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Will be riding there and back from Putney to make it into a DIY 400km Audax (although I may have to start in Weybridge or Dorking to get it over 400km).
It'll be by last long ride (and good sleep dep training) before the 1400km London-Edinburgh-London Audax later on in July.
Will be using a 67" gear to get my legs spinning a bit more otherwise I'd use my normal Audax gear of 46x17 (71") or even 48x17 (74") as there's not much in the way of hills.
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I did the first (miserable) year on 42x15 which was higher than my commute gear and it sucked balls.
Lowering the gear to something closer to my commute gear (more like 42x16) and probably the dry weather made for a much nicer ride. Spin to win. It might be flat but it's still a long way and you'll appreciate the easier gearing, especially if there's a wind, or some rain, etc. -
London-Edinburgh-London, indeed.
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Basicaly it's for men and women of steel. I salute you Mr Greenback.
I'd like to have a go at athat or PBP one day. I just can't be arsed with the training. Too lazy.
What g.i will you run for the event? The 71"
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It'll be by last long ride (and good sleep dep training) before the 1400km London-Edinburgh-London Audax later on in July.
Well done sir. I had notions of LEL this year but found out last year that I'm not nearly as tough as I thought I was. Maybe for the 2013.
Might be volunteering though so may see you at some point.
On the other hand I might just stand around five miles out of Lea Valley and shout HTFU at riders coming back in.
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67" (46x18) for LEL. I may take the 17T Miche sprocket (for a 71" gear) for the first 500km as it's reasonably flat. I did Putney to Thorne in October on 67" and could have gone faster with a longer gear.
I'll have a better idea in a month as I'm doing London to Edinburgh in 3 days to familiarise myself with the LEL route (day 1 is 330km from Putney to Thorne, day 2 is 200km to Alston via Coxwold, Middleton Tyas and Yad Moss, and then day 3 to Edinburgh via Canonbie, Innerleithen and Dalkeith). If the weather is shit on the 15th-17th of March then it's all my fault.
Will be going for PBP in 2011. Longest ride so far is only 630km so LEL will be the first proper long one. Plenty of other 1200km rides too (Madrid-Gijon-Madrid, Boston-Montreal-Boston, Great Southern Randonee, Rocky Monutain, Gold Rush Randonee, etc)
On the other hand I might just stand around five miles out of Lea Valley and shout HTFU at riders coming back in.
Please do! The little hills south of Brickendon would be the perfect place for it too.
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67" (46x18) for LEL. I may take the 17T Miche sprocket (for a 71" gear) for the first 500km as it's reasonably flat. I did Putney to Thorne in October on 67" and could have gone faster with a longer gear.
Do it, the weight difference will be more then compensated for by the time advantage and you should be able to get both in on the same chain length.
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Greenbank, I'm tentatively thinking of doing LEL this year, too, and PBP in 2011. I very much doubt that I'll be at your level (which is what is to be expected from member #753), though, and I won't be doing it fixed. But I've just started training for the summer, slowly, 140 miles during the past week, and hope to accelerate that. DD should be a doddle, anyway. Do keep us updated how you get on--I find this sort of project fascinating!
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LEL is full already, and has been for some time. There's a waiting list you can add your name to (see the contact details for the event on the Audax UK website) and places should start to become available soon as people who paid a deposit are due to pay the balance in the next couple of weeks and I'm sure some people will be dropping out. However, there are no guarantees. I've paid for my place in full and know I'm in. :)
If you're serious about doing LEL this year you should think about doing an SR series before July, that's a 200, 300, 400 and a 600 km ride. It's not a requirement for LEL (unlike PBP where you have to do an SR within certain timescales) but if you haven't done an SR then you're going to find LEL a lot harder than anyone that has. Fixed or geared, doesn't really matter.
