LeJOG audax-style anyone?

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redefined_cycles
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LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by redefined_cycles »

Just registered for this event. Not sure its my smartest move but...

Here's the link if anyone fancies it. States theres milited spaces but it seemed to still be taking entries

https://lejog1400audax.com/

Am sure I'll be asking on here about advise on how ensure I'm not too slow and manage to keep to the pace (not sure if I will be taking my bivvy bag and sleeping bag just yet!!)..
Asposium
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Asposium »

:o
116 hours
Wow
That’s some going.
jameso
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by jameso »

:-bd respect. Interested in the route, but have a shorter event to try this summer before something of that length :grin:
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by techno »

Shaf, youay we'll be aware of it already, but if not:
yacf has a wealth of audax info including a big thread about this ride. It's a similarly friendly place to hear too.
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?PHPS ... board=17.0
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by redefined_cycles »

:smile: thanks JamesO and Asposium... To be fair I probably didn't think it through properly and did raise my eyebrow at the 116 hours :o before I entered. Maybe the peer pressure of the other lads doing it, (I dont think many have properly quantified the time limits just yet) and the fact that I've always wanted to give it a go, meant I just had to enter..

Best get training and figuring out how to keep such pace with good sleep in between :roll:
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by redefined_cycles »

techno mail wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 9:08 pm Shaf, youay we'll be aware of it already, but if not:
yacf has a wealth of audax info including a big thread about this ride. It's a similarly friendly place to hear too.
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?PHPS ... board=17.0
Thanks Andrew... Yes, one of the Bristol lads had pointed me to that forum (but didn't know of that thread). I shall get onto following it :-bd

(Edit) Here's the aformenetioned thread made by the Burnley (organiser) himself...

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?PHPS ... c=112722.0
Asposium
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Asposium »

I was curious
That’s a (trip) average speed of 12kmh (1400/116)
Considering the need to eat, sleep, and faff that is mighty impressive :shock:
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composite
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by composite »

I signed up to this a few months ago. It's certainly going to be a challenge. I'm doing a bunch of other tough but shorter Brevets in the build-up to it for training, such the Bryan Chapman (600km) and Mille Pennine (1000km).
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Asposium »

Need talking out of it
Have a full-boner itch to sign up
Sounds a challenge :shock:
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by redefined_cycles »

Asposium wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:39 pm Need talking out of it
Have a full-boner itch to sign up
Sounds a challenge :shock:
Nah... you my friend need talking into it. You've done LeJOG (I believe) so many times on own or with a few people I imagine... Its gonna be ace with another 150 people on the field with that extra challenge of : "frigging eck, am I stopping for too long" . or "will I manage on this much sleep".

Remember, if it was easy, then itd (maybe) not be as (type 2) enjoyable
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by ScotRoutes »

150 tired riders pushing themselves through the night on the main road network.

Oh joy.
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by redefined_cycles »

ScotRoutes wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:47 pm 150 tired riders pushing themselves through the night on the main road network.

Oh joy.
Thats another way of looking at it. Could be argued that many of us do that on our regular rides also as there's always a road connecting the offroads. Am hoping to have good recuperation between days :smile:
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Dave Barter
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Dave Barter »

I hope you recuperate fast

I love riding LeJOG, this ain't for me. Unless I have my maths wrong:-

Completion in 4.8 days
4 sets of 8 hour rests = 32 hours
Leaves 84 hours riding which is an average of 10 mph

That is not many tea stops and it can be hard to average that in Devon/Cornwall on the wrong day.

I'd say this is one for those who can limit their rest/faffing/stopping and just keep moving for an extended period. So the advise is clear Shaf. No dithering
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thenorthwind
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by thenorthwind »

Dave, your maths checks out with me.

I would add:
Dividing the remaining 84 into the 5 days between rests gives you nearly 17 hours per day. In each of which you have to cover the 10 miles (on average) :o

Would be good training for faff/stop-minimising that would stand you in good stead for doing fast ITTs/bikepack races, but personally I'd do that well away from main roads.

I wouldn't want to talk anyone out of it, but you might consider this as an alternative: http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/20-84/
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by AlexGold »

I'm on here as an occasional bikepacker, but my main thing recently has been Audax. Completed PBP last year, and LEJOG was on the radar for this year, but I decided against it, mainly due to:
ScotRoutes wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:47 pm 150 tired riders pushing themselves through the night on the main road network.
More specifically, with a tight limit like this (and a mandatory route) you don't have the option of finding the nice quiet roads. Horror stories of the A30 in Devon and A9 in Scotland put me off. It was bad enough watching some of the riding when tired on PBP, but those were quiet country roads in a very cycling friendly country with very nice drivers. Being on a dual carriageway after 3 days with not a lot of sleep and vehicles closing with a ~60 mph speed differential didn't really appeal.
redefined_cycles wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 9:11 pm Best get training and figuring out how to keep such pace with good sleep in between :roll:
In my experience, not going to happen. You're better off working out how to survive on very little sleep.

I went into PBP with the goal of having 'half decent' amounts of sleep, for me that was ~3 hours a night. With this, plus all the messing about getting food and all the other daytime faff I still finished closer to the time limit that I'd have liked.

