. Some of them were 100miles back-to-back and most were over 80mile days.

JOG/Helmsdale is an easy 50miles.
Mick F. Cornwall
JamesF
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Joined: 12 Mar 2018, 3:36pm

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by JamesF »

Hi,

I've just done LEJOG in 8 days so not as impressive as your ambition! But I mostly steered clear of roads with cars going at 70mph next to me. The mornings were still very cold at the end of March so I also choose not to set off super early.

I planned my route with RidewithGPS as you've done, and then changed it on a daily basis. The guys on this forum gave some invaluable advice so I would heed it where your very fast route allows.

My first impressions are that your first day is massive. Even with the amount you're planning on doing on the A30 which shold limit the gradients of some of the climbs. I avoided the A30 almost entirely and ended up taking some very slow and hilly routes which were tough including 25% gradient - and painfully slow descents I often had to brake downs, so I do totally understand if you don't want to do that. It is very hairy though - with all kinds of crap in the hard shoulder, so do take care.

Here's what I ended up doing.
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=120623&start=15

Can I ask what kind of hours are you planning on doing to pack in this many miles? I wonder how much sleep you're thinking of getting? I can't imagine you're planning on sitting down for meals for very long! Or maybe you're planning on a Jason Lane style liquid diet?

NB i do regret not having TT bars. That is a good idea.

All the best

James
IrondadUK
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Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by IrondadUK »

Thanks All,

4.5 is purely psychological i think, i had thought of 4 days but just can't save the extra time so this was the next best thing.

I do want to front load the ride so by the time i start to tire the big days are behind me, i have done 200 mile rides before in around 10hrs but never back to back so have a couple planned for the final weeks of training. For this trip i plan on early starts (5am day 1, 6am after that) with 15-20min stops each 80km or so. Planned with a very conservative (for me) 25kmph it should be 12-14hr days.

I'm also limited on the route with the choice to stay at home in Preston so i can re-stock supplies and refresh a little. I could of course make this night 3 of the ride not 2 but wanted to be very ambitious.

Its not something i'm likely to do again any time soon as i have a young family so want to push hard and complete in my best time possible. I'll do it later in life slower and enjoy the scenery more.
JamesF
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Joined: 12 Mar 2018, 3:36pm

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by JamesF »

IrondadUK wrote:Thanks All,

4.5 is purely psychological i think, i had thought of 4 days but just can't save the extra time so this was the next best thing.

I do want to front load the ride so by the time i start to tire the big days are behind me, i have done 200 mile rides before in around 10hrs but never back to back so have a couple planned for the final weeks of training. For this trip i plan on early starts (5am day 1, 6am after that) with 15-20min stops each 80km or so. Planned with a very conservative (for me) 25kmph it should be 12-14hr days.

I'm also limited on the route with the choice to stay at home in Preston so i can re-stock supplies and refresh a little. I could of course make this night 3 of the ride not 2 but wanted to be very ambitious.

Its not something i'm likely to do again any time soon as i have a young family so want to push hard and complete in my best time possible. I'll do it later in life slower and enjoy the scenery more.


Sounds like you have some solid experience to lean back on and an equally solid plan in place. My average speed was only around 21/22 kmh but I did far too much stopping, faffing, picture taking, route planning, working out where to stay etc And far too much delayering / relayering from the winter cold (then getting too hot) - it was such a huge time waster. If you have everything well planned in advance and are doing it at a far more sensible time of year then you'll certainly do a lot less of all of that.

Training for back to back 200 mile rides is a great idea. I wish I'd done that as I would have gone a lot faster / further. I had a window of opportunity open up to do it at 2 weeks' notice so kind of treated as an opportunity to get fit for a couple of long summer rides.

Refueling midway is smart too as you can carry a lot less stuff.

Let us know how you get on.

All the best

J
IrondadUK
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Joined: 3 Apr 2018, 9:15pm

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by IrondadUK »

*UPDATE*

Recently suffered an injury setback so re-evaluated my ride and decided on 6 days (as has been said above it'll perhaps have been thought of as 5 anyway). I've amended a couple of routes;
Route maps
Day 1 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27423540
Day 2 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27447311
Day 3 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27447456
Day 4 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27448662
Day 5 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27454412
Day 6 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27454514

All booked for mid July, total cost for trains and accommodation is £223.50, happy with that!
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Paulatic
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Location: 24 Hours from Lands End

Re: Route advice for unsupported 4.5 day LEJOG

Post by Paulatic »

I’m guessing you’ve got accommodation cheap because you won’t be spending very much time in the bed. :lol:
Especially in Edinburgh, seriously that day 4 looks tough.
Usual tips is consider cutting through Natland, Sedgwick at Kendal
Don’t underestimate how long it can take to get through Carlisle if you hit all the lights on red. I’d consider , from Penrith, heading out along the Eden valley for Brampton -Longtown.
It certainly is a scenic route day and I just hope you’ve still daylight to appreciate the climb out of a Innerleithen :D
Whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life

https://stcleve.wordpress.com/category/lejog/
E2E info
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