Author Topic: LEL - Where the hills are  (Read 8170 times)

red marley

LEL - Where the hills are
« on: 21 July, 2009, 10:15:35 pm »
If you would like the appearance of hills on LEL to be a surprise, look away now...

I've had a go mapping the profiles of all 9 legs of the LEL using this technique. The thicker and darker the line, the higher the elevation. If a line gets thicker, you're going up hill!





Chris S

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #1 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:27:28 pm »
Nice work jwo!

It illustrates nicely how those who say "the first bit is flat" are a wee bit deceiving. Those who've ridden the Stevenage rides and others around there know - Cheshunt to Gamblingay isn't Fenland.

Also shows how we need to be ready for some fairly tired riders Southbound at Coxwold  :o.

border-rider

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #2 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:35:43 pm »
we commented in 2005 that the bit round Cheshunt was a bit lumpy.  Made worse by a Thorne start, which meant into and then straight out of Cheshunt.

It was far from flat around Lincoln too.  But there are very long, tedious flat sections between them and especially both sides of Thorne

Overall the Northern 700 or so is quite upsy-downsy, and the Southern 350 on each end of it is pretty benign on the whole.

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #3 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:40:09 pm »
Nice work jwo!

It illustrates nicely how those who say "the first bit is flat" are a wee bit deceiving. Those who've ridden the Stevenage rides and others around there know - Cheshunt to Gamblingay isn't Fenland.

Also shows how we need to be ready for some fairly tired riders Southbound at Coxwold  :o.
Fens they are not CHris, but they are not real hills. ;) Coxwold is far enough out of the hills to allow for some recovery anyway

Chris S

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #4 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:43:34 pm »
Fens they are not CHris, but they are not real hills. ;) Coxwold is far enough out of the hills to allow for some recovery anyway

 :D

Real Hills are what you are used to.

We'll see how you all fair on the way south. You northerners will be fine  ;).

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #5 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:45:28 pm »
Fens they are not CHris, but they are not real hills. ;) Coxwold is far enough out of the hills to allow for some recovery anyway

 :D

Real Hills are what you are used to.

We'll see how you all fair on the way south. You northerners will be fine  ;).
Its the 200 miles of flat that'll do me in. I have a 7-10 hour sleep stopped near Middleton T so Coxwold south I reckon I'll be in fine fettle. I am climbing well this year too.

Really Ancien

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #6 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:48:00 pm »
Are the vectors accurate? In 2001 the problem was the headwind on the return. An extension of this approach would be to plot the apparent effect of wind direction. As a large rider with a triple chainset and close ratio block, I'm equipped for adverse winds. The polar opposite would be a light rider on fixed. The elevation data is a constant, the wind is a variable, and one which potentially favours me, so I'm pretty sanguine about it.

Damon.

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #7 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:50:02 pm »
Low profile riders with a triple do OK in winds too.

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #8 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:50:38 pm »
Good work Jo.

The steepest bits IMHO are (all relatively short):-

a) a few short sharp snaps outside Cheshunt (both directions)
a.5) Bullocks Lane climbing into Hertford and Port Hill climbing up to Bengeo
b) Lincoln (Southbound only, if it goes the way I think it does)
c) The climb up through Crayke and again up to Coxwold (both dirs)
d) After the bridge at Whorlton (although it wasn't as bad as I remembered it from the Border Raid, north only)
e) A couple of bits of Yad Moss, just after the ski-lift if I remember correctly (north) otherwise it's a tame climb, just long
f) Coming up through Alston Southbound will be a tough one (south)
g) The insanity between Canonbie and Langholm that isn't on the route thankfully.
h) The first few snaps after Langholm (north) I was starting to worry that the whole of the B709 would be like these.
i) The A7 coming southbound until you turn off onto the B roads, especially if it's a busy time of day.

The climbs on the B709 going North are a nice gradient for fixed climbing. Coming back they're shorter (and therefore steeper).

If I do sleep at Eskdalemuir I may leave a bunch of stuff there whilst I nip up to Dalkeith and back to save me lugging it over all those hills. If that's allowed of course, otherwise I'll just stick it in a nearby hedge. :)

The steepest is probably Crayke.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

border-rider

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #9 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:53:54 pm »
The only bit that was a real issue on fixed was Alston going South.  I don't recall anything else being a problem.

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #10 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:55:59 pm »
The steepest is probably Crayke.

 :thumbsup:  We talked about routing around that but it is the shortest route, the first hill for over 200 miles and a good view. I did it on 70" Fixed when  first survey the route in a 200km then again when I wrote the instructions.

It's easily avoided though

Panoramix

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Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #11 on: 21 July, 2009, 10:57:09 pm »
Nice work jwo, I really like these maps!
Chief cat entertainer.

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #12 on: 22 July, 2009, 07:53:50 am »
I like these maps too - they are pieces of art!  I want the northern section, without the legend and place names,  framed up.

red marley

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #13 on: 22 July, 2009, 09:16:08 am »
I like these maps too - they are pieces of art!  I want the northern section, without the legend and place names,  framed up.

High resolution PDFs of all the legs without any annotation can be found here. Also included is a higher resolution version of the annotated map above. Frames not included I'm afraid.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #14 on: 22 July, 2009, 09:43:21 am »
f) Coming up through Alston Southbound will be a tough one (south)

Doubly so if it's (whispers) raining.

Do not ask me how I know this :(
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Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #15 on: 22 July, 2009, 10:47:31 am »
I like these maps too - they are pieces of art!  I want the northern section, without the legend and place names,  framed up.
and with those nasty thick lines narrowed a bit please.

alan

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #16 on: 22 July, 2009, 10:54:07 am »
I am climbing well this year too.

Yes indeed.I might rename you Paul Daniels as I witness you disappearing up hills in future ;D

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #17 on: 22 July, 2009, 05:56:56 pm »
Being from Suffolk I found the Venta 300 in the South Downs suprisingly lumpy - how would the thickness of its lines compare?

vistaed

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Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #18 on: 22 July, 2009, 06:03:39 pm »
I really like those maps, but knowing the hills are there isn't going to make them go away! And it's the wind I fear more!

after hardship comes ease -
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simonp

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #19 on: 22 July, 2009, 06:40:04 pm »
Try to avoid baked beans then.

 :hand:

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #20 on: 23 July, 2009, 12:41:44 am »
Ok, so I had to ask - what's the total climb...?

simonp

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #21 on: 23 July, 2009, 03:00:25 am »
Ok, so I had to ask - what's the total climb...?

The track's in Tracklogs here, so I'll check tomorrow what that says.

Note that it overestimates badly in some areas.

scottlington

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Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #22 on: 23 July, 2009, 07:41:53 am »
Ok, so I had to ask - what's the total climb...?

Not a lot.  O:-)

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #23 on: 23 July, 2009, 11:23:07 am »
At a guess I'd say less than 8000m in total. So there is more climbing on the Bryan Chapman in under half the distance.

One way, not quite the exact route..


(Bit spiky as I haven't cleaned it up where the GPS was switched on or under a petrol station canopy.)

Cheshunt to Gamlingay is "average", i.e. 650m in 65km or so.
From there's it's flat until the climb up to Crake/Coxwold (near 400km).
The big dip/climb at 240km is Lincoln, which you won't do going Northbound.
Then you get to the big long drags up the big hills.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Where the hills are
« Reply #24 on: 23 July, 2009, 11:53:49 am »
So less pro rata than the Dunwich Dynamo 09 (with rides to and from I recorded 277km with 2205m of climbing. Feeling better :)