Audax rides

its French so instantly better IMO

I think it's more about the atmosphere around it than the route itself, and it's an international event my favourite thing about LEL was meeting and riding with people from all over the world.

For me mainly it's just another tick on the way to Brevet 25000.

I wasn't going to do it. Then I qualified and thought, "why not?" I enjoyed it.

The big thing about it for me was that you are made to feel special for doing it. People in little Breton towns and villages clap and cheer you through at all times of the day and night. Truck drivers wait patiently behind while you crawl up hills. Afterwards the people in the bars around the finish are genuinely interested in what you have done.

Also it's got a bit of everything: time trialling, road racing in a high-speed peloton, some social riding / chatting and eating, and some slogging away on your own in the dark and wind and rain.

Downsides are

• the route is nothing special
  
• the controls use buildings with extremely limited toilet provision and tend to run out of food if you are on the 84 hour start
  
• dodgy group riding skills, mostly from the non-continental Europeans: AUKs, USAnians, Asians, etc.
  
• Brest.