On Sat 12th May travel to Land's End to start Le Jog on Sun 13th.

Been training, planning, and list refining for many months; believe I am as ready as possible.
WRT will be the last "shake down" ride.

For those that have done Le Jog (or similar) before, any advice?

My wife did it six (? seven?) years ago following one of the CTC routes. That does two longish days followed by a shorter one for an overall 13 day trip. She rode with a friend, they got the train down to Penzance where they were stopping the night and nipped out to Land's End that evening and back to Penzance which shortened the true first day.

Since they were stopping in hostels and B&Bs there was no point rushing to get there before 5 or 6pm so it was breakfast, ride a couple of hours, cafe stop, a couple more hours riding, late lunch, a couple more hours and depending on how far maybe another cafe stop then ride to the accommodation.

The third and fourth days were probably the hardest as weekend training only gives you two days so the body and mind need to get used to just carrying on. After that they just got in the mindset.

Start slow,getting on the bike day after day is hard. Don’t get all excited at the beginning, if you push too hard and injure yourself you don’t have the luxury of a day off.
Eat at every opportunity, I found that my body went up a gear and I was on around 6000k a day, also I started craving protein in the form in kfc chicken burgers. So listen to what your body tells you.

Enjoy

I did it on my own without a route planned, winged the whole thing and it was great.

Can thoroughly recommend Customs House in Helmsdale for a superb cheap B&B if you're doing a short day 1.

In no particular order:

Avoid busy A roads
Eat plenty of cake
Enjoy the journey
Saddle sores aren't funny so look after your bum.

In Reverse wrote: Can thoroughly recommend Customs House in Helmsdale for a superb cheap B&B if you're doing a short day 1.

If that's a short day 1 he'll be finished before lunch on day 2...

psling wrote:

In Reverse wrote: Can thoroughly recommend Customs House in Helmsdale for a superb cheap B&B if you're doing a short day 1.

If that's a short day 1 he'll be finished before lunch on day 2...

He is called 'In reverse' obviously for a reason

Have you weighed your bike and kit yet? I unpacked a bike yesterday for someone I'm driving up to JOG on Friday. Total packed weight - including luggage - was 37kg.

ScotRoutes wrote:Have you weighed your bike and kit yet? I unpacked a bike yesterday for someone I'm driving up to JOG on Friday. Total packed weight - including luggage - was 37kg.

My spreadsheet says ~11kg for WRT kit and luggage
((using WRT* as a shake down ride))
Add on, say, a kilo for Le Jog stuff not taken to WRT
So, around 12kg for kit.

Haven't weighed bike; however, call it 10kg

See what the "scales of truth" say on Sat.

* Taking some stuff to WRT that seem completely unnecessary, a strong bike lock being the best example.

ScotRoutes wrote:Have you weighed your bike and kit yet? I unpacked a bike yesterday for someone I'm driving up to JOG on Friday. Total packed weight - including luggage - was 37kg.

I know we (well some of us) are a bit weight obsessed here but 37kg? Was it a Boris Bike?

When my wife did LeJog there was a woman on the same schedule who they kept meeting who had a hair dryer in her panniers

Thorn Raven (quite a small frame)
Rohloff
SON dynamo and lights
Front and rear racks
Bar ends

I didn't weigh the bike on its own (i.e. without luggage). Ive also no idea what route and duration that's planned. I'll find out more on Friday.

This is my first trip there for 2018. Either there's fewer folk been doing the ride this spring or they've all magically come up with another shuttle service to/from Inverness.

Two riders are attempting the LEJOG record this May.

Ian To is one of them and I used to ride with him. He's a Swindon lad, very very strong (owns all the local KoMs). Came close to podium on Transcontinetal last year but had to bale. I hope he gets it as I beat him up a hill once many years ago and can live off that boast until retirement.

Mike Broadwith is the other, he is in his attempt window now waiting for the right winds. He is a 24hour champion and probably most experienced of the two.

Both attempts are under the RRA rules. A great organisation in danger of dying out due to the desperately dangerous state of our roads and the fact that everybody wants to gain a record underwritten by a drinks company who know f-all as opposed to a cycling body who properly check stuff.

So my tip is if you hear a rumble of disc wheel followed by "whoooosh" then shout "Chapeau!" at the mentalist disappearing ahead of you and look out for the follow car.

To be honest I hope you don't see them at all as the route they are riding is direct and as a consequence absolutely S***E .

Follow car?

Should be banned. They're a feckin nuisance. Like normal folk going about their daily business give a toss about a cyclist trying to go faster than another cyclist

My customer with the 37Kg Thorn turned up at the workshop today after struggling against the strong winds. He left some gear to be sent to his house and is now back on the road to Lands End considerably lighter.

37kg? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Rear panniers: one full of cycling and "civilian" clothes (and some nice shoes .. and some Crocs) the other with a few days supply of food and a Trangia and a bottle of meths. Plus some washing up liquid and a scourer and a tea towel.

Front panniers: sleeping bag and mat in one, waterproof clothes, tools, spares, travel towel and toiletries in the other. Folding chair will be in there as ell somewhere. Big comfy 2-bloke tent goes on the rear rack.

And don't forget the handlebar bag full of electrics and snacks and maps and ... Christ I just don't know what. This was me in April 2014 on a trip along the length of the Grand Union Canal with diversions here and there. I honestly don't know what I was thinking back then.