Average speed (laden) for LEJOG

[afanasiew]

This is addressed to the more senior cyclists - I'll be 67 when I set off from LE next May.

I'll be doing a 1,080 mile LEJOG over 16 days, av 65 miles per day with av daily ascent of 2,800 ft. When I book accommodation, some ask what time I'll get there; I can guess of course, but I'd prefer it to be an educated guess. What's your average speed, fully laden, for a day's cycling?

I'm not a regular cyclists and have just started training rides of <20 miles, on which I average <12mph unladen. How much should I aim to improve?

[landsurfer]

I would ignore the mph and concentrate on the clock .... if your setting off at 0900hrs each morning for your 65 miles tell them you will be there for 1800hrs each day ... enjoy the ride ... stop and see stuff ...
On our LEJOG our group split into the TTT brigade and the rest of us .... both groups enjoyed the LEJOG but the " rest of us " had more fun ... I think.

[Paulatic]

Recent experience for a 68yo
4 panniers and a tent sticking to tarmac with hills I’d work on 9 or 10 mph
Include any off road bits and you could be as low as 7.5 mph.

Just looked at last years Heb tour 2 panniers and a tent some days not very hilly were 12.5 Hilly days were 10

Edit I’d go with Landsurfer advice tell em 6.
Gives you plenty of eating and viewing time or cut it out if it’s teaming with rain push on and get there early
Also if I was doing accommodation I’d get all my needs into a large saddlebag or single pannier. (Watch out for the single pannier police

[Mick F]

Each End2End I've done has taken 10mph average moving speed .......... each of them have been fully loaded.

First, had four panniers, the second was LEJOG and Back to LE (second and third arguably) and the fourth was on a Raleigh Chopper ....... and with a trailer too.

Count on 10mph from setting out to finishing each day.
80miles will take 8hrs.
70mile will take 7hrs .......... etc.

[afanasiew]

I would ignore the mph and concentrate on the clock .... if your setting off at 0900hrs each morning for your 65 miles tell them you will be there for 1800hrs each day ... enjoy the ride ... stop and see stuff ...
On our LEJOG our group split into the TTT brigade and the rest of us .... both groups enjoyed the LEJOG but the " rest of us " had more fun ... I think.

That sounds like really good advice and I thank you for it. Snag is, I'm an inveterate clock watcher and speed/distance calculator, and a little competitive to boot, so probably not laid back enough for this approach. I consider it a personal failure if I average less than 3mph when walking and had been working on the assumption that this would translate as 12mph on a bike, but accept I may need to revise that down a bit.

[PH]

I wonder what it is they're asking? I suspect it isn't a precise time, If you were to say between 4 - 6pm that would probably suffice and maybe a call on the day if you're going to be more than half an hour outside that. I think they probably just want to know if they need to be in for you earlier or later than that.
The big thing timewise is of course when you leave, it is for me the main disadvantage of B&B touring, sometimes you don't finish breakfast till 9am and it's another half an hour before you're on the road. I like to have done a third of the days mileage by then.
My touring speed is 10mph including stops, give or take 10%. The toughest or easiest days don't make as much difference as you might think, I think you just relax more on the easier ones.
Good luck, plenty of time to build up to it, are you planning some shorter tours in preparation?

[afanasiew]

Each End2End I've done has taken 10mph average moving speed .......... each of them have been fully loaded.

First, had four panniers, the second was LEJOG and Back to LE (second and third arguably) and the fourth was on a Raleigh Chopper ....... and with a trailer too.

Count on 10mph from setting out to finishing each day.
80miles will take 8hrs.
70mile will take 7hrs .......... etc.

Wow, that's some mileage, so a reliable figure for your average speed, I guess; although naturally it depends how long you stop for if you're working on start to finish.

This begs the question of bike security as a solo cyclist. Did you only stop where you could leave your bike in view?

[afanasiew]

I wonder what it is they're asking? I suspect it isn't a precise time, If you were to say between 4 - 6pm that would probably suffice and maybe a call on the day if you're going to be more than half an hour outside that. I think they probably just want to know if they need to be in for you earlier or later than that.
The big thing timewise is of course when you leave, it is for me the main disadvantage of B&B touring, sometimes you don't finish breakfast till 9am and it's another half an hour before you're on the road. I like to have done a third of the days mileage by then.
My touring speed is 10mph including stops, give or take 10%. The toughest or easiest days don't make as much difference as you might think, I think you just relax more on the easier ones.
Good luck, plenty of time to build up to it, are you planning some shorter tours in preparation?

