Just in case I thought there was any doubt…. confirmation landed. I’m on the start list. Time now to be committed and focussed – time now to cycle…lots.
What I perhaps hadn’t appreciated was how much preparation time this undertaking was going to take. The commitment to hours in the saddle I completely understood but the training ride route planning, logistics to maximise time on the bike whilst also making time to spend with family and friends, shopping for ride nutrition, charging electronics, laundry, dealing with bike mechanics, ordering components I was wearing through, faffing with bags for the bike, positioning lights … thinking… consumed in the detail and still the event is 18 weeks away.
Wow! Only 18 weeks to go. That’s a lot less than 26 weeks to go….
Navigating availability to ride and to exercise around work, social events, friends and family is challenging….. and then there is the weather! It’s important to ride in all weathers and not just pick the best days but where there is a choice, some decent weather to ride in is good for the soul. I need to be flexible enough to change a plan at reasonably short notice but there are often impacts from changing a plan – other knock on effects which also need planning.
I am charity fundraising for the Spinal Injuries Association in May 2024 with an overseas cycle in Italy which I am really looking forward to but I also want my bike here in the UK (and not in a van on its way to Italy) for an event at the start of May and doing that means I’m not going away for a few days with my partner…. It’s juggle, juggle, juggle.
During February and March I have increased my ride mileage and am now starting to introduce back to back days of riding. In April I want to fit in a 300km ride which for me is around 15-16 hours in the saddle. I’ve been enjoying training and have felt fitness gains. I’ve been pretty comfortable on the bike too. I have fitted aero/TT bars to have another position on the handlebars and also to make me more streamlined and efficient on suitable stretches of road.
When the clocks changed at the end of March I swapped from my winter to my summer bike. I’ll be riding LEL on my summer bike. It’s lighter and quicker. Over winter I’ve been riding a heavier bike and carrying luggage all the time to make it heavier. I’m hopeful I will feel the benefit of this – it did feel a harder choice over winter so there needs to be an upside!
By end of March I had cycled 2400 km. I’ve done a lot of that distance on my own but some of it (the best and the most memorable rides) I have done with friends of mine. A particular highlight was a gravel/ offroad weekend away in North Yorkshire with my cycling group in the sun (brrrr cold) in March. Good for the soul to ride with friends.
My coldest ride was over to Holyhead from Manchester. It was a good day. My partner was driving to North Wales and planned timings so that I could grab refreshments from the van on the way. Perfect planning.
Also in March I was exhibiting with colleagues from the team at work at the National Cycling Show at the NEC in Birmingham. That was potentially a weekend of no riding so I decided to plot a route from Manchester to Birmingham and ride to the NEC. 100 miles on Friday and then exhibit for Cycle SOS alongside Cycling UK for whom we manage the Incident Line. The route was uninspiring but the sense of satisfaction of getting myself from home to the NEC under my own steam was immense.
The next main LEL step happened on 1 April when start times were allocated – 5am for me – from Writtle in Essex. Whatever the allocated start time everyone has 128 hours to finish the 1540km route. I chose 5am as I hope that to be roughly my start out time each morning. Who knows though – best laid plans and all that.
I’m keeping up with chatter in the LEL and LEL riders group. There so much excitement and some anxiety. There are some really useful posts and some ‘noise’ I will just wade through.
I asked a question of the organiser Danial Webb. What was the gender split for this years’ event. The answer: 92% men and 8% women. I was astounded. It’s 2025. The split of volunteers was also illuminating – 52% men to 48% women. This spurred me on even more to represent women and to highlight the great work of the charity Cycling UK and their 2025 Women’s Safety Campaign. I am going to fundraise for Cycling UK. There is so much work to do around redressing this gender disparity and I want to raise some funds to support the work of Cycling UK.
