Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => LEL 2022 => Topic started by: Always Cross on 09 January, 2021, 07:39:14 pm
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If LEL is going to go ahead in 2022 do you think the next one would be 2025 or 2026?
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Almost certainly
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Like many other things, it will depend on vaccine efficacy and distribution.
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Read the question GD.
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2025
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Read the question GD.
yes, noted. It will still depend upon vaccine efficacy, we all assume 2022 will be different, but there is no guarantee that will be the case. It might well be that LEL won't go ahead until who knows when.
It's not just what happens in the UK, but worldwide, this is an event which attracts riders from all over the world.
Bear in mind, the very nature of LEL makes it the ideal "super spreader", with riders sharing sleeping arrangements, toilets etc...
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The question also needs to be directed at the potential volunteer pool.
There may be a significant number of previous volunteers who will be unable to help the following time around (age, illness other) , and there may be some unwilling to expose themselves to what they perceive as a health risk.
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The question also needs to be directed at the potential volunteer pool.
There may be a significant number of previous volunteers who will be unable to help the following time around (age, illness other) , and there may be some unwilling to expose themselves to what they perceive as a health risk.
True, I am due to help, but that was based on 2021 and I am not sure I will in 2022, it depends on so many factors. The problem is that everything is so volatile, that I don't feel like committing into anything right now.
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The current organising team have taken the event to an exceptionally high standard, which is no doubt a significant undertaking.
There will come a point when the key folk involved wont want to do it any more at which point there is no guarantee that there will be people willing to step into their shoes.
If I were keen on riding LEL Id be doing everything to ride the one that's planned in 2022 and assume nothing about the LEL-after-next.
More generally, and very sadly, big cycling events with international fields (LEL, PBP and to a lesser extent Sem Fed) in their pre pandemic guises may be last to return post pandemic, if at all.
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If LEL is going to go ahead in 2022 do you think the next one would be 2025 or 2026?
2025
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The current organising team have taken the event to an exceptionally high standard, which is no doubt a significant undertaking.
There will come a point when the key folk involved wont want to do it any more at which point there is no guarantee that there will be people willing to step into their shoes.
If I were keen on riding LEL Id be doing everything to ride the one that's planned in 2022 and assume nothing about the LEL-after-next.
More generally, and very sadly, big cycling events with international fields (LEL, PBP and to a lesser extent Sem Fed) in their pre pandemic guises may be last to return post pandemic, if at all.
This happened with the Australian Audax Alpine Classic, after 30+ years the main organisers couldn't be replaced, the event was passed on to a commercial organiser but was cancelled last year due to bush fires and COVID this has it in doubt, at least the numbers are going to be well down, always too much hills for me.
My main worry is PBP 2023, I guess ACP serious planning should be starting soon, mine has already
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Ok thanks alwyn may volunteer in 2022 and dream of riding in 2025. 2026 would have been better for me it would of been a retirement present to myself.
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Ok thanks alwyn may volunteer in 2022 and dream of riding in 2025. 2026 would have been better for me it would of been a retirement present to myself.
I'm up for volunteering in 2022 and nothing to do with retirement (which should come this year) or riding it later. I just want to (completely selfish I know)
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I'm still likely to volunteer again. Do have two forms of earnt entry LEL 2017 and WCW er 2019 I think but have not the time or quite frankly the inclination to put in the effort to get close to being able to ride it
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I would use volunteering to see how the riders experience LEL not just to get a place on the next one. Also 2025 LEL will be used as incentive to get out and ride more the farthest audax I’ve done is 100km BP full value rider. So I need to get faster so I can ride farther. I started riding at 7 and haven’t stopped since just not very fast. So you see what I mean of dreaming of doing it.
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I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
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I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by! :)
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The Boss says 2025 .. and I am sure that is right in calendar terms ... but the key question will be is The Boss going to be up for doing what would then be his 4th LEL. The two + years work in advance of the ride date ..mean that there is very little time off , so that LEL occupies quite a large part of your free time .. especially if you are still in gainful employment ( which he is ).
Having been with Danial for both events so far and all being well the next 20 months to the 2022 event ..and remembering that I said I would be unlikely to do 2021 .. age gets to us all .. at the moment I find it difficult to imagine that I will be doing 2025 .. but maybe the rejuvenation pills will work .. or I am a reincarnation of Peter Pan. Both very unlikely in reality
Not difficult to replace me .. but replacing Danial if it was needed .. his knowledge and total commitment and dedication to the event .. and the huge time demand .. that will be a hell of a task.
