LEJOG 2013
Moderators: Philip Whiteman, George, laurence_cooley
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
As promised, some reflections on the LEJOG ride, now that we've had chance to collect thoughts, return home and wash shorts:
Total mileage: 1002.09 miles (as recorded by my Garmin).
Total climbing: 18,658 metres (as recorded by my Garmin).
Mechanicals: One **flat**, one broken spoke (both on Keith’s bike, repaired en route).
Best cafe stop: Jeffersons in Richmond. The proprietor evicted two patrons so we could sit down then fed us cakes and pease pudding.
Cakes consumed: Far, far too many to mention.
Funniest moment: Like many such things, you had to be there but Keith missing the very first turn as left Lands End on day one still makes me smile...
Avert the eyes moment: My regular applications of chamois cream at least twice very day were probably moments to avoid...
Recurring theme: Every other B&B proprietor seemed to be from Selly Oak…
Photos: With apologies for the random poor quality images taken on my phone, many of which appear to have been shot from space via the 1970’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itimages/s ... 183121930/
All in all, I have to say it was a splendid trip. We were very luck with the weather, only seeing rain for about 20 minutes on the second day whilst in Devon. We could have done without the headwinds, though it did make the odd day when we had a tailwind feel even more beneficial. We crossed several spectacular bridges (Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Queensferry Road Bridge, Inverness Road Bridge), climbed a few testing hills (in particular one coming out of Bath emerging next to the racecourse that was so knackering we immediately got off and had lunch on the racecourse itself) and stopped at numerous cafes.
Memorable moments for me include the view of Edinburgh from the moors as we began the descent towards the city with the rail bridge and the castle visible in the distance, the statue in the sea at Newbigggin by the sea, which was haunting in the evening gloom and the sheer lunacy of riding the last 23 miles into Kingussie as a time trial in an hour on the A9. I can say with some confidence that I've never managed a time trial at that pace before in my life but the combination of a good road surface after hours of sketchy cycle trail, a cessation of the headwind and a slight descent combined to make it possible. And welcome, otherwise it would have been a midnight arrival.
The journey out of Edinburgh was also memorable, the diversion of the bike path into the private estate made for a stunning 45 minutes of riding before eventually approaching the bridges from the beach side path.
All in all, it was a spectacular trip.
So with what seemed like suspiciously minimal and uncomplicated planning, we rode an iconic LEJOG, via a somewhat unconventional route, in 10 days and had a barrel load of fun.
All the best
Derek & Clive
Total mileage: 1002.09 miles (as recorded by my Garmin).
Total climbing: 18,658 metres (as recorded by my Garmin).
Mechanicals: One **flat**, one broken spoke (both on Keith’s bike, repaired en route).
Best cafe stop: Jeffersons in Richmond. The proprietor evicted two patrons so we could sit down then fed us cakes and pease pudding.
Cakes consumed: Far, far too many to mention.
Funniest moment: Like many such things, you had to be there but Keith missing the very first turn as left Lands End on day one still makes me smile...
Avert the eyes moment: My regular applications of chamois cream at least twice very day were probably moments to avoid...
Recurring theme: Every other B&B proprietor seemed to be from Selly Oak…
Photos: With apologies for the random poor quality images taken on my phone, many of which appear to have been shot from space via the 1970’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itimages/s ... 183121930/
All in all, I have to say it was a splendid trip. We were very luck with the weather, only seeing rain for about 20 minutes on the second day whilst in Devon. We could have done without the headwinds, though it did make the odd day when we had a tailwind feel even more beneficial. We crossed several spectacular bridges (Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Queensferry Road Bridge, Inverness Road Bridge), climbed a few testing hills (in particular one coming out of Bath emerging next to the racecourse that was so knackering we immediately got off and had lunch on the racecourse itself) and stopped at numerous cafes.
Memorable moments for me include the view of Edinburgh from the moors as we began the descent towards the city with the rail bridge and the castle visible in the distance, the statue in the sea at Newbigggin by the sea, which was haunting in the evening gloom and the sheer lunacy of riding the last 23 miles into Kingussie as a time trial in an hour on the A9. I can say with some confidence that I've never managed a time trial at that pace before in my life but the combination of a good road surface after hours of sketchy cycle trail, a cessation of the headwind and a slight descent combined to make it possible. And welcome, otherwise it would have been a midnight arrival.
The journey out of Edinburgh was also memorable, the diversion of the bike path into the private estate made for a stunning 45 minutes of riding before eventually approaching the bridges from the beach side path.
All in all, it was a spectacular trip.
So with what seemed like suspiciously minimal and uncomplicated planning, we rode an iconic LEJOG, via a somewhat unconventional route, in 10 days and had a barrel load of fun.
All the best
Derek & Clive
-
Philip Whiteman
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
- Real Name:
- Location: Drayton, Worcestershire