If you're not thinking of doing it this year, or planning on PBP in 2011 then start as soon as possible. If only to find out whether you really like it or not. I'm relatively new to this Audax lark (my first one was in late 2006) and I've still got a lot to learn and every ride I've done in the last 2 years (even 100km rides) has taught me something new about myself (limitations both mental and physical, nutrition, hydration, mental fortitude or lack thereof, etc).
There are plenty of stronger riders, and plenty of stronger fixed riders than me (Audax UK is full of them, and they're astonishingly modest), but I'm building up confidence as I've done several long relatively hilly rides on fixed and bizarrely want to do more.
67" will hopefully get me round the Elenith (4727m climbing in 300km) and the Bryan Chapman (8300m climbing in 600km) this year although I'll expect to walk a few bits of the former ride like the Devil's Staircase (a mile of steepness up to 25%).
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Thanks for the tips, Greenbank. I didn't even realise that you had to book for LEL, just shows how much I know. I'd definitely be capable of completing an SR series, I'm just a bit useless in planning. Perhaps I'll make my goal more modest and go for that!
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Hi, I heard about this ride last weekend at the memorial and it sounds great, especially if it would be a follow up to doing the tour of wessex. I might be able to pull a long time riding partner into it too.
i would do it geared, but I need to do some long training rides, probably on my fixed, would anyone be up for joining me on a sunday for a spinning session. I have pretty much no knowlege of which way out of london is best for a training ride, but I would like to do about 50-60 miles, it's been a while since I did anything of such length, but should be fiiiine... -
Either cycle, or get the train out to Box Hill & Westhumble station and do this:-
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/167493
Either finish back at BH&W or Dorking stations, or HTFU and cycle home via Box Hill, Epsom, West Ewell, etc (with Dark Hill in RP thrown in for fun).
Various sections of that ride will get you spinning. Various points will have you grinding to a standstill too.
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I have pretty much no knowlege of which way out of london is best for a training ride, but I would like to do about 50-60 miles, it's been a while since I did anything of such length, but should be fiiiine...
It really depends on where you live. London is quite big apparently. I've got good routes out of London from Northish clockwise around to SW but nothign really in the last third.
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I'll have a better idea in a month as I'm doing London to Edinburgh in 3 days to familiarise myself with the LEL route (day 1 is 330km from Putney to Thorne, day 2 is 200km to Alston via Coxwold, Middleton Tyas and Yad Moss, and then day 3 to Edinburgh via Canonbie, Innerleithen and Dalkeith). If the weather is shit on the 15th-17th of March then it's all my fault.
Cracking weather. Hauled a 6kg bag'o'crap all the way up from Putney to North Berwick though some lovely scenery. 746.22km. 20.82kph average.
Applied HTFU spray and fitted a 76" gear (46x16) for the first flat leg up to Thorne. Won't do that again in a hurry as it was a bit of a grind into a headwind as far as Peterborough.
Dropped to 67" (46x18) at Thorne for days 2 (to Alston via Coxwold and Yad Moss) and 3 (to North Berwick). The B709 from Langholm through Innerleithen is fantastic, great for fixed climbing too. Only 160rpm max though as my legs were knackered and unable to spin.
Great view from the end of the Moorfoot hills (on the B7007). Arthur's Seat and Edinburgh Castle Hill visible in the distance (shit quality camera phone pic):-
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Well done!
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Tell 'em to hold it on a nice stony beach at 6am on a Sunday morning. Could be the most romantic venue ever.
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Looks like I'm out. Some knobber's wedding coincides..
You're getting married?
medusa
Greenbank
hippy
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TheBrick(Tommy)
The_Seldom_Killer
town
Oliver Schick
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About
2009-07-04 Sat - Dunwich Dynamo 2009
Posted by
@hillbilly
will be on this. just wondering how to organise getting home as waiting for the coach was a bit much. Cornelius was right, it was fun but one time only. should be strong after doing the ventoux with jonny in may so might fancy riding some of the way home. was great riding with the 10 or so forum guys that were together when we got lost. bring it on