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There have been serveral main organisers of LEL over the years, each gave a special twist to it but the general outline always has been improving the quality, increasing the amount of riders but not too fast and an international outlook. It's quite normal that the same person can't do this for many years.
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I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by! :)
No he didn't, he got stuck in, in the kitchen feeding bean stew to all the German veggies.
I thoroughly enjoyed it as well, and had hoped to be able to ride it this time round, but things are so much up in the air and my back is not recovering from an accident, so unlikely for 2022 at least.
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You are of course right Ivo .. that there have been a succession of organisers .. but the event has changed enormously since I rode in 2009 when there were about 500 entries ...in my biased view it would be fair to say 2009 was the last .. "" Lets wing it and hope event .. after all they are Audax riders and will tolerate almost anything"". 2022 we expect to start 2000 from 55 different countries, with an entry fee about 3 times that of 2009. These entrants expect and are entitled to receive value for money. Just getting the controls of the size to handle these numbers requires long and complex negotiations. The organisation needed to find 4 times the number of volunteers .. and getting them into the right places at the right times is way way different from the past. Feeding the riders can no longer be left to each individual controller, in fact menu options have to very carefully worked out. Medical skills have to be increased . Insurance for overseas riders is now a complex problem. It will be quite possible to replace Danial, when he reaches the point of saying .. this is my last one .. but the skill levels and time commitment are substantial .. it is a hell of a job to undertake. It can not be done by bringing in some sort of professional organiser, charging for their time .. the price would then rocket to .. say £1000... so almost certainly it has to be someone with a love of Audax .. with large amounts of available time and high admin skill levels. All being well if and when the time comes .. there will be someone who can step up .. but although the event retains the original concept .. London to Edinburgh and back again.. the admin demands have increased exponentially.
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I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by! :)
No he didn't, he got stuck in, in the kitchen feeding bean stew to all the German veggies.
I thoroughly enjoyed it as well, and had hoped to be able to ride it this time round, but things are so much up in the air and my back is not recovering from an accident, so unlikely for 2022 at least.
My memory is of Liam manning the commercial-grade diswasher, delivering very lively and witty banter at the same time. It contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the event.
Like ElyDave I had hoped to ride it this time round. Fingers crossed for 2022.
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You are of course right Ivo .. that there have been a succession of organisers .. but the event has changed enormously since I rode in 2009 when there were about 500 entries ...in my biased view it would be fair to say 2009 was the last .. "" Lets wing it and hope event .. after all they are Audax riders and will tolerate almost anything"". 2022 we expect to start 2000 from 55 different countries, with an entry fee about 3 times that of 2009. These entrants expect and are entitled to receive value for money. Just getting the controls of the size to handle these numbers requires long and complex negotiations. The organisation needed to find 4 times the number of volunteers .. and getting them into the right places at the right times is way way different from the past. Feeding the riders can no longer be left to each individual controller, in fact menu options have to very carefully worked out. Medical skills have to be increased . Insurance for overseas riders is now a complex problem. It will be quite possible to replace Danial, when he reaches the point of saying .. this is my last one .. but the skill levels and time commitment are substantial .. it is a hell of a job to undertake. It can not be done by bringing in some sort of professional organiser, charging for their time .. the price would then rocket to .. say £1000... so almost certainly it has to be someone with a love of Audax .. with large amounts of available time and high admin skill levels. All being well if and when the time comes .. there will be someone who can step up .. but although the event retains the original concept .. London to Edinburgh and back again.. the admin demands have increased exponentially.
2009 was already a far cry from my first LEL in 1997. OK, it wasn't X-rated in '97 but only half the controls were staffed and there was a great deal of riding alone. Each new organiser upgraded the event to a next level, anyone succeding Danial would have to upgrade as well (or Danial himself if he stays).
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Insurance for overseas riders is now a complex problem.
Being based in France, we used to ride in Britain while being covered by our home insurance only (a French insurance company). I guess it was similar for all other EU countries residents. Our insurance company told us (well, I asked first) that from January 1st 2021, we were no longer insured for riding a bicycle in Britain :(
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Insurance for overseas riders is now a complex problem.
