LEL 2021/2 as pre-qualifier for PBP 2023

[Pip]

Good evening all, strangely apprehensive about asking this: does anyone know if a successful completion of LEL in 2022 will count as a pre-qualifier to ensure prioritised entry for PBP 2023?

Regards Pjp

[Lightning Phil]

Back in July I asked Danial. His response was

“As far as I can see, LEL2022 will count as a pre-qualifier for PBP. It will be registered with LRM and as BRM event. I will check with AUK though as I’m a bit rusty on the rules.”

[Pip]

Lovely, thank you Phil.

[Tomsk]

Still at the 'project' stage, but I'm working on a flatter BRM 'Grand' for September next year, 01/09/2022: Only about 3000m climbing instead of around 11000 and 8.25 AAA in the last edition! Staying east and well away from Wales, Cotswolds, Forest of Dean, obviously ... might get more than 12 starters and 9 finishers too.

There are a lot of tough 600km+ events - maybe my niche is something a little more benign?

[yanto]

My kind of brevet.

My prep for PBP in 2019 didn't involve any hilly rides, i did however do four 600k rides and lots of fast 100 milers, didn't do me any harm on PBP, in fact I found the hills quite acceptable.

[John Stonebridge]

BRM status normally only applies up to 1000km as per https://audax.uk/about-audax/classifications/ but Im sure that recent (“Danial era”?) LELs have been credited with BRM status as an exception.  Of course before now its never been held in a year that might make it a PBP pre qualifier.

Before anybody gets too agitated about “having” to do LEL or a BRM 1000km in 2022 to get a place at PBP 2023 its worth remembering that for PBP 2019 riders who had no pre qualifier whatsoever from 2018 but completed the requisite SR in 2019 were able to get a place (albeit after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing when it appeared that only those with a 300km + pre qualifier from 2018 would get a place - edit - leading some riders with no 2018 pre qualifier to foolishly give up entirely and not complete an SR in 2019 which would have been enough). 

Pre qualifiers in 2022 are probably best considered as a tool for those seeking a specific start time at PBP than a determinant of a place on PBP, though clearly those seeking advance certainty re PBP in 2023 will no doubt bag the longest pre qualifier they can. 

[Von Broad]

There are a lot of tough 600km+ events - maybe my niche is something a little more benign?

[Beer swamped recumbent ears become activated]

You're the man Tomsk 

[grams]

There are a lot of tough 600km+ events - maybe my niche is something a little more benign?

Sounds awesome. I’m not sure why everyone organising a long brevet thinks it also needs to be exercise in hill climbing to make it a challenge.

[Pip]

BRM status normally only applies up to 1000km as per https://audax.uk/about-audax/classifications/ but Im sure that recent (“Danial era”?) LELs have been credited with BRM status as an exception.  Of course before now its never been held in a year that might make it a PBP pre qualifier.

Before anybody gets too agitated about “having” to do LEL or a BRM 1000km in 2022 to get a place at PBP 2023 its worth remembering that for PBP 2019 riders who had no pre qualifier whatsoever from 2018 but completed the requisite SR in 2019 were able to get a place (albeit after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing when it appeared that only those with a 300km + pre qualifier from 2018 would get a place - edit - leading some riders with no 2018 pre qualifier to foolishly give up entirely and not complete an SR in 2019 which would have been enough). 

Pre qualifiers in 2022 are probably best considered as a tool for those seeking a specific start time at PBP than a determinant of a place on PBP, though clearly those seeking advance certainty re PBP in 2023 will no doubt bag the longest pre qualifier they can.

Thank you John. Your assertion re: a specific start time is spot on.

[John Stonebridge]

Still at the 'project' stage, but I'm working on a flatter BRM 'Grand' for September next year, 01/09/2022:

Interesting Tomsk I had been thinking along the same lines but Real Life [TM] means I cant commit to organising a 1000km next year. 

My draft idea was Darlington - Manningtree - Darlington stitching together stolen bits of the Yorkshire Gallop, Flatlands, Herewark the Wake and Asparagus & Strawberries. 

[Lightning Phil]

My Easter Arrow route of 2018 had only 773m of ascent in 400km. You can certainly keep it flat up through the Fens. Plus it’s pretty flat in Vale of York. I can see a 1000km from Essex, that heads up York wards and back, with less than 2000m of ascent.

[Tomsk]

Still at the 'project' stage, but I'm working on a flatter BRM 'Grand' for September next year, 01/09/2022:

Interesting Tomsk I had been thinking along the same lines but Real Life [TM] means I cant commit to organising a 1000km next year. 

My draft idea was Darlington - Manningtree - Darlington stitching together stolen bits of the Yorkshire Gallop, Flatlands, Herewark the Wake and Asparagus & Strawberries.

  Indeed! There are only so many good Audaxable roads in any given area aren't there? Of course, with zillions of info controls (Hereward - yes I know) you can wiggle about to get a good route, but that's an awful lot of boxes on a 1000km brevet! Some main-roady sections will be inevitable on a long ride - but not so bad at night of course.

[arabella]

fwiw I have (somewhere, on paper at least) the Great Eastern and also a one-way 600 from Peterborough via a dog leg southwards and ending up at Darlington station, possibly with some Yorkshire Wolds unless that was some other DIY.  And a one-way back from Leeds to Ipswich which although it does go up into the Lincs Wolds, then stays on top of them for quite a while before ending up in the Fens.

[Danu]

I believe Thruxton has run 24 HR cycle events

[Wycombewheeler]

Still at the 'project' stage, but I'm working on a flatter BRM 'Grand' for September next year, 01/09/2022: Only about 3000m climbing instead of around 11000 and 8.25 AAA in the last edition! Staying east and well away from Wales, Cotswolds, Forest of Dean, obviously ... might get more than 12 starters and 9 finishers too.

There are a lot of tough 600km+ events - maybe my niche is something a little more benign?

I don't think you should take the low numbers as indicative of the appeal of the ride,  there were only 12 finishers on the London lands end London ride. So acme grand is in l I need with other events.
 I suspect the impact of covid restrictions on training has surpassed appetite for long brevets this year with people less confident to attempt the long brevets.
I wonder if the appeal could be increased by being more iconic such as East Coast (Essex) to West coast (Wales) return, but maybe that's just me,  and there are many others who would prefer a flatter course.

 Incidentally I logged the whole brevet as 11161m of climb in 1056 km. 10.5m per km which to me is a fairly typical rate of climb for most rides.  BUT the Newport to Port Talbot section packed in 3571m in 232km which is over 15m per km. Definitely on the high side.

[Tomsk]

fwiw I have (somewhere, on paper at least) the Great Eastern and also a one-way 600 from Peterborough via a dog leg southwards and ending up at Darlington station, possibly with some Yorkshire Wolds unless that was some other DIY.  And a one-way back from Leeds to Ipswich which although it does go up into the Lincs Wolds, then stays on top of them for quite a while before ending up in the Fens.

I've had a look at the Great Eastern route and have a brevet somewhere - looks like more main roads than would be acceptable now I feel, but I'll be thinking along similar lines. Probably only around 3000m ascent and mostly in the first half, as I'll route back across the Fens.

I wonder if the appeal could be increased by being more iconic such as East Coast (Essex) to West coast (Wales) return, but maybe that's just me,  and there are many others who would prefer a flatter course.

When setting up my 2018 Grand in 2017, I planned on running it just in non-LEL & PBP years, but things are a bit shook-up now! An easier option was always on the back burner for busier years, so we'll see how it goes in 2022 with a new route and maybe head back to Wales in 2024. Coast-to-coast would bump it up to around 1200km, but a nice idea, food for thought ...