route

[LeeW]

Just wondering, is it compulsory to follow the published routes.  Or is it OK to make detours between controls, for exmaple to visit my favrate cake stop which is likley to be very close.  Or if the recommended route passes through a town with lots of starting/stopping/traffic lights which I find kills my speed and I'd rather use a bypass road, even if it is longer.

[Bunker22]

In an Audax event, as long as you pass through the controls within their opening times you can go by whichever route you like.

[London Edinburgh London]

The route is advisory. All you have to do is visit the controls, in the right order, under your own steam, in time.

The team who have designed the route have put a ludicrous amount of time in refining it. We have ironed out a lot of perilous turns and dull stretches. I would stick to the route where possible. But if you fancy a detour, or just want to blast up a main road, you go for it!

[The French Tandem]

In the French version of audaxes, there might be secret controls. That means you are likely to miss that control if you don't always stay on the planned route.
Is this true for LEL too?

There are also insurance issues that might arise in case of an accident out of the planned route.

[LeeW]

Yep, I seem to remember mention of secret controls on PBP (not done the event myself, only from reading reports).  But it seems like the english don't use them. 

[MattH]

Some English rides do have them, but you're told on the routesheet that they exist. It isn't common.

[LeeW]

Is the route already planned now?
Between kirton and market raison, will we be using the B1192 to langrick bridge, then follow NCN 1 to bardney (taking the on road "winter route" near bardney to avoid an unsurfaced section of the route only really sutible for mountain bikes, the rest of the water rail way railpath is well surfaced with tarmac).  Then take B1202 north straight to market raisen via wragby.  That is what I would consider the quickest, easiest to navigate, flattest route from my local knowdge of the area and avoids 'A' roads entirely, 64.6km .

[simonp]

Is the route already planned now?
Between kirton and market raison, will we be using the B1192 to langrick bridge, then follow NCN 1 to bardney (taking the on road "winter route" near bardney to avoid an unsurfaced section of the route only really sutible for mountain bikes, the rest of the water rail way railpath is well surfaced with tarmac).  Then take B1202 north straight to market raisen via wragby.  That is what I would consider the quickest, easiest to navigate, flattest route from my local knowdge of the area and avoids 'A' roads entirely, 64.6km .

I don’t know how final these are, but U.N.Dulates of this forum is involved with LEL 2013 organisation and has this route:

http://www.routeyou.com/route/view/285982/cycle-route-lel2013-stage-3-kirton-market-rasen.en

It looks to be further east than your suggestion.

[LeeW]

Ah, that's great thanks.
I saw stage 4 and was wondering, why is there a seemingly pointless loop through swanland just north of the Humber Bridge when you could just go through North Ferriby insted.  There is possibly a good reason for it.  The loop through swanland is 7.9km and also includes a rather awful road crossing at the A1105 where you need to cross all 4 lanes of a dual carrageway (I've done that crossing a few times and don't recommend it).  Going straight through north ferriby is only 5.6km.

[marcusjb]

The team who have designed the route have put a ludicrous amount of time in refining it. We have ironed out a lot of perilous turns and dull stretches. I would stick to the route where possible. But if you fancy a detour, or just want to blast up a main road, you go for it!

This is certainly my plan. The route design process has been going on for a couple of years, with a number of people using the proposed route as DIYs etc. to feedback on it. A mammoth undertaking.

So, even if short sections of the route don't make sense to me, I will have to accept that there are good reasons for it. (Though I do accept that bents and velomobiles etc. are not able to tackle certain sections of a ride with ease, so may need to go off piste).

Anyway, couple of months before the official final route is announced. Can't wait - the vast majority of these roads will be new to me.

[LeeW]

(Though I do accept that bents and velomobiles etc. are not able to tackle certain sections of a ride with ease, so may need to go off piste).

Yep, which is why I will most likley use a 2km section of the A63(T) at Welton as the road through Welton in infested with rather awful speed humps, but the humps are the type you can ride around on a 2 wheel bike so won't be a problem for most but when I'm riding a tricycle then they are a big problem!

[simonp]

Ah, that's great thanks.
I saw stage 4 and was wondering, why is there a seemingly pointless loop through swanland just north of the Humber Bridge when you could just go through North Ferriby insted.  There is possibly a good reason for it.  The loop through swanland is 7.9km and also includes a rather awful road crossing at the A1105 where you need to cross all 4 lanes of a dual carrageway (I've done that crossing a few times and don't recommend it).  Going straight through north ferriby is only 5.6km.

The direct route appears to involve going over the A63/A15 interchange, which looks unpleasant, and is 5.5km. This looks like a very nasty junction to cycle over. The A1105 crossing is an urban traffic-light-controlled junction, which should be much safer. The additional distance is 2.4km, or 1.5 miles.

[LeeW]

Ah, Nice to see you mention traffic lights there, I suspect that will make the junction much easier to cross than it was last time I used it (Not used it for a few years as it was difficult).  Intrestingly if you look at it on google streetview from the A1105, it shows the junction as it was last time I used it with just give way signs:  http://goo.gl/maps/P6cx5, but if you move the camera along a bit, traffic lights suddenly appear .

In a northwards direction the A15/A63 junction is fine, I've done it loads of times.  Heading south is a bit more difficult due to the steep uphill slog to the roundabout and then a right turn at the roundabout.

[rachel t]

Ah, Nice to see you mention traffic lights there, I suspect that will make the junction much easier to cross than it was last time I used it (Not used it for a few years as it was difficult).  Intrestingly if you look at it on google streetview from the A1105, it shows the junction as it was last time I used it with just give way signs:  http://goo.gl/maps/P6cx5, but if you move the camera along a bit, traffic lights suddenly appear .

In a northwards direction the A15/A63 junction is fine, I've done it loads of times.  Heading south is a bit more difficult due to the steep uphill slog to the roundabout and then a right turn at the roundabout.

Think if i remember correctly the lights went in late 2008 early 2009

[jefmcg]

Sounds like you remember correctly.  The images are watermarked with the dates, August 2008 and September 2009
( plotted some of Poor Student on Streetview, a jump in one frame from mid-winter to late spring was very jarring)

[Tynan]

are we critiquing a route that is not yet released?

[Phil W]

I think it's natural curiosity, particularly if you live near the route, and know the lanes it traverses.  Me I'm just going out to ride the section near me, although I know a fair number of lanes it passes through at the start, and the North Hertfordshire ones chosen are very quiet. Of course it may change, but it's nice to explore a section as it is currently planned. 

[U.N.Dulates]

The route is 99% finalised now. The most up to date route sheet can be found on the LEL DIY perm page on the AUK website http://www.aukweb.net/perms/detail/JHA09/. RouteYou hasn't been updated so the route sheet takes precedence.

I'm intending that the draft routesheet and GPS files will be ready from the end of January.

The LEL route-meister.