Being based in France, we used to ride in Britain while being covered by our home insurance only (a French insurance company). I guess it was similar for all other EU countries residents. Our insurance company told us (well, I asked first) that from January 1st 2021, we were no longer insured for riding a bicycle in Britain :(
I used to ride thinking I was covered on my FFCT membership, until the Federal insurers clearly stated that only rides inscribed in the League (or I think Codep ) calendar were covered by the organising option that (all?) clubs subscribe to. I think we still take a risk assuming that a club ride overseas will be covered but individual rides are clearly not (which gave an enormous amount of grief for cross-border commuters with a home one side and a club the other - think Germany-France for example). It is early days since federal activity was on Covid shutdown before Brexit came into force (and the FFCT has also changed insurers); I would hope that a solution will be found when activity restarts (when????). Somewhere there will be an insurer with a specialist product for riding overseas - although at what price?
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Insurance for overseas riders is now a complex problem.
Being based in France, we used to ride in Britain while being covered by our home insurance only (a French insurance company). I guess it was similar for all other EU countries residents. Our insurance company told us (well, I asked first) that from January 1st 2021, we were no longer insured for riding a bicycle in Britain :(
I used to ride thinking I was covered on my FFCT membership, until the Federal insurers clearly stated that only rides inscribed in the League (or I think Codep ) calendar were covered by the organising option that (all?) clubs subscribe to. I think we still take a risk assuming that a club ride overseas will be covered but individual rides are clearly not (which gave an enormous amount of grief for cross-border commuters with a home one side and a club the other - think Germany-France for example). It is early days since federal activity was on Covid shutdown before Brexit came into force (and the FFCT has also changed insurers); I would hope that a solution will be found when activity restarts (when????). Somewhere there will be an insurer with a specialist product for riding overseas - although at what price?
If you are talking about liability insurance I would have thought national bodies would be the people to approach. Certainly if you are U.K. resident BC insurance covers travel world wide (with some limitations for USA and Canada).
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I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by! :)
There was a room to hide in? No one told me!
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I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by! :)
There was a room to hide in? No one told me!
I must be getting old. I remember scanning myself out, then having a long chat with you in a room, monitoring the scanner or something 🤔
Anyway, one day I’ll see LEL from the volunteering side. Still hoping to ride one with team mates.
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...... Feeding the riders can no longer be left to each individual controller, in fact menu options have to very carefully worked out.........
I don't disagree with you, but some individual controllers managed a far better result (in terms of menu planning, provisioning and budget) than some of the "professional" caterers.
I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by! :)
Liam played a full part of the volunteer rota. What he did in the "side room" was extra, work being done for the central administration.
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👍
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Liam played a full part of the volunteer rota. What he did in the "side room" was extra, work being done for the central administration.
OMG - I thought the terms of my contract rider were confidential. I deny it all and my lawyers will be in touch
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Indeed Phil ..your superlative efforts put the "" professional ""caterers to shame. That was a major part of the problem .. they were just not professional. They were not even particularly cheap .. but that was one of the most important lessons that we learnt from 2017.
Catering is so important .. menu options, quantities and availability ... huge logistical problem. Combine that with "professionals" who did not understand their task .. and you can fairly quickly see why a seasoned audaxer as a controller has a real head start on getting it right.
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The guests on events such as LEL are a nightmare. They never turn up on time (headwinds make them late, tailwinds or benign night conditions means they push on to a control that wasn't expecting them). They are tired, fussy, and confused. (They are also very lovely people but not from a caterer's point of view).
Professional caterers usually work to delivering a fixed quantity of meals at a fixed time, and I suspect the disciplines required for that can work against the adaptability needed for LEL.
It's also 'another event' for them, whereas for an amateur, it's as much an experience as riding the event itself and justifies 18 months of planning, timetabling, thinking about the volunteers, etc.
That said, an inexperienced volunteer could easily be overwhelmed by the logistics of feeding 1500 people in a day, which is by far the biggest challenge and one that some of the professional caterers had clearly underestimated.
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Indeed Phil ..your superlative efforts put the "" professional ""caterers to shame.
Not me. While I did the budgeting and provisioning, Colin (CET in the mail above) did all the menu planning and kitchen management which was by a very large margin the harder part. And other controls did just as well.
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My memory is of Liam manning the commercial-grade diswasher, delivering very lively and witty banter at the same time. It contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the event.
Like ElyDave I had hoped to ride it this time round. Fingers crossed for 2022.
LiamFitz is far too modest to reveal the full extent of his involvement in LEL. He is, essentially, a core team member. I shudder to think how much it would have cost to access his expertise and work at commercial rates.