There's an optional field for it on the form when you use booking.com. I have experience of hosts not being in when I've arrived in the past - annoying when you're out of drinking water and in need of a shower.

You and I are very different clearly. Whilst walking LEJOG last year I met a guy near Perranporth close to completing his JOGLE. He looked pretty emaciated, having lost weight he didn't have available to lose, and it was then that I decided I would try to maintain body weight. Full English/Scottish breakfasts are a substantial proportion of my daily calories, especially since I don't like to eat much en route, so I'll always make time for one and fit the rest of the day around it. The rest of the year it's just grapefruit or muesli, so I really enjoy tucking into a morning splurge - part of my motivation, truth be told!

[Mick F]

This begs the question of bike security as a solo cyclist. Did you only stop where you could leave your bike in view?

Of course.

My bike(s) are never left anywhere where I can't see them.
Cafes, pubs, shops ......... leave them by a window, preferably leaning on the window.

When I've been riding distances, get a good breakfast and get going. Stop briefly for lunch - if only a packet of nuts or something - and keep going. Get to the destination for the day in mid/late afternoon and check in. I have always stayed at B+Bs or hostels. Put the bike away in the secure storage ......... don't book anywhere that has no secure storage ............. a quick wash and brush-up, change into normal clothes and get off down the pub for a few beers and a good meal. Back to the digs for a a good long sleep.

[Brianjeff50]

I’ve just finished mine - 14 days roughly 65-75 miles a day, depending on where I could book to stay. My average speed was a pretty consistent 10.5-ish mph. I was staying in Airbnb and Travelodge type places and what I thought was pretty minimal luggage though still ended up with a couple of quite heavy panniers.
I aimed to start quite early 8-8.30 with a finish around 5-6 so I had time in hand at the end of each day and warned B&B places that I could be late and would warn them.
I made sure my bar bag always had a good stock of Snickers bars, flapjacks, cereal bars etc and dived into co ops for quick sarnie.
I took a cable lock but rarely used it - bought a couple of ‘cafe locks’ - like big cable ties - from wiggle which secure bags to frame and tied bike securely enough for quick stops. Always stayed where there was secure bike parking. Premier inns and Travelodge let you keep bike in your room.
‘Just potter along’ was my motto.

[bluelagos]

This is addressed to the more senior cyclists - I'll be 67 when I set off from LE next May.

I'll be doing a 1,080 mile LEJOG over 16 days, av 65 miles per day with av daily ascent of 2,800 ft. When I book accommodation, some ask what time I'll get there; I can guess of course, but I'd prefer it to be an educated guess. What's your average speed, fully laden, for a day's cycling?

I'm not a regular cyclists and have just started training rides of <20 miles, on which I average <12mph unladen. How much should I aim to improve?

I'd love to see details of your route. Sub 3k climbing sounds bliss!

[PH]

This is addressed to the more senior cyclists - I'll be 67 when I set off from LE next May.

I'll be doing a 1,080 mile LEJOG over 16 days, av 65 miles per day with av daily ascent of 2,800 ft.

I'd love to see details of your route. Sub 3k climbing sounds bliss!

A day? That sounds a bit high to me, I think mine averaged less than that over 11 days.

[Oldjohnw]

This is addressed to the more senior cyclists - I'll be 67 when I set off from LE next May.

I'll be doing a 1,080 mile LEJOG over 16 days, av 65 miles per day with av daily ascent of 2,800 ft.

I'd love to see details of your route. Sub 3k climbing sounds bliss!

A day? That sounds a bit high to me, I think mine averaged less than that over 11 days.

16 X 65= 1040. Sounds about right.

[bluelagos]

Obviously weight will slow you down (per your question)

4 other things will too.

Hills
Poor road surfaces
Rest/feeding time
Fatigue

All of these meant that at worst, we were averaging 7 to 8 mph where my normal speed is upto 15mph.

So worth taking on view on those too, fair to say the hills in the SW on gravelly lanes are slower than fhe flat lanes in Essex!

[bluelagos]

This is addressed to the more senior cyclists - I'll be 67 when I set off from LE next May.

I'll be doing a 1,080 mile LEJOG over 16 days, av 65 miles per day with av daily ascent of 2,800 ft.

I'd love to see details of your route. Sub 3k climbing sounds bliss!

A day? That sounds a bit high to me, I think mine averaged less than that over 11 days.

My route is mental, plenty of days over 5k, thnk we hit 8k one day. Wont be sure til have checked all the strava (new to me) but clearly going over Wales highest pass and up the penines,was never the low road

(Not my choice!)