LEJOG in 4 days

Specific board for this popular undertaking.
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by Jamesh »

Well done I'm hoping to do a 400k ride this summer.

I hope your saddles comfy!!

Cheers James
Last edited by Jamesh on 20 Jun 2022, 7:46pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ron
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by Ron »

Starting in 4 days, are you still on target for the off?
sionstansfield
Posts: 5
Joined: 24 May 2022, 7:48am

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by sionstansfield »

Hi Ron,

We're ready to go I think, the routes have been amended based on all of the fantastic feedback, we're getting the last bits in place today (not helped by train disruptions that have added some further logistical hurdles in for those that were due to be heading down tomorrow by train) and we've already reached our fundraising target - it's all becoming very real and quite nerve racking now.

I'll be heading down to the Lands End hotel tomorrow ready for a 5am start on Friday morning.

Of course I hadn't factored in - when picking the dates for this challenge - that it's Glastonbury this weekend so armed with this new information, wellies and an anorak are being packed.

If interested in following our journey then I'll be updating on strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/381764

A huge thank you to everyone for the support and insight and I'll be sure to share feedback on routes after.

Cheers,

Siôn
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by Jamesh »

Good luck...

Looks like you have cracking weather for it 10 - 20mph southerly winds and 20c clouds / sunshine.
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MrsHJ
Posts: 1823
Joined: 19 Aug 2010, 1:03pm
Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by MrsHJ »

Can people see how they’re doing? - the strava account is request to follow and hopefully they’re all on the road cycling.
philvantwo
Posts: 1730
Joined: 8 Dec 2012, 6:08pm

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by philvantwo »

I sent a request to follow the day the link was put on here but its still pending.
Don't know if they changed the route but through worcs, staffs and Shropshire it looked a bad choice of roads.
Jon Lucas
Posts: 364
Joined: 6 Mar 2009, 6:02pm
Location: Bath

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by Jon Lucas »

Jamesh wrote: 23 Jun 2022, 10:34pm Good luck...

Looks like you have cracking weather for it 10 - 20mph southerly winds and 20c clouds / sunshine.
Yes, a stiff southerly seems to have been blowing all 4 days. Perfect once you get out of Devon.
S2L
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Joined: 20 Feb 2019, 4:47pm

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by S2L »

MrsHJ wrote: 26 Jun 2022, 2:16pm Can people see how they’re doing? - the strava account is request to follow and hopefully they’re all on the road cycling.
I don't understand why people privatise their settings on Strava... it's not exactly a place for stalkers and haters... in 5 years, I've had maybe a couple of "pretending to be Russian hookers" following me, you can get rid of them in seconds
hoogerbooger
Posts: 673
Joined: 14 Jun 2009, 11:27am
Location: In Wales

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by hoogerbooger »

( Generally, I can't understand why anyone feels a need to see what/where others are cycling)

I am curious to know if they manage LEJOG 4 days though..... minded that I took 30 !!
old fangled
sionstansfield
Posts: 5
Joined: 24 May 2022, 7:48am

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by sionstansfield »

Hi all,

Apologies for the radio silence, we had some fun and games trying to get back from Thurso yesterday - EasyJet strikes again... pun intended!

I can confirm we managed to complete this adventure... as you can imagine when you're averaging about 340km's per day it wasn't without it's challenges but also plenty of things that went really well for us, I'll list a few below:

Support - we genuinely couldn't have done this (with our experience level or bike expertise) without our man in the van. We had a guy who was both incredibly resourceful, motivating but also an ex-bike mechanic so he kept us fuelled and on the road. We also had the van branded up with 'Cyclist Support Vehicle' on the back and he drove with his four way flashers on which meant he could somewhat protect us on the more dangerous roads - particularly useful on the A9!

Weather - we were incredibly fortunate with the weather, a good tailwind for nearly all of it, whilst it rained everyday it only once rained so hard that we had to have a mid ride change - once again have a support van with towels + change of clothes in made this relatively straightforward

Bike Issues - across the four of us we had one puncture which sealed instantly once I popped a canister in - gotta love tubeless when it works! We took a spare bike in the van with us which was used after day 1 due to one bike blowing off the bike stand and cracking the top tube.