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It's also 'another event' for them, whereas for an amateur, it's as much an experience as riding the event itself and justifies 18 months of planning, timetabling, thinking about the volunteers, etc.
That said, an inexperienced volunteer could easily be overwhelmed by the logistics of feeding 1500 people in a day, which is by far the biggest challenge and one that some of the professional caterers had clearly underestimated.
We have had some superb professional caterers take part in LEL. Including one that supported Colin in 2013 and taught some of the tricks that helped make him such a superlative caterer in 2017. And Colin really was/is a colossally good caterer.
He's by no means alone. Sina in 2009 at Thorne produced amazing food out of a deeply unpromising kitchen. June in 2017 at Innerleithen absolutely nailed it with zero mass-catering experience. I cannot remember who cooked the food at Great Easton in 2017 but I really enjoyed what I ate there. Those two, along with me and other LEL volunteers now hang out on Facebook in a group sharing our cooking and recipes. They are an asset to Audax UK that cannot be priced.
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We have also had some shockingly bad professional caterers. Vince at Market Rasen in 2013 generated more complaints alone than all the other complaints combined. He was fucking vile. Aaron at Spalding and Louth in 2017 caused my first major fail during LEL, shaming me and my husband,ruining the ride of about a dozen riders while denying having no food available for five hours was a problem. Jason was superb in 2013, but had delivered quite the drink and sniff problem by 2017 and was found stealing cash and merch from the front desk. Happily, Jason's team proved to be really quite superb, and they will be serving you in 2021/2.
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It's also 'another event' for them, whereas for an amateur, it's as much an experience as riding the event itself and justifies 18 months of planning, timetabling, thinking about the volunteers, etc.
That said, an inexperienced volunteer could easily be overwhelmed by the logistics of feeding 1500 people in a day, which is by far the biggest challenge and one that some of the professional caterers had clearly underestimated.
We have had some superb professional caterers take part in LEL. Including one that supported Colin in 2013 and taught some of the tricks that helped make him such a superlative caterer in 2017. And Colin really was/is a colossally good caterer.
He's by no means alone. Sina in 2009 at Thorne produced amazing food out of a deeply unpromising kitchen. June in 2017 at Innerleithen absolutely nailed it with zero mass-catering experience. I cannot remember who cooked the food at Great Easton in 2017 but I really enjoyed what I ate there. Those two, along with me and other LEL volunteers now hang out on Facebook in a group sharing our cooking and recipes. They are an asset to Audax UK that cannot be priced.
Grant Huggins was managing food at Great Easton
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BmL20gV6DoEw0ism5i6F0rNo9aJmnZt_zZ6PMO72OB6w2MiZUQNGFpfvEKDg7RNUt2zzRbFmn9-jO24tPGJM3jHhiGnWGGrkjcXpAumU5T_sUS6k8KrCeChL4XhBFHQ4TDR9ywr62A=w2400)
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Grant Huggins was managing food at Great Easton
:thumbsup: One of the Respected Elders of ACME and as his forum byline says: 'Never knowingly underfed on an Audax'. He also ran the Great Easton kitchen in 2013 when I was controller.
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We have also had some shockingly bad professional caterers. Vince at Market Rasen in 2013 generated more complaints alone than all the other complaints combined. He was fucking vile. Aaron at Spalding and Louth in 2017 caused my first major fail during LEL, shaming me and my husband,ruining the ride of about a dozen riders while denying having no food available for five hours was a problem. Jason was superb in 2013, but had delivered quite the drink and sniff problem by 2017 and was found stealing cash and merch from the front desk. Happily, Jason's team proved to be really quite superb, and they will be serving you in 2021/2.
At the start last time I was charged with greeting the caterers who arrived very late at night while I think there was some pub event thing on for riders and vols. In the rush of events, there was no key for them to access the kitchen and it was locked but they needed to be in very early in the morning. I had no key and no idea what to do. While I was talking about this massive problem with two of them, the other wandered off. Five minutes later he returned: "No problem lads, we're in." I didn't ask.
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Also, it would be rude of me to not mention the catering at Moffat, where I spent a very happy couple of days with Chris Crosland helping out and the catering was really very good. It was also good on the previous LEL and I remember that because I had a fabulous meal before packing and heading south.
