London Edinburgh London 2025

[Jameshow]

60hrs!!

https://road.cc/content/feature/london-edinburgh-london-conquering-1500km-audax-295455

 

[DCLane]

You guys are plain mad how many hours do you sleep? 4/24hrs? I thought 400km was enough but to do 4x that would be awful!

In 2017 I had under 5 hours of sleep for the whole ride - completing in under 100. Sleeping proved difficult so I just kept going.

 

[ianrauk]

You're starting today? Those volunteer perks are getting ridiculous.

Ian, are you starting at Writtle or the Guidlhall?

AW12 & 16:00 for me.

You guys remember to leave me some food.

HA!
I remember 2021 you rolling last out of the gate. So I'll be a good few hours ahead of you.
Starting from Writtle as doing some volunteering also and my partner is running the concessions again.
I'm a prolific eater on rides so will certainly be getting my fill.

 

[Ajax Bay]

You guys are plain mad how many hours do you sleep? 4/24hrs? I thought 400km was enough but to do 4x that would be awful!

2017
Hull 310km 320 minutes stop of which 4 hours sleeping
Moffat 633km 399 minutes stop of which 5 hours sleeping
Alston 633km 393 minutes stop of which 5 hours sleeping
Louth 633km 487 minutes stop of which 7 hours sleeping (dropping off my 100 hours self imposed target)
@DCLane was leaving Louth to ride 6 dark hours as I set off for a meal and 7 hours kip - he avoided the Dutch Hills we enjoyed the following day.

	22	Standard		Actual stop
	19	Hilly bits
min speed (for 100)	14.41	Arr (plan)	Actual
Loughton	0​		7/30/17 11:45	0​
St Ives	100​	15:35	15:30	12​
Spalding	161​	18:26	17:51	34​
Louth	244​	22:38	21:27	47​
South Cave TL	310​	1:40	1:10	320​
Pocklington	340​	7/31/17 2:49	7:46	25​
Coxwold	392​	10:11		0​
Thirsk	407​	11:22	11:06	24​
Barnard Castle	474​	14:55	14:40	35​
Alston	525​	18:14		0​
Brampton	557​	19:41	19:14	62​
Moffat	633​	0:08	23:22	399​
Edinburgh	712​	9:44	9:35	34​
Innerleithen	753​	12:35	12:22	47​
Eskdalemuir	800​	15:14	15:30	39​
Brampton	863​	18:35	18:58	56​
Alston	889​	20:46	21:39	393​
Barnard Castle	946​	23:52	6:42	34​
Thirsk	1013​	8:55	10:28	49​
Coxwold	1024​	10:25		0​
Pocklington	1080​	12:57	14:51	45​
Louth	1177​	17:52	21:40	487​
Spalding	1261​	22:41	10:12	34​
St Ives	1322​	7:27	14:26	80​
Great Easton	1399​	11:27	19:10	61​
Loughton	1447​	14:08	22:26	2317​

 

[blackrat]

What I have always found disheartening is faster riders than me overtaking me as I labour against the hills and the wind. It really knocks my joie de vivre when they do that, I really wish they wouldn't.

 

[DCLane]

@Ajax Bay - what you didn't know was that I then got lost and ended up going my original 'non hilly' route towing a trio of Vietnamese riders who hadn't a clue where they were. My sole intention was to get across the Fens in the dark as the forecast was for strong winds the next day. You were probably in a 6mph long train when I fell asleep for 20 minutes face-first into my breakfast at St Ives.

@blackrat - let the fast ones go up quickly; they'll tire faster and you'll pass them later on.

 

[Ajax Bay]

@Ajax Bay - what you didn't know was that I then got lost . . . . My sole intention was to get across the Fens in the dark as the forecast was for strong winds the next day. You were probably in a 6mph long train when I fell asleep for 20 minutes face-first into my breakfast at St Ives.

@blackrat - let the fast ones go up quickly; they'll tire faster and you'll pass them later on.

Obv unaware of situational awareness challenge but you told me the reason you were heading out into the dark was to avoid the headwinds. I left Louth at 0530 and rode with Deano and Graeme (Revd) to Horncastle and then essentially alone thereafter, collecting the odd bod. As you can see I arrived at Spalding 1012 but after eating no b***stard seemed to be leaving so I ploughed into the headwind, thinking there's a lot of people in the bulge who just won't make it (they didn't).
@blackrat If you can ride 200s in <10 hours there won't be that many people faster after their Day 1 joie de vivre has worn off.

 

[blackrat]

LEL Time Frame
Start	Ride	Rest	Ride	Rest	Ride	Rest	Ride	Rest	Ride	Finish
	306K		306K		306K		306K		306K	1530K
	16 hrs	12 hrs	16 hrs	12 hrs	16 hrs	12 hrs	16 hrs	12 hrs	16 hrs	128 hrs

In a perfect world.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have nothing but respect for everyone doing this. In the coming years, when I'm a bit less time constrained, I intend to do some volunteering.

@blackrat If you can ride 200s in <10 hours there won't be that many people faster after their Day 1 joie de vivre has worn off.

At my fittest and fastest, when I was riding regular 100 milers and 200ks I once came within 5 minutes of breaking 10 hours for a 200k, but was scuppered by London traffic in the last 10k or so. Although the ride was 204k total so I did pass 200 within 10 hours, just.

 

[Ajax Bay]

In a perfect world.

In a perfect world which recognises pace will inexorably fall over time/days (moderated by the first/last 300km are much flatter):
15-10-16-10-18-10-19-10-18 (=126)
You haven't yet shared the start time you've been allocated.

 

[blackrat]

In a perfect world which recognises pace will inexorably fall over time/days (moderated by the first/last 300km are much flatter):
15-10-16-10-18-10-19-10-18 (=126)
You haven't yet shared the start time you've been allocated.

That would be tempting fate. It is much too early to announce definite plans yet. It isn't as if I can just get a train to Writtle with no other travel arrangements to be made.
Blame Excel for the arithmetic error.

 

[DCLane]

In a perfect world which recognises pace will inexorably fall over time/days (moderated by the first/last 300km are much flatter):

Except the odd nutter ... ahem ... who turns out to be faster going south than north. I blame the lovely lady volunteer at Thirsk who went "if you pedal hard enough you could get back in under 100 hours". Challenge duly accepted .

 

[Ajax Bay]

That would be tempting fate. It is much too early to announce definite plans yet.

Fate has already been tempted! If you look in your Spam box you'll find what time you're starting in a message dated 1 April 2025, if you've entered.