Hints and Tips
Whilst the challenge is fresh in my mind I thought I’d
write some hints & tips which may be helpful to others
who are planning to tackle the LEJOG.
The challenge is so much more than the distance …
A 100 mile Sportive is a tough challenge and many people,
I think, took on the AMR LEJOG as a challenge to string together
9 of these … I probably did that …
But … on a one day event you turn up; you have a good
view of the conditions bash out 100 miles; eat well then return
to your nice warm house; and probably don’t ride the
next day.
The LEJOG is a tough multi-day event with uncomfortable living
conditions and unpredictable weather; and regardless of the
weather (or your condition) the schedule remains the same
so if the weather turns nasty you just have to get on with
it.
120 miles in the sun with a favourable tail winds is easy
… 146 miles with rain, sleet, hail & 30mph headwinds
is a tough day in the saddle. That was our Day 7 which included
a fair bit of climbing too.
So … tip #1 is to prepare yourself
by training in all weathers; skipping a session because it’s
tipping down with rain isn’t going to help because on
the event nothing stops for the weather. Most people on this
year’s ride were under dressed (ie. They got cold) on
many days. I wished I had taken a full set of Gore-Tex touring
waterproofs; my slinky racey waterproof cape was not man enough
and in the end I resorted to riding for 3 days in the coat
I had brought for the evenings. Also training in the rain
will soon teach you what kit you need/want.
So; get some good waterproofs and get a decent sized saddle
bag and carry them all the way; the extra 500g and the ugly
look to your bike is well worth it when the weather turns.
Tip 2; train and ride in groups so you get
back in good time. This is very much a personal issue but
the faster riders had an easier trip. Our group was typically
one of the first back so we had hot showers, massages, early
dinner & more time to get the camping sorted which meant
more rest. Often this was all done before some of the slower
riders got in … and often they had cold showers. The
slower riders have a tougher challenge.; because on top of
all the other points they get less rest before the start of
the next day.
Tip 3; take your own meds … the event
medic was excellent but they can’t carry a full pharmacy
for 150 riders; I caught “the bug” on day 6 and
had to beg/borrow Imodium; bring plenty of your own and anything
else you may need. Lots of other riders were consuming anti-inflammatory
and pain killers for various issues; Achilles and knee problems
seemed to be the top of the list; see your doctor before the
event if need be but take what you think you may need.
Tip 4; avoid the bugs … with all those
people eating, sleeping, washing and the other body movements
in one small camp means bugs spread. Be extra careful about
washing hands etc to try and keep the spread of bugs to a
minimum. I did all this and still caught the bug … refer
to tip 3
Tip 5; mudguards; with so many slick carbon
road bikes around it is no surprise that probably only a handful
of people had mudguards. You can get mudguards that fit race
bikes such as SKS race blades and Crud Road Racers; I wish
I had taken mine and I wished others had done so too …
as we grovelled into Moffat in strong headwinds and rain in
our chaingang of 4 we were each getting a complete hosing
off the wheel in front … we’d have been far smarter
to fit these lightweight guards. They weigh nothing but look
a bit crap which is probably why no-one uses them on these
events … vanity is a high price to pay when it’s
lashing it down. http://www.crudproducts.com/products/roadracer/image
Tip 5; make sure your kit bag and day sack
are waterproof. Bags get left around in piles at camps and
lunch stops and if it’s wet they will get wet and so
your dry evening clothes get wet. I used Harken sailing bags
which were excellent. http://www.harkenuk.co.uk/wetdry-bag-145-p.asp
Tip 6; Bike computers; I used a Garmin 705
and it was excellent for following the route; the route was
very well marked but this was a helpful aid. Make sure you
know how to use your gadgets before the first day, the Garmins
are good but not perhaps as user friendly as you may hope.
Tip 7; keep in touch whilst on the road;
with all the various social media options it’s easy
to keep in touch with those at home during the event and you
may find it an inspiration in those dark moments. At 4am on
day 7 whilst pearched on the bog with the squits I feared
I wouldn’t be able to move 100m from a bog let alone
ride 146 miles starting at 6am … but the thought of
having to report to my sponsors on this blog that I had quit
due to the squits drove me on … AMR layed of a full
bank of plug sockets each day so charging up your phone and
GPS was not a problem.
Tip 8; Make sure your bike is sorted and
you have plenty of spares tubes. I was lucky I had no punctures
(I rode on Veloflex Masters); others had many punctures and
some went through a couple of tyres; luck of the draw really
but bring spares.
Tip 9; Don’t bother taking much clothing
for the evenings … pack all you cycling kit and a few
evening bits.
Tip 10; Have a GOOD sleeping bag; many people
got very cold during the nights; I was OK but I still slept
with clothes on inside the bag.
Tip 11; Look after your backside …
Assos chamois cream by day Sudocream by night …
Tip 12; don’t plan much the week you
get back; you will be tired; I had entered a time trial on
the Thursday evening on our return; I did it but I was slow
… plus the planned 3 day sailing championship that started
on the Friday didn’t happen … you will need a
bit of recovery time.
So in summary I wished I had prepared better for the bad
weather and had taken winter kit as well; I guess with a early
season “heatwave” in the south east perhaps I
had been lulled into a false outlook for the weather; we were
pretty unlucky in Scotland but then perhaps some of those
conditions were typical. If you prepare for bad weather and
it’s sunny then you have a result.
All in all and excellent event; tougher than I anticipated
mainly due to my naivety over the weather, usually if the
weather is bad at home I defer the ride to another day …
what I needed was more experience of riding in bad weather;
then I would have known exactly what kit I needed for riding
100 miles in heavy rain …
Hopefully these tips will be useful to others; if you have
any tips of your own that I have not covered please let me
know ...
|