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Gosh this makes me feel happy, remembering all those great times. After helping at the start, then taking the train to Moffat I was driven to eskdalemuir and I was a bit shot away by then so can't remember who did the catering but I think it was ladies from the village: they were unbreakable. We had bodies all over every section of the floor and people still coming in. They didn't blink an eyelid. It might have looked different behind the counter, but from where it was it ran on rails. It was great to be part of that. My only mistake was not buying an LEL Volunter jersey. My mate has one and you can see riders looking at it. It's not like he rode it: he made it possible.
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Gosh this makes me feel happy, remembering all those great times. After helping at the start, then taking the train to Moffat I was driven to eskdalemuir and I was a bit shot away by then so can't remember who did the catering but I think it was ladies from the village: they were unbreakable. We had bodies all over every section of the floor and people still coming in. They didn't blink an eyelid. It might have looked different behind the counter, but from where it was it ran on rails. It was great to be part of that. My only mistake was not buying an LEL Volunter jersey. My mate has one and you can see riders looking at it. It's not like he rode it: he made it possible.
This was their third LEL - they were used to it! They certainly expressed some surprise at their first time, back in 2009 (when our facilities were rather less refined; indeed, very "rather less" in all respects) but quickly rallied round and some offered floor space in their homes. They tried, unsuccessfully, to get the second village hall opened up as well. I think this is now part of the Eskdalemuir control set-up.
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Grant Huggins was managing food at Great Easton
He also ran the Great Easton kitchen in 2013 when I was controller.
Did he? ;)
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He also ran the Great Easton kitchen in 2013 when I was controller.
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Did he? ;)
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Oops, failing memory, red face here, Redight! All wonderful hardworking people though! ;D
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Oops, failing memory, red face here, Redight! All wonderful hardworking people though! ;D
You're forgiven ;D
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I remember the kitchen at St Ives being almost over run by starving marauders on the way out. The tail wind brought them in one rush and we just about managed to cook quickly enough to keep up with demand for pasties and Bacon rolls. I was particularly impressed by our Japanese comrades who seemed game to try anything as long as it came in large.
I think we just about held the line and the only complaint was from a brit who was vpvcally disappointed that we were not offering black pudding (but I guess we've all experienced food obsession when a control is a couple of hours away only to have our hopes dashed by a cold Ginsters).
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a cold Ginsters).
STOP! JUST STOP! What I wouldn't give to eat a cold Ginsters at 3am standing in a village hall somewhere while my legs struggled to keep me upright and my head was spinning after getting off the bike.
Happy days. 😊
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3am feasts. Brings back memories. Sitting on the concrete slab of a disused petrol station south of Horncastle on the way to York for the AUK reunion and knowing that the shortbread fingers in my rackpack were, indeed, the most beautiful thing in the known world.
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3am feasts. Brings back memories. Sitting on the concrete slab of a disused petrol station south of Horncastle on the way to York for the AUK reunion and knowing that the shortbread fingers in my rackpack were, indeed, the most beautiful thing in the known world.
Fabulous. Right now I'm thinking of the absolutely wonderful sandwich on the north coast of Norfolk just before the Co-op closed, and the instruction to turn left on to a main road. Which I did. The next control was Barton Mills. *Almost five hours later* I rolled into the garage at Barton Mills where a lovely young lady was rather bemused by a dozen cyclists asleep on the floor. I joined them for 20 minutes. Then set off for the final control.
That ride was one of those that got me into PBP. Happy days. Right now I'd give my eye teeth to do that again.
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3am feasts. Brings back memories. Sitting on the concrete slab of a disused petrol station south of Horncastle on the way to York for the AUK reunion and knowing that the shortbread fingers in my rackpack were, indeed, the most beautiful thing in the known world.
Fabulous. Right now I'm thinking of the absolutely wonderful sandwich on the north coast of Norfolk just before the Co-op closed, and the instruction to turn left on to a main road. Which I did. The next control was Barton Mills. *Almost five hours later* I rolled into the garage at Barton Mills where a lovely young lady was rather bemused by a dozen cyclists asleep on the floor. I joined them for 20 minutes. Then set off for the final control.
That ride was one of those that got me into PBP. Happy days. Right now I'd give my eye teeth to do that again.
Tadcaster service station, a 24hr jewel in the crown.
Flat earth Bob microwaving wet gloves at a service station in Thirsk.
The all night disco at Lockerbie Truck Stop...
I'm feeling bereft.
