[LEL17] LEL equipment

[ramchip]

Just wondered from those that have done LEL before what kit etc they carried with them and what they had in their 2 drop bags?

[LMT]

The kit I had on the bike when I done PBP was:

Two innertubes, tyre levers, multi tool, pliers, spoke wrench, spokes, pump, ibuprofen, hydration tabs, sun cream, shot blocks, arm warmers, leg warmers, overshoes, eye mask, toothbrush, 18650 batteries, AA batteries, toothpaste, ear plugs, light waterproof jacket.

And on me I had my phone, passport, money and brevet card.

Will be probably be the same more or less when I do LEL, save for not carrying so many tools as they are not needed, only a multi tool until you can get to the next control.

In the drop bags I'll probably go with change of clothes, some shot blocks, and some spare batteries.

[vorsprung]

When I last did it I think there was a drop bag.  But I carried most stuff with me.  I just carried the same kind of things as I would for any ride

Drop bags are good for changes of clothes though

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Just wondered from those that have done LEL before what kit etc they carried with them and what they had in their 2 drop bags?

Assume it will be cold and wet on the northern section.  If it's dry then it can easily be single figure celsius in the hills even in the middle of summer, so I rode in with bib tights, a base layer, long sleeved jacket and waterproof.  That served me well on the way up and on the way back I was glad I had long fingered winter gloves for the 10 hours of wind and rain (in 2009).  In 2013 those in shorts arriving at Barnard Castle looked cold...  but then they probably recovered for the 30C on the last day.  Now, its possible that the whole of the UK will have a heatwave for the whole 5 days of the ride.  Then again, it is in the school holidays so that's probably a long-odds shot. 

I think I only used one drop bag, at Edinburgh, and that had an equivalent set to what I'd ridden up in, so that I could have a full change.

[cygnet]

marcusjb has a pretty good pack list for on the bike stuff from PBP.
And some up thread advice from 2009 now this has been merged
Drop-bags wise in 2013 both bags had a complete changes of kit (long finger gloves, shirt, shorts, base layer, arm warmers, socks) probably three inner tubes, food, drink powder, electrolyte tabs, spare batteries in cases. Probably some spare med kit and caffine.
Think I made used one kit change (northern drop bag, heading south) but could have been worse in bad weather. (Actually used both pairs of socks, would put two pairs in each bag if riding again just because it feels better)
Didn't use a lot of the food (fig rolls, malt loaf, peanuts etc) and ended giving it to the Arrivee caterers  for later finishers.
Oh and most importantly the LEL jersey in the first/last drop bag for carrying back to London and wearing after the finish

[L.Lagopus]

Just wondered from those that have done LEL before what kit etc they carried with them and what they had in their 2 drop bags?

In 2013, in addition to the kit I was wearing I carried on the bike: rain jacket, long sleeve wool jersey, leg and arm warmers, full fingered gloves, four tubes, tire levers, pump, multi-tool, spare tire, chamois creme, wallet, etrex gps, printed cue sheets, toothbrush and paste.
In each drop bag I had a pair of shorts, long sleeve and short sleeve jersey, two tubes, AA batteries, and a few Snickers Bars.
I was comfortable in all the weather I encountered, except for the absurd heat on the last day. (Seriously, the Brits complain about the weather so much, it never occurred to me that it might get uncomfortably hot and sunny). I went through 6 of my 8 available tubes on the ride.
I made the intentional decision not to bring a camera or phone. My phone did not work in the UK, and I thought I would be able to enjoy the ride more if I was not worried about documenting it. I now kind of regret not having brought a camera along. It would be nice to have a few pictures that might clear up some of the sleep deprived haze of the latter half of the ride.

[Kim]

Seriously, the Brits complain about the weather so much, it never occurred to me that it might get uncomfortably hot and sunny.

You've evidently not been paying enough attention to Brits complaining about the weather.  Complaining about it being too hot is an important (but perhaps not entry-level) part of that^[1], as well as complaining about all the knock-on effects that come from things going wrong due to unexpectedly non-mediocre weather^[2].

