10 Hints and tips for LEJOG or JOGLE

Here are my hints and tips, bearing in mind that I am not a coach, and am commenting only from my experience and in the spirit of cycling comradeship. So what’s my experience? I have been riding my bike since 8, and when I was 13 it really developed into the way to get around. When I was 18 I did my first end to end, solo with tent, stove and all. The bike weighed 35Ilbs and the load was 40Ilbs. I didn’t walk a step! There was dip when I got my first car at 22, but it recovered in my late 20s, and I now have over 82,000 recorded miles since 1982.

I am told I am a good club cyclist, and you know from this blog I did the End to End the long way last year. I did it on my own with a support car. I did 1353 in 16 days being 13 full days and 3 half days. It rained on 13 days. I enjoyed it immensely, even when it hurt. I wasn’t ever tired as such, but deeply fatigued at the end which took about 3 weeks to recover from. Yes I would do it again. Why not?

Generally I do sportives, and shorter Audaxs. The longest I have done is 5 yrs ago and was 330m in three days (tour of Wessex), with the last day 130 mile with 8000ft of climbing. Took 8 hrs, the whole 330 was 20000ft climbing in 20hr45mins. Did it again the year after. I’ve done the Dartmoor Classic three times, and will do it again, best was 105m in 6h45m with 9000ft of climbing on Dartmoor. First finisher was 5h42, slowest was over 10 hrs. Oh and I am 45 and a half years old. The photo on Twitter is me at the top of the highest point of the 330, with 65m left to go, and with a tail wind :-)

1 Training:

I think it is common to think that ’you’ haven’t done enough training. That said I think the reason why so many people do the end to end is that it is attainable by ordinary people, its just a case of how long/easy. The more training you do the easier you will find the ride and the more you will enjoy it. If you are a regular cyclist then it really is a case of extending the rides, and backing them up. I build up in half hour steps. So maybe 2.30hr on sat, 2hr on Sun, and a couple of 1 to 1.5hr during the week, these can be faster rides. Then step up the weekend rides 30mins at a time until you can comfortably back up 4 and 4 sat to sun.

The general advice is don’t try to increase your mileage by more than 10% at a go, listen to your body. If it hurts it is trying to tell you something, stiff and sore muscles is different to painful knees and joints. If they continue to hurt then get someone who knows to check your position, cleats, saddle height etc.

2 Hills:

Learn to love hills, there will be a few on the way, so you may as well love them as otherwise your going to spend a lot of time being miserable. Use the gears on the bike to allow you to spin up the hills, then over time, try and ride one gear higher than is comfortable. This will help you build strength. Don’t choose a big gear and grind up the hill. You don’t go at a steep hill in 5^th gear in a car, it really labours, your body is the same.

3 Rest:

Is as important as training. Slowly increase the hours over 3 weeks then back off for a week, then pick up again, doing a bit more than the first week. Also take days off during the week. Exercise stresses the body, the recovery period allows it to grow. If you don’t rest, you will overtrain, go backwards and ultimately get ill. So give it a rest too.

4 Kit:

A bike that you are comfortable with is a necessity. Get someone to help you with your position. After that I would advise proper padded shorts, stiff soled cycling shoes which are either clipless, or use top straps. There is loads of choice, you don’t need to have racing shoes and walk like a duck. The recreational shoes set the cleat (the bit on the shoe) in a recess so you can walk normally.

I don’t generally use any sort of chamois cream in my shorts. Keep your contact points with the saddle clean, and clean shorts everyday. Use non bio washing powder least the bio part of the bio is not rinsed out fully and it starts to digest your cheeky bits. On the end to end after four days of rain I got a bit sore from being wet all the time so got some sudocream (look in the baby section, they use it for nappy rash) which I applied, and no more problems.

Otherwise dress to stay warm in the rain, but don’t overheat. A raincoat wide open as it is now not raining will simply slow you down and use energy. Take it off.