:(
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Slightly related, for those of us who remember the tranquility of Eskdalemuir valley, the surprise of seeing a big Tibetan temple (that must be sleep deprivation, except it wasn't) and the lovely small community run control: there's plans to end that tranquility by building two shooting ranges for .50 caliber guns. From what I read without bothering to consult the locals what they think about this...
If you want to show your support against this plan you can leave your email (and a donation if you'd like) at http://chng.it/Shs9cCc9DG (http://chng.it/Shs9cCc9DG)
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Flat earth Bob microwaving wet gloves at a service station in Thirsk.
I feel like I've met the same person but the nickname I have for them isn't very forum friendly
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I think Hot Glove Bob is pretty harmless as nicknames go.
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So my idea is not original? Perhaps Bob did not get caught by 'the management'
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E-mail received: "London Edinburgh London 2022 is coming soon!"
Perhaps @Always Cross can amend the thread title. And maybe elevate to pinned in due course.
"Dear rider
"What a strange year we have had! We really hope that you are keeping well, and that you have been able to spend some time on your bike.
"Now that the pandemic is slowly easing, we are making plans for London Edinburgh London 2022. We are delighted to confirm that the event will now take place 7-12 August 2022.
We will now open for entries on 7 January 2022.
You can find more information about the event on our website."
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Post title changed
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A bold statement.
Especially as the pandemic is NOT slowly easing but is indeed increasing again rapidly at the moment.
I wonder how volunteers needed to run the controls will feel.
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A bold statement.
Especially as the pandemic is NOT slowly easing but is indeed increasing again rapidly at the moment.
I wonder how volunteers needed to run the controls will feel.
Particularly as I'm not aware of either a call for volunteers, or for existing volunteers to reaffirm their commitment.
It's an audacious move to announce the event now, but, if not now, then when?
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I wonder how volunteers needed to run the controls will feel.
I suggest a clue to solving your bewilderment lies in the subject noun in your sentence, @Rupert.
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This is clearly very tricky to plan for .. and we have to do that now.. we need to have clear agreements, even if they are not legal contracts with all the control locations. We need to have cracked the 3rd party insurance problem for overseas residents, and that has to be done now, as the 700 who have already paid a £100 deposit will be asked to make a full and final payment later this year.
We can not leave this to be done at some time in the future , so we have to believe that covid will allow the event to go ahead in 13 months time and we get on with the work NOW to run LEL 2022 .
Should it all go pear shaped .. we will then do our best to sort out what might be run , if anything , with whatever level of support we can provide.
I doubt that Rupert was really trying to belittle our efforts , and it may be that he misunderstands how lengthy the time of the planning and organising process has to be .. but I hope this short reply has clarified why Danial has thought it appropriate to let riders know .. that we are working on it now .. and that fingers crossed Aug 2022 will see 2000 at the start.
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Thank you.
Having seen just a tiny bit of a corner of the organisation of the last event I appreciate the immense machine behind 'just a bike ride'. The fact it appears on the outside to be a simple well-oiled event is a testament to the planning and the people running it.
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I am certainly not trying to belittle the event at all and it would be great to see LEL back to full capacity again.
I am involved in the organisation of other events myself and from recent experience (mostly Covid related) it is creating many problems for us. Organisers of many other events are simply deciding to cancel or postpone their events until further notice when hopefully Covid may then be more manageable and predictable.
With an event as big and lengthy as LEL though, the problems and hurdles that have to be overcome must be huge.
Good luck and best wishes to everyone involved.
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As many will know .. Danial is the Boss .. I just do my best on the money front.
But I think it is reality that if 2022 can not be made to work we can not postpone again to 2023 ..because then we would clash with PBP.
So it is either 2022 in what ever way we can run it .. and if it is not a full scale event , which then gives huge admin headaches ,such as what style of event , how do we handle entries if there are potential covid quarantine rules for all/some overseas residents , never mind the financial implications and never forgetting the all important volunteers, then it will have to be 2025 and the 2021 event just never took place.
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Hoping the UK gets well soon. But unless things improve a lot by next year, I suspect international LEL entries will be significantly reduced. Anecdotally, I've heard a couple of riders here in the US already decide against it.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-united-kingdom
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Hoping the UK gets well soon. But unless things improve a lot by next year, I suspect international LEL entries will be significantly reduced. Anecdotally, I've heard a couple of riders here in the US already decide against it.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-united-kingdom
Current situation, cases will not be so high next summer, as everyone will have had it, or been vaccinated against it, or both in both the USA and the UK. Unless immune response is to sort lived, at which time authorities around the world may be taking a different view on suppression.