I was carrying very light bivi kit, which meant I didn't have to deal with the extra hassle of queuing up for a chance to get a space on an airbed in a hall. This is less likely to happen on the LEJOG event, but experience has also taught me that getting a space in a hall doesn't = sleep. I wasted 4 hours on a ride last year trying to sleep in a hallf full of people coming/going/snoring/etc, which led to bringing bivi kit and just sleeping in a field during my next long one. Note that if you're planning to do that during this event, you'll likely need midge protection so my trusty Hunka XL won't cut it for that....
composite wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:19 pm I signed up to this a few months ago. It's certainly going to be a challenge. I'm doing a bunch of other tough but shorter Brevets in the build-up to it for training, such the Bryan Chapman (600km) and Mille Pennines (1000km).
If Mille Pennines doesn't break you, and you have time to recover afterwards, I would suspect LEJOG would feel much easier. That's the only audax I've ever signed up for and not even bothered starting, as it's SO hard!

Good luck to all doing it anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on the stories as it's still a nagging goal of mine :)
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Asposium »

When I did lejog and Jogle I avoided the a30
Few times my route ran close to the a30 I’m glad I did.
A9 in places was awful
And the A6 above Kendal (thought I would get myself killed on the a6 so cut across to Windermere)
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by ScotRoutes »

The worst of the A9 is the bit between Perth and Inverness but I see the route avoids that anyway. The bits north of Inverness can all by bypassed until the Dornoch Firth. I've ridden it from there north and it wouldn't exactly be my first choice but it sees thousands of LEJOGers each year and I'm not aware of massive numbers of accidents.

The route does follow the A82 north of Glasgow though and there are sections of that I'd consider to be out-of-bounds :grin:
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Dave Barter »

The A30 is a nightmare. I'd want a following car before I attempted that on the bike. I cannot see stage one in the site. Please don't let them be using that.
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by ScotRoutes »

Looks like Stage 1 might not yet be decided, though this route is available with a bit of digging

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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by jameso »

The A30 is a nightmare.
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/20-895/

The A30 - can't see this route in detail but it (edit, seems to?) use some of the A30 nr Truro and Oakhampton. A31 east of Winchester. Prob a few other bits. I know audaxes seem to use more A-roads than I ride on my own trips but I entered this on the tip off of a good route - have now seen the route and having 2nd thoughts. Any opinions?
Last edited by jameso on Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Dave Barter »

James this is opinion so please take it as that not discouragement. I love LeJOG as a ride as it gives you everything ace about British road cycling in one (longish) outing. But I feel you only get this if you get away from the traffic and enjoy/suffer the backroads and hills and quirks. To that end I've done it 3 times now looking for the perfect route and it will take me 3 more to get it right. The only time you want to stray on any road beginning with A is north or the border. And even then avoiding the coach routes. Doing such a route in < 5 days would be a serious outing as there is so much climbing. It looks to me like this one has taken some compromises to make it Audaxable. But I'm on the extreme end of what is a good LeJOG route as others will testify to.
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by jameso »

Appreciate it Dave, with you there, A-roads can do one. I like audax events but A-roads just to get to a place and back within the number-of-km, not what I'm after. I rode London-Wales-London and it was a great route if you timed it right, no A-road problems there. Will take a look at this in more detail. Happy to go off-route and miss a control also, only in it for the ride and social not the points etc. Actually just thinking of just planning a ride in the SW instead, Lost Lanes and sea side towns etc.
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by redefined_cycles »

jameso wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:34 pm
The A30 is a nightmare.
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/20-895/

The A30 - can't see this route in detail but it (edit, seems to?) use some of the A30 nr Truro and Oakhampton. A31 east of Winchester. Prob a few other bits. I know audaxes seem to use more A-roads than I ride on my own trips but I entered this on the tip off of a good route - have now seen the route and having 2nd thoughts. Any opinions?
James... I think I'm similar to you mate. Its me and my mate that were meant to attempt Yorkshire500 together but then this came up.

So glad I made this thread now (I dont like riding where its a constant rush of 'will this one hit me now... or is it this lorry'). I shall be keeping a keen eye on what Dave and hopefully others suggest is a very dangerous section and trying to reroute myself onto some more appropriate sections...
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by Dyffers »

jameso wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 11:59 pm Actually just thinking of just planning a ride in the SW instead, Lost Lanes and sea side towns etc.
https://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/20-998/

Tailor-made alternative. The opposite of the Audax LEJOG, a considerable chunk of the route will be on lanes that haven't seen a car yet this year. That of course comes with its own challenges when you have the same time limit as an A road audax.

I'll hopefully be on the start line for both the Crackpot and the Highland Fling 1k, two of the most interesting looking UK long audaxes this year. The LEJOG looks a little too constrained by its start and finish.

(Also fancied the Normandicat 900 as a sort of French All Points North but dates don't work this year)
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Re: LeJOG audax-style anyone?

Post by composite »

Oh God, every post in this thread makes me feel like I signed up to the wrong event. :| :cry:
Dyffers wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 7:01 am
https://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/20-998/

Tailor-made alternative. The opposite of the Audax LEJOG, a considerable chunk of the route will be on lanes that haven't seen a car yet this year. That of course comes with its own challenges when you have the same time limit as an A road audax.

I'll hopefully be on the start line for both the Crackpot and the Highland Fling 1k, two of the most interesting looking UK long audaxes this year. The LEJOG looks a little too constrained by its start and finish.

(Also fancied the Normandicat 900 as a sort of French All Points North but dates don't work this year)
Highland Fling looks great but it's just a touch close to the Bryan Chapman.

Crackpot looks like a good alternative to the Mille Pennine. Do you know if there are overnight controls on this? The info seems sketchy about that.

Also, it seems that this isn't AAA although it looks like it has enough climbing to be... I wonder if it will be assessed later.
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