Routes - I would definitely be amending these if I were to ever try and do this again (which I won't be as I think those distances were at my absolute limit so I don't fancy a 3 day attempt ;-)).
- Day 1 - In Cornwall we possibly should have taken the A30 more and we were the unfortunate to hit Glastonbury traffic from Taunton all the way up the A38
- Day 2 - Great route from Bristol to Worcester (for speed that is as we went straight up the A38), from Worcester, onwards, as you mention Philvantwo, we really didn't help ourselves out. We should have stuck to the bigger A roads (ok with a support vehicle driving behind us) as the country lanes we found ourselves on were slow going through Shropshire.
- Day 3 - between Lancaster and Kendal we were on really slow country lanes - we should have been on the A6 - it was a Sunday and not a car on the road when we finally got to Shap Fell - our route was then due to take us off the A6 en-route to Carlisle but the road was fast and empty so we decided to ignore our route that went off on a B-road and stick to the A6/A7 all the way up to Longtown. From here we possibly made a mistake as we decided to just head straight up the A7 to Edinburgh rather - two thoughts led this decision, the weather around Gretna and Lockerbie was looking very wet and windy, and the A7 seemed like a fast road. However this brought us in on the wrong side of Edinburgh and we had to navigate our way across which was slow / painful going before heading up to Perth
- Day 4 - Biggest day so we set off in the drizzle at 5am. The first 90 minutes were brutal as we didn't have the support vehicle with us and felt pretty vulnerable to the few cars (mainly lorries) that were on the road, plus my body was struggling to deal with the cold and wet due to having to ride easy due to one of us trying to manage an injury (he sadly had to call it quits 20k into the day). The A9 truly is a road I would avoid at all costs unless with a support vehicle, we saw a few solo guys going the other way and heart was in mouth each time seeing how fast the cars / oil tankers were going towards them. The bike path that runs next to the A9 looks a good idea in principle (it's certainly safer!), but it twists and turns, is narrow and crosses roads and it simply wouldn't have allowed us to complete the day. We then stayed on the A9 after Perth (although this became more challenging with the support vehicle as cars started to back up and it was harder for them to pass so we found ourselves heading into layby's to let them through) up until Milnafua where we cut into some beautiful and relatively fast country lanes for 20k before returning to the A9 at Tain. From there we followed the route we had in and it worked well, with the last 50k until Wick being beautifully fast flowing roads.

So that was our adventure, as I say it was a physical challenge that pushed me certainly to my limits. Two our of the four us that did it had to miss parts of days due to injuries but we had an absolute blast and am incredibly happy to have completed it - still riding the high in fact.

Any questions that you might have then fire them over, happy to answer any that folks might have.
PH
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Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by PH »

Well done!! I expect you'll be riding that high for a while, even when you come down from that, some of it will always be with you.
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MrsHJ
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Joined: 19 Aug 2010, 1:03pm
Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by MrsHJ »

Congratulations- sounds like no fun at all but I totally get the post ride high. Chapeau to you all.
toontra
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Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 11:01am
Location: London

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by toontra »

Good stuff and thanks for reporting back.

Yes, the A9 was the worst part of my 2 LEJoG's. I was on my own and felt vulnerable, so wore hi-vis and 2 rear lights on my second trip on that stretch.

My first was a 6-day, second a 5-day and I've toyed ever since with the idea of a 4-day. I think it's just about doable unsupported but would require the right weather and no mishaps. Maybe....
hoogerbooger
Posts: 673
Joined: 14 Jun 2009, 11:27am
Location: In Wales

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by hoogerbooger »

Very impressive.....I would never have been able to do such distances. (I have no idea why anyone would want to though)

Well done.
old fangled
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: LEJOG in 4 days

Post by Jamesh »

Well done!

Makes my 8 days look really pedestrian although I didn't have a support vehicle and was solo.

I missed the worst of the A9 by going via Fort William and loch Ness.
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