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A bold statement.
Especially as the pandemic is NOT slowly easing but is indeed increasing again rapidly at the moment.
I wonder how volunteers needed to run the controls will feel.
One of the many reasons why I couldn't do what Danial does.
Every decision, even the simple one of 'we're going ahead' is questioned, raked over and debated.
My patience would expire within minutes, and I doubt 'just effin' get on with it' would go down well.
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I think it could well be that Danial pays little attention to YACF these days . The FB group gets a lot more input from him, and of course over riding social media chit chat is the reality ,, that he knows what is needed , knows how it has been done, knows where improvements might be made , has a strong core of controllers and helpful contributors etc. So it becomes "" IF 2022 is going to run at all .. lets get on with it with the actions that are needed now ""
Controls are OK , controllers are nearly all OK , volunteers do not currently look like a problem, route is rough sketched and is an improvement , Covid and quarantine we can do nothing about now , biggest short term headache that I am aware of is 3rd party cover for foreign residents.
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Controls are OK , controllers are nearly all OK , volunteers do not currently look like a problem, route is rough sketched and is an improvement , Covid and quarantine we can do nothing about now , biggest short term headache that I am aware of is 3rd party cover for foreign residents.
I hope it goes ahead and I hope for Danial it's a success.
For my part, I have decided to withdraw from the pool of volunteers, Covid being one of the reasons, but not the only reason... part of me is hoping to have a holiday next year!
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The new dates clash with my 30th wedding anniversary so will not be riding or volunteering. There's always 2025.
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I hope it goes ahead and I hope for Danial it's a success.
For my part, I have decided to withdraw from the pool of volunteers,
I suspect (on zero evidence) that you won't be alone. I'm sure that the churn of volunteers is in the plan, but Covid may well decrease the number of returning volunteers.
For my part I'm torn as regards volunteering - I'm not getting any younger and the last one really knocked me for six. I really enjoyed the event and the company but not sure I can take the (mental & physical) health hit.
The only route for me (and I'm sure there'll be others like me) is to have a robust conversation with the local controller once I've been allocated to a location.
As far as I remember the application process doest allow me to flag these types of issues up in advance of being allocated to a controller.
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Well, I have booked a BnB - no guarantee I will actually be there but if I do I'm set up for zzzz
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Well, I have booked a BnB - no guarantee I will actually be there but if I do I'm set up for zzzz
That's my plan if I can organise myself!
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I'll probably settle for the campsite again. It was a nice one last time.
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The only route for me (and I'm sure there'll be others like me) is to have a robust conversation with the local controller once I've been allocated to a location.
As far as I remember the application process doest allow me to flag these types of issues up in advance of being allocated to a controller.
Mike, I'm sure any of the controllers would welcome such a conversation.
At Barney we have the luxury of proper beds just a couple of flights of stairs away, but you'll need to have that conversation to avoid being allotted a punishing work schedule! Last time at least one volunteer of advancing years didn't feel he could work through the night so we organised that to suit him.
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I hope it goes ahead and I hope for Danial it's a success.
For my part, I have decided to withdraw from the pool of volunteers,
I suspect (on zero evidence) that you won't be alone. I'm sure that the churn of volunteers is in the plan, but Covid may well decrease the number of returning volunteers.
For my part I'm torn as regards volunteering - I'm not getting any younger and the last one really knocked me for six. I really enjoyed the event and the company but not sure I can take the (mental & physical) health hit.
The only route for me (and I'm sure there'll be others like me) is to have a robust conversation with the local controller once I've been allocated to a location.
As far as I remember the application process doest allow me to flag these types of issues up in advance of being allocated to a controller.
I am still planning to come over from continental Europe to be a volunteer. I'll be 65 next year so this may be the only chance. Skipping this one and learning volunteering when I am nearly 70 doesn't seem an especially good idea!
Re Covid, it doesn't play that big a part in the plan. Vaccination, mask and SHA have done pretty well so far for me, I don't see a change. As for crossing the Channel, ask me in 3 weeks time, I'm testing the waters, in a manner of speaking. The machinations of the Tory government might well play an excessively intrusive part in planning!
Is it possible, one of the organisation, to change the Facebook account that I use for the volunteers group? My wife having hijacked my old account I now have a new one and don't receive notifications for the old one (although I can still access it).