The catch is that we have a quota of exactly 2 weeks of hot weather per year - traditionally this is scheduled around major sporting events such as Wimbledon^[3] and international cricket, and timed to overlap with the mass exodus to ABROAD in search of warmer weather.  A day or two of freakishly warm weather may occasionally be deployed in early spring, as long as they don't coincide with the Easter holidays.

So there's a blink-and-you-missed-it-effect with British heatwaves.  Things to look out for include tabloid headlines along the lines of "Phew, what a scorcher!"; railway disruption due to warping rails and dehydrated passengers (rather than the more traditional excuses); any successful attempt at a barbecue; weather forecasters suddenly expressing an interest in the seaside; and sun-burnt Mancunians.

Brits venturing outdoors know to carry both factor-50 sunblock and arctic weather gear at all times.


_{[1] Useful phrase:  "It's not the heat, it's the humidity."
[2] Designing infrastructure to cope with extreme weather conditions is considered un-patriotic.
[3] In 2009, a retractable roof was fitted to Centre Court in order to prevent Cliff Richard from singing.  Further research is needed on its precise effect on the climate.}

[The French Tandem]

^^POTD


Seriously, British weather is not that bad. The temperature range you should expect all year round is considerably narrower than in many other places. 

[hellymedic]

but the range on LELs in living memory has been approximately 0-32C, (32-90F) which is quite wide for late July/early August.

[mattc]

but the range on LELs in living memory has been approximately 0-32C, (32-90F) which is quite wide for late July/early August.

Indeed.

The UK is certainly at the bottom of world rankings for "extreme"* weather, but it is considerably more unpredictable than the vast majority of nations.

I think it's the Lonely Planet guide which, in it's intro section has a bit about weather and clothing:

"Basically, whatever month you visit, just bring all your clothes."


*_{Although it's fair to say that 0'c and 32'c are both conditions where the outdoor endurance athlete can seriously come to grief if not properly prepared. You don't need proper extremes to get into trouble. Or to slow you down!}

[hellymedic]

Fit young soldiers have come to grief in BRITISH weather.
BE PREPARED! Keep comfortable even if you think it makes you look silly!

[L.Lagopus]

Seriously, the Brits complain about the weather so much, it never occurred to me that it might get uncomfortably hot and sunny.

Brits venturing outdoors know to carry both factor-50 sunblock and arctic weather gear at all times.



[/sub]

In Alaska in the summer time you have to carry gear both summer and winter gear. In the winter, you don't have to bother with the summer gear.

[redfalo]

I discussed my PBP kit here: https://cycling-intelligence.com/2015/07/26/paris-brest-paris-2015-my-kit-list/#more-920 It all worked out nicely.

I have not ridden LEL yet, but I guess my stuff in 2017 will be rather similar, but I will also pack some warm gloves.

As there will be bag drops on LEL, I won't carry the spare clothes on the bike. Probably just arm warmers, leg warmers, one extra layer Merino, the windproof gilet and the waterproof jacket.

I have not fully made up my mind about the sleeping kit, but as of now, I think I will take it with me (maybe put it in first bag drop, but have the ability to carry it later).

[The French Tandem]

I think it's the Lonely Planet guide which, in it's intro section has a bit about weather and clothing:

"Basically, whatever month you visit, just bring all your clothes."

As people in Brittany* say, There is no bad weather here, there are only inappropriate clothes

*: Probably true in Scotland too.

[hellymedic]

And I thought that was a Norwegian saying....

I suspect many nationalities claim provenance!

[Kim]

And all of them are lying

[hellymedic]

 

Google suggests Canute/Norwegian/German/Wainwright.

'Two men say they're Jesus Christ
One of them must be wrong'...

[Phil W]

Toothbrush and paste, razor and shaving oil used at least every 24 hours. Each bag drop had 2 sets of cycling kit, plus spare inner tubes; so fresh kit every 300km.

On the bike, usual toolkit. Leg and arm warmers , spare pair of socks, plus long finger gloves. Short sleeve waterproof jacket. Head torch. Emergency silver blanket.  Emergency rations. ID and emergency contact details. Cash and bank card.

