The number of mechanicals we had at Brampton was staggering - both vorsprung and Ricchard did pretty much nothing else for 48hrs. And much of it (from where I was stationed on the front desk) seemed to be preventable stuff. Being on the front desk for much of the time I got the brunt of rider's questions and problems. As with the mechanicals there seemed to be a noticeable difference between randonneurs (of whatever nationality) and the rest, who often didn't seem properly prepared. There's definitely an issue in managing entrants expectations needs to be picked up on for future editions.
Interesting.
From the bike maintenance point of view, it sounds as though most controls experienced the same kind of work load.
I was very happy to be part of the team at Barnard Castle under Phil's stewardship, and don't have a problem in anyway with all my time [and some of Chris Crosslands too] being spent on bikes, but Phil did, and ultimately he maintained reservations about how this particular aspect of the control panned out. To begin with I was curious why he felt like that, but on reflection [and taking my ego charge that comes from the status of being Bicycle Repairman for 3 days out of the equation], I can see his point.
Why was there no mechanic with a bike stand, tools, pump etc waiting for you outside a cold bleak Tescos in Hollyhead at the turning point on a very wet and bleak Irish Mail last year and yet there was one at every control on LEL? Some may think that's a ridiculous comparison, Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. There's a difference in distance, scale, kudos etc but not in ethos. Does one ride have a greater degree than self-sufficiency than the other? Are we saying that the longer the distance the greater the degree of support is needed?
One of the appealing aspects of LEL is that it requires no qualification - something that is very enticing for those who want to plunge right in there and have a crack at something big. It also means the event is virtually guaranteed to fill up over night. That's a good thing. I means the crazy and the adventurous can step right up and give it a go. But it's double-edged. It also means that a person can participate in an event without any real empirical knowledge of how they might cope physically and mentally over a distance like that. Likewise, it also means [and more importantly, for the purposes of this particular aspect] a rider can enter a bike that may not be fit for purpose either. And they were in evidence.
If I was honest, and it doesn't sound like I was alone, there was a lot of fixing and tinkering that went on that was preventable. If they're properly set up to begin with indexed gears don't go badly out of alignment after 400km. Cables don't break because of rain, they break because they're old and haven't be changed for yonks. Tyres can get nasty gashes from glass and sharp debris and rims can fracture from hitting a pot hole. Nobody expects anybody to account for those kind of failures, but tyres also blow out because they're already worn before the ride starts and rims split because they're basically worn out and should have been changed before hand.
If not always by name, I can recognise quite a few of the experienced UK riders, whether they be fast or slow, male or female, and their absence from the bike stand was very noticeable indeed. Lessons learnt. Those kind of cyclists know that to ride a bike in good nick is to I suspect the same was true of other nationalities too.
For me personally, I actually really liked the way it all worked out. It's a good feeling to help people on their way. But this is also is double-edged. It's about reputation, expectations and boundaries. Do the organisers want to read posts on forums expressing the view that, 'Not only does LEL require no qualification but there will be a bike mechnic at every control that will sort your bike out free of charge!' That's fine if they do, but you need to provide provision for that, and it's a slippery slope and could easier erode rider responsibility to make sure everything's in order as much as is possible. 'No need to worry too much about that, the bike mechanic will sort it out at the next control'.
Not sure what the answer is. Maybe some kind of charging system, clearly communicated before registration gets under way, so all those looking to enter know the boundaries of what will be on offer at the controls.
Anyway, something to think about for next time.
Many congratulations to the organising team.
Interestingly enough, even as a volunteer, all I had to do was turn up and fit into a system that had already been put in place by those higher up in the organising chain already having contributing a great of work to get that far.
And chapeau to all the riders. Depending on where you were at any one time, it looked very very challenging indeed out there at times.