If you get cold then your body will use energy keeping warm, not moving forward. I’ve seen people abandon rides as they got cold and miserable. Stay warm, even if wet, and don’t ride with your clothing acting like a parachute slowing you down. Bus shelters are a great place to shelter in poor weather.

Take tyre levers and a couple of tubes with you daily and consider taking a spare tyre and oil to keep the bike moving after the wet.

5 Eating:

On the ride eat! Eat today, for today and for tomorrow. Eat within 30mins of stopping and make it carbs with some protein. 80/20% is good. Then eat again within 2 hrs. This is because your body is most ready to replenish itself immediately after stopping and will really put it away, after two hours this tails off. Eat whilst riding, and eat before you are hungry.

Your body carries enough glycogen for about 2hrs of exercise, less if it is intense. You can improve this by becoming fitter and hence more efficient, which means training your body to run more off it’s fat stores. But you also need to feed it during the ride to keep the glycogen in the muscles up. If you don’t feed it you will bonk (cycling term) or hit the wall, if you are a runner.

Food that I carry is Frusli bars (cheaper than the ‘special’ energy bars) and I use PSP to drink, but I use the unflavoured as it is cheaper and you can flavour it yourself with squash if you want. I keep a few power gels in case of need. I also ate quite a lot of cake on my end to end!

Also drink before you are thirsty. Get into the habit of drinking, and target maybe a bottle every two hours, more if it is hot. Giving yourself a target will make sure you drink it.

Continuing on the food theme. At some point you may feel awful, in a kind of general crapness. This is ok. DO NOT PANIC. Slow down and eat and drink. Your body will come back to you, but will need a little time, so treat it gentle and be nice to it.

6 Head:

Believe that you will do this ride and complete it. At the same time don’t think of it all at once in case of overwhelming yourself with the challenge. Break it down into blocks, days, villages, turnings, hours, summits, lamp posts if need be. Make them achievable, but always believe. It is not IF you do it, simply how long. Do not allow your head to give in. If there is a group of you, you can help each other, just be aware that you may need to. Be aware that as you all begin to tire, your moods may well become affected and you may say things that none of you might normally say or indeed mean. Cut each other some slack and look after each other, both on the road and emotionally. As I said it is achievable, but it is hard, and that is what makes it worth it. If it was easy, they’d all be doing it.

If there is a group of you, you can also help with taking turns riding into the wind. Give it 5 mins each and you only need to be there twice in an hour which is maybe 10 to 12 times a day. Easy huh?

7 Gearing:

My general advice would be to start on cog bigger than you would normally ride, let the legs spin a bit, rather than push on. As the days go on you will find you have much reduced power anyway, so you may have to drop the gears. I ride 53/39 on the front and 13/27 on the rear and I can get up most hills on that. If you are laden with kit you will need lower. Many people now ride with a compact chainset on the front which gives a much lower spread of gears. Just remember as the days go on you will lose power in your legs.

8 Route:

Routes are available from various sources including the CTC and

http://www.pewseys.co.uk/ . 

The GPX files for my All SEWN up #lejog is at: https://sites.google.com/site/gregcycle/gpx-files-for-the-all-sewn-up-tour

I would recommend that you stay off the main roads, especially if there is a group of you. I never fail to be amazed when I come across cyclists on dual carriageways and many A roads. On my lejog I picked direct minor roads, rarely anything bigger than a B road. Google Earth and its Street view are great for looking ahead at roads.

My main suggestion is that north of Inverness that you consider following the Sustrans route 1. It is pretty direct and on tracks beside the main road and then close to but off the A9. When driving back from JOG we saw cyclists on the A9 in amongst the cars, whereas there is no need.

9 The Start/Finish

I am convinced that the start/finish at John O’Groats is not the car park and sign post but is at the lighthouse at Duncansby head. If you don’t get there, the other pointy end, then I am not convinced you have done the full route.

10 Apps

I would recommend the free rainy days app, so you can at least see where the rain is and which way it is going. Google earth streetview is great for looking at roads in advance to see if they should be avoided.