[ramchip]

Thanks! So where did you have your bag drops? Such a great idea to have 2 x sets of cycling kit in each bag. Thanks again!

Toothbrush and paste, razor and shaving oil used at least every 24 hours. Each bag drop had 2 sets of cycling kit, plus spare inner tubes; so fresh kit every 300km.

On the bike, usual toolkit. Leg and arm warmers , spare pair of socks, plus long finger gloves. Short sleeve waterproof jacket. Head torch. Emergency silver blanket.  Emergency rations. ID and emergency contact details. Cash and bank card.

[Phil W]

Thanks! So where did you have your bag drops? Such a great idea to have 2 x sets of cycling kit in each bag. Thanks again!

Market Rasen and Barnard Castle.  My reasoning for Barnard Castle was that it was before / after the highest point of the route at Yad Moss.  If the forecast going north was rubbish I could take some extra warm layers. Returning south if the weather had been rubbish then I had dry kit to put on and dump the warmer layers.  Market Rasen as just before / after the Fens and wanted to finish in relatively fresh kit on the last day.

So this time round (if I was riding) I'd choose from Barnard Castle or Brampton coupled with Louth or Pocklington resp. The later gives a better spread over the distance (Brampton to Brampton is almost bang on 300k) but I still like the idea of dry kit as soon as possible after the Yad Moss crossing returning south.

The other thing in my bags was plastic bags to seal the smellies being dumped.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

LEL is during the school holidays, which every parent of school age children knows is a recipe for unsettled weather.  There is a meteorological basis for this superstition.  Our weather is Atlantic dominated and it takes until end of July/August for the Atlantic to get hot enough to generate more stormy and unsettled weather.

[martint235]

For what it's worth, one of the key things I learnt on 2013 was that I carried too much stuff on the bike and that if I ever rode LEL again I would use bag drops. In my saddle bag I had 5 changes of kit, 6 inner tubes, batteries for lights etc, spare phone, some food (most of which actually made it home with me), plus all the usual stuff of pump, multitool etc. I think in total it weighed about 7 kilos. I wouldn't say I struggled with it but it would have been easier to use the bag drops for most of it.

[Planet X Paul]

For what it's worth, one of the key things I learnt on 2013 was that I carried too much stuff on the bike and that if I ever rode LEL again I would use bag drops. In my saddle bag I had 5 changes of kit, 6 inner tubes, batteries for lights etc, spare phone, some food (most of which actually made it home with me), plus all the usual stuff of pump, multitool etc. I think in total it weighed about 7 kilos. I wouldn't say I struggled with it but it would have been easier to use the bag drops for most of it.

What was your logic for NOT using the bag drops last time.  Just curious really, as why carry all that stuff when you didn't have to ?

[martint235]

For what it's worth, one of the key things I learnt on 2013 was that I carried too much stuff on the bike and that if I ever rode LEL again I would use bag drops. In my saddle bag I had 5 changes of kit, 6 inner tubes, batteries for lights etc, spare phone, some food (most of which actually made it home with me), plus all the usual stuff of pump, multitool etc. I think in total it weighed about 7 kilos. I wouldn't say I struggled with it but it would have been easier to use the bag drops for most of it.

What was your logic for NOT using the bag drops last time.  Just curious really, as why carry all that stuff when you didn't have to ?

I just thought it would be too much faffing. I don't own a car so I would have had to go and collect the bags, then ferry them back to Loughton then pick up all the returned stuff the day after the finish. It just seemed easier to ride with everything I needed.

[Phil W]

You might want to consider carrying an emergency silver blanket. They can be a Godsend if you do get stranded and need an extra means of retaining warmth. I always carry one on any brevet I expected the possibility of either night time or cold temperatures. They take up very little space and are cheap to purchase. Wrap over you they can also keep the worst of the rain out.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Camping-Hiking-Safety-Survival-Gear/Foil-Blanket-reflective-thermal-first-aid-1st/B004O793JY