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No expert .. but why not join the volunteers group using your new FB account
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No expert .. but why not join the volunteers group using your new FB account
Can I do that? I thought it was a closed group so you had to use the mail that the organisation had for the Facebook group. Problem is, the mail address that I use as a volunteer is linked to the wrong facebook account (I use it for almost everything else, except work stuff that might attract spam but my new facebook account uses the work address which isn't the one I communicated to the organisation).
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Then you just need to put the request to join (the group) to the right person. I’m not on FB anymore but during 15-18 I used a different email on FB to the one I used in comms. Is Olaf still managing the volunteer side? Drop an email to him.
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I've just checked that I am a member of the volunteer FB group, and I am.
It's very low volume at the moment. Around 3 posts this year so far (and nothing about the new dates yet).
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Registered volunteers from last time should have had some emails from the organisers.
There's a web page to register as a new volunteer at https://londonedinburghlondon.com/volunteer
It seems that if your details haven't changed that you don't need to re-register, although that wasn't initially very clear.
Danial seems to be monitoring the Volunteers' FB group.
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Registered volunteers from last time should have had some emails from the organisers.
This one has, inviting me to confirm I'm interested in riding next year. It will be useful to the organisers to have a rough idea of how many places might be taken up by those assured entry by having volunteered in 2017 (and another ride (WCW)).
https://londonedinburghlondon.com/
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Guaranteed places on offer are not just for volunteers from 2017 and WCW , but also long standing AUK members , and those riders bringing a willing 3 day volunteer family member with them. I expect to find that those taking up guaranteed places are expected to pay promptly in January .. so that we have a realistic view on the number of residual places available for the ballot. Quietly hoping and expecting to find that residual places are heavily oversubscribed.
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If travel beyond the UK is possible I plan to be in Loudeac at Sem Fed in early August 22.
If confined to the UK I'll probably help at Dunfermline on LEL (its not a ride that holds any particular appeal for me as a participant, brilliantly organised though it most certainly is).
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Last week Grant Farm test rode the proposed LEL 2022 route. I followed his tracker and tracked his route on RidewithGPS.
Below is the route. The days are based on a morning start and a possible plan.
I must stress that this is not the official route . It will be tweeked but it may give some people an idea of what is planned.
Day 1 -https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37613890 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37613890)
Day 2 - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37630230 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37630230)
Day 3 - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37638032 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37638032)
Day 4 - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37647772 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37647772)
LEL 2022 is coming soon to roads near these ones, maybe.
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Just a quick reminder about guaranteed places for AUK members - please check this page (http://audax.uk/static-data/lel-2022-auk-members-guaranteed-entry/) before mailing the membership secretary ie me! And of course don't forget to renew in good time to keep your place, you must do it before Jan 1st.
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Thanks for that, now renewed before I forget.
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Had an email tonight. Am beyond excited at being a volunteer for the third time.
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Hope no one wakes up today and goes bugger my membership has expired.
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So do I, but plenty of warnings have been given.
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The new list is now published here (http://audax.uk/static-data/lel-2022-auk-members-guaranteed-entry/) on the AUK website.
I will send this to the LEL team tomorrow, so you have very little time to contact me if you think you should be eligible and your number is missing. Please note I am not promising to be tied to my PC and email all day!
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Its ok iam on the list, now back to sleep. ...
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Its ok iam on the list, now back to sleep. ...
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Guaranteed places on offer are not just for volunteers from 2017 and WCW , but also long standing AUK members , and those riders bringing a willing 3 day volunteer family member with them. I expect to find that those taking up guaranteed places are expected to pay promptly in January .. so that we have a realistic view on the number of residual places available for the ballot. Quietly hoping and expecting to find that residual places are heavily oversubscribed.
Obviously we are currently expecting this to go ahead, will it still go ahead if international travel restrictions prevent overseas riders from entering?
If restrictions are in place that prevent the event running in summer, will there be a partial refund?
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Guaranteed places on offer are not just for volunteers from 2017 and WCW , but also long standing AUK members , and those riders bringing a willing 3 day volunteer family member with them. I expect to find that those taking up guaranteed places are expected to pay promptly in January .. so that we have a realistic view on the number of residual places available for the ballot. Quietly hoping and expecting to find that residual places are heavily oversubscribed.
Obviously we are currently expecting this to go ahead, will it still go ahead if international travel restrictions prevent overseas riders from entering?
If restrictions are in place that prevent the event running in summer, will there be a partial refund?
Good question. The event will go ahead