Friday before

Well done Mark Cavendish!! Back to packing ...

I've done most of it. I'll check everything tomorrow and then load the car.

It was strange saying goodbye to work colleagues. It was as if I was going on a 6 month sabbatical, but I'll be back in a week. Quite strange also answering "What are you doing this weekend?" questions from people who don't know I'm doing LEL.

"I'm going to Scotland."
"Whereabouts are you staying?".
"I'm not"....

.... quite a conversation stopper!

Received loads of texts/email/calls/cards from friends and family to wish a good journey. Really appreciate it!

I am really, really looking forward to it now. The YAC forum has helped enormously. Around 60 YACFers are doing LEL, probably 30 of those I know by name and quite a few by person from previous Audaxes (especially the BCM). Can't imagine pre-internet/forum days, where you'd turn up and see what happens. Looking forward to meeting the Belgians also. I've brought my flag from work, can double up as a blanket.



So, I'll say my goodbyes for now. See you in Twitter!

Wednesday before

Four days to go...

Have a look at this post by jwo on the YACF forum. I think those profile maps are the max! Clicky

Will not get packing till Friday. Had to play catch up at work after spending a morning in the bike shop yesterday. Got home very late. Helped Sarah pack for Camp Bestival tonight. Usual pub quiz night tomorrow. So Friday, home alone to pack. I have most things lined up so it shouldn't take too long ... but it will.

Laminating route sheet tomorrow.

The weather forecast is looking better than last week.

Really looking forward to it now. I have the luxury of a pied-a-terre near Chesthunt for before and after LEL. I'll be with our friends early Saturday afternoon and go off to register at 5PM. I'll probably will not sleep much on Saturday night.

This is likely to be the penultimate post before LEL, if not the last. Then its over to twitter until the end of LEL Thursday/Friday.

http://twitter.com/swarm_catcher

or for the complete LEL buzz: Search LEL on Twitter

This time next week...

This time next week I'll be getting ready to go to the start. Gulp. I'm ready though, and the buzz is hotting up on YACF.

Have set up Twitter. I hope to have time to send a couple of messages - don't count on it! My account is http://twitter.com/swarm_catcher, but if you use this link #LEL search, then you'll see all LEL related message. So, even if I don't get to send many updates, you will be able to gather from the other posts what is happening. For example you might read "its raining and I'm pleased I've finished for the day - by ANOther". Then you'll know that I'll still be cycling ... in the rain. Or may be on a brighter note: "Caught up with swarm_catcher and life-of-brian at lunch time - by BNOther". That would mean I'm not doing badly and I have company!

In fact, RichForrest's comment on my blog during the BCM, is exactly what Twitter enables. He had written: "Hope you finished, last saw you leaving Kings YH."

The weather forecast is not looking too bad, except for Tuesday, which is the hilly day. I'll be expecting a 'BCM day'.

accuweather.com

Again, many thanks to everybody who has donated! There is still time to donate (after LEL, I will never ever ask again).

Advise from Eddy Merckx and Toon Claes

Their book 'Fiets passie' is full of top tips for cycling (thank you mum!).

Here are a few that caught my eye with LEL in mind:

• positive thinking: they use a quote from Shakespeare "its the mind that makes the body rich". During a climb of 20km, its bad news that you still have 2km to do, but the good news is that you've already done 18km. They admit that pessimists will not find this funny.
• be careful, ride defensively, don't demand the road
• enjoy: have a break (not too long on LEL!), enjoy nature and
• treat yourself
• look at the time, not the miles/averages on your computer. Averages are invariably a demoraliser and has too many dependencies.

Was surprised to see a section on 'Shimmy' in there (LEE experienced 'Death Shimmy' on BCM). They suggest shimmy is due to a too light a frame in racers or too heavy barbag in tourers, together with too loose or too cramped holding of the handlebars. The trick is not to panic, relax, break gently and push your legs inwards to hold the crossbar between your knees/legs.

The Poor Student Revisited ... again!

Yabadabadooo!! 11 hours including stops! 9 hours 45 minutes of riding.

After our allotment party yesterday, I really wasn't in the mood for cycling (not that I was drinking). But the alarm went off at 04:30 this morning and up I got. It was still raining, but I knew it was going to stop around 6AM, which was my planned start time in Oxford.

Everything went well. Made good time in the morning, so had lunch in the Summer Cafe. As I've mentioned before, the Poor Student is a lovely ride from Oxford to Cirencester and back via Malmesbury.

Loved seeing the lavender on Snowshill. More pictures on the slideshow till the next ride, or here.

Again, many thanks to everybody who has donated! There is still time to donate (after LEL, I will never ever ask again).

What shall I do this weekend?

Hey, guess what, its going to be the Poor Student 200 again! Its easy to get to the start (1 hour in the car to Oxford), I know the route, I love the route, and its (now) do-able in less than 12 hours. So that is the plan for tomorrow. I have a final bit of fettling to do with the saddle, its not quite right yet. Oh yes, and I need to replace my wireless with a wired mileometer (the dynamo interferes with the wireless).

Other than that, I feel almost ready for LEL. Last night, I marked up the route sheet. The next thing is to work out my bag drop content. Bag drops are a luxury. You leave them at the start of the ride and the lovely organisers will drop them off at dedicated controls (we're allowed two). Then you get to, say, Thorne, tired, wet, cold (hope not!), where your bag awaits you with a mat to sleep on, with clean dry socks, dry gloves, your favourite piece of cake, spare batteries, etc. I experienced a bag drop for the first time on the Bryan Chapman Memorial ride - not appreciating its value beforehand. That bag drop saved me (apart from the angel Mel)! And of course, unless the bag drop is at the turn-around point, you visit the drop twice.

If I'm riding well tomorrow, I'll take some more pictures. You see, there has been a camera discussion in the house. Sarah is going to be my weight monitor, so as to make sure I don't overpack with unnecessary things on LEL. She's arguing that I shouldn't take the camera. Taking pictures will be valuable minutes wasted, and its extra weight. But I've been pleading! ... I'm nearly there. When I've been riding without camera and I come home without pictures - its just not right.

My LEL Schedule

Many riders will be riding through the first night. But based on my 400 and 600 performances, I found that I'm the least efficient between 2 and 4 AM, so I'm intending to rest. I'm only wondering if on the Wednesday, I should aim for Washingborough. I'll play that one by ear.
























The best laid plans ...

The Faccombe Haul Revisited

Cycled the Faccombe Haul route again today. Went for an early early start, so that I could be home to watch the Tour de France and flick over to Federer vs Roddick during the commercial breaks (what a great afternoon of sport watching!).

Started cycling at 06:18 and finished 12:05. Brilliant - given that its a hilly route. It was wonderfully sunny again, bar one shower. This was a much better effort than that winter time in the snow.

Saw a yellowhammer - not unusual in the area.

Wasn't very inspired to take pictures, but did capture this house in West Woodhay.

Eeekkk!! 21 days to go!

A Dream about LEL

Dreamt about LEL last night ...

Was doing well and onto the third control. Overheard conversation about somebody missing a control and had to cycle back to get the stamp. Then I realised I had done the same thing ... This was going to mean no sleep on the first night and from then on riding the whole of LEL under pressure.