Websites include http://www.raintoday.co.uk/ for where the rain is now and an indication of where it is going, and for wind see http://www.xcweather.co.uk/ 

Well I hope that has helped, I don’t know what your knowledge level or experience is, so sorry if you have found it patronising. I do believe you can do it if you want to. Do remember to enjoy it on the way, and anything hard or difficult is just part of the experience. My view was short of total mechanical failure of the bike or me I was going to get there.

Good luck, take care and stay alive, play nicely with the cars and most of all enjoy.

@Chalkface2009

Miles cycled this year: 3500.6 @ 2 August
In 210 Hours burning 124459 Kcal climbing 147480 ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 187
Weight: Being supplemented by chocolate biscuits.

Sometime ago I aimlessly searched the LEJOG tweets on twitter, a part of the withdrawal effects after my ride. One caught my eye, @chalkface2009 said that something like he would be trying to ride LEJOG. I picked up on this, I replied: It was not try, it was will, Believe! Hence started an occasional exchange of encouragement and advice on his planned LEJOG which culminated in me leaving home at 7.50 on a Tuesday heading south west towards his overnight stop at Halse.

I arrived, much to my surprise, at the time I had said, just gone 9 in the pub car park. We said our hellos and I was introduced to the other four cyclists and the support. Now, I am not too good with names and the like. In a group I know I try to learn one name each time I meet with them, so eight people at a time is over load. So I apologise to Dave and Steve that I can’t remember the others names, but it was clear that somehow or other they were all related, in terms of fathers, sons, sisters, and wives or indeed a variation of these (or not as the case may be).

I was expecting a climb back over the Quantocks, but they had changed the plan. I really can’t say I would blame them, riding two days in Cornwall and Devon really is enough hills and half a day without hills if it can be avoided it is an inviting idea. So we set off into Taunton, with a plan to ride along the canal. This is quite heavy going in places, and the group agreed to let me reroute off the canal and onto side roads to Bridgwater.

We were then back on route and made progress across the Polden Ridge with me acting self appointed tour guide. On the right we have Glastonbury Tor, to the left is the Wells TV transmitter and further left the mighty big scar on the Mendips, no that is not the Gorge, but a quarry just to the north of the Gorge. The poor quality blue lias and the early 17^th Century tsunami were mentioned and we climbed up and over into Wedmore.

The support team, were waiting for us at Wedmore and we stopped and had a very well organised and plentiful pick nic in the field by the car park. A change of tyre was needed as one had perished and we were then back onto the road.

Cheddar Gorge was the next event, and I was asked when they would know when they meet the top. That is difficult as it really just becomes less and less steep, my top is where the road forks. As we left the tourist area the group broke up as we all chose our rhythm up the climb. There are harder climbs, but few as spectacular as you wind up through the cliffs that rise up from the road. Ultimately either the cars and/or the effort to climb the 17% sections distract from taking in the views. Oh, and the support group cheerily offering encouragement as they drove past us on the way up.

We arrived at the top in groups, one of the younger men (name? I know, I am sorry) sat on my wheel on the way up. No I wasn’t full on, but he had more miles in his legs, further to go, and his bike was getting on for twice the weight as mine. Part way up he exclaimed that he was really enjoying him self I think they words were “I could really get into this” Good. He had a few more days of it yet! I went back looking for Dave and my climbing companion went back for his dad. We regrouped and agreed it was a great climb. This was added to as the support came back down the right fork as they had gone the wrong way. Much congratulations on the climb and we then all carried on taking the left fork. I stayed with them until the north slope of the down hill, thanked them all for such a nice day, and then turned to meet my wife from work. I must admit I was just a tiny bit envious of what they had done and what was to come. I believed they would make it all the way.

They welcomed me, a man they had never even spoken to before, and we had shared the cycling camaraderie which I have become so used to, and must be passed on. They trusted me to alter their route and feed me into the bargain. Thank you all.

As I write this they will now be home having finished their trip on Sunday. Reading the blog

http://chalkface39.blogspot.com/ it appears that they enjoyed their trip.

Well done you, well done you all, including the support who had to drive, navigate, support and no doubt encourage the five men.

Well done. The bee is proud.

Stourhead

Miles cycled this year: 3332.2 @ 24 July
In 210 Hours burning 118614 Kcal climbing 140780 ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 187
Weight: becoming a state secret#

I lead the local cycle club ride out to Stourhead in Wiltshire. I rode to the start, the onto Langport and then back home from Somerton totaling 93 miles for the day.

Unsure as I am of the normal format of these write ups, being your newest, but probably not shiniest member, I offer this as my write up of the Club ride to Stourhead.

This ride has been planned in my head for over a year now, but each time I looked at it I came up with a different route out and back. It was no surprise that I was still fiddling about with the options for the return journey on Saturday evening. North or South of the A303 was the options, and keeping it down to a bit over 30 miles, being the main constraint. I also wanted quiet roads, where we wouldn’t be toubled by cars and a constant need to single out.

The result was a route where I suspect everyone, including me, rode on new roads (I have driven them all sometime before) and most of us had no idea where we were most of the time. This meant that when we came to the junction with a main road, there would be the odd knowing murmur of recognition of where we were, at least in relation to some town or other.

So where did we go? Well we gathered in the main car park in Langport, and headed east, and into the up the aptly named ‘The Hill’ to the Hanging Chapel. Sarah was proving to be on form at this point as she accelerated away to the first king of the mountains prize. After that is was the A road to Podimore roundabout and onto the village of Podimore. We then stayed on the side roads to Bridgehampton, and Queen Camel. Straight on to the south of Sutton Montis, well in truth we went into Sutton Montis until I realised we were off course, where we U turned. This seemed to start the trouble, the first of the three that it comes in.

As we approached Girt and the turn for The Beacon, Ian slipped his chain. We turned up the short sharp climb up to The Beacon, but Ian did not appear. Nigel and I went back (downhill) and found Ian hidden in a gateway bike upside down. A plate on one link of his chain had sprung open. Nigel broke out the chain tool and I rode back to report to the group at the top of the hill. 15 mins later first Nigel then Ian appeared. All back together we moved off only to stop in 20 yards as a U turn in a narrow lane caused another of our number to fall gently sideways. Much leg pulling, and congratualtions and we were off on a long gradual downhill to Charlton Horethorne past Sigwells.

Sigwells is an odd place, a site of a former WWII airfield but also much archaeology.

Continuing out of Charlton Horethorne up the 20% Windmill hill and down to South Cheriton and its toll house with table of charges from 1824. We couldn’t see a charge for bikes, but moved off quickly just in case, and continued east through the lanes to Cucklington which is at the top of yet another short sharp climb. Seats were available just in case, or just to enjoy the view back to the west over the Blackmoor Vale.

Closer to coffee, and into Dorest through West Bourton and Bourton where we joined the old line of the A303 and quickly into Wiltshire and Zeals. Turning north now we close quickly onto the National Trust visitor centre at Stourhead and its café. We seemed to cause something of a localised stir here, it was quite funny stood back and watching the public just standing and staring at us. We must remember to pass the hat round next time!

Suitably refreshed we headed back west through Gasper and through the woods to Pen Selwood. West onto the old A303 and into Wincanton. A 50 yard walk against the traffic in a one way section avoided a mile circuit of Wincantons one way system, and we were heading north west to turn left into Verrington Lane and off towards Shepton Montague, Yarlington, a little wiggle through Galhampton, and towards North Barrow.

It was at this point we picked up the strengthening headwind and Alan started to suffer with the pace set into the wind. There was regular slowing of pace and we were able to stay together through Charlton Mackrell where we picked up on the Three Towers Audax route and rode that backwards towards Somerton. It was notable that we were not passed by a car from behind from Wincanton to the A37 near Charlton.

In Somerton the group opted for the main road back and a ride distance of around 63 miles in total.

I understand there is a café at a garden centre just north of wincanton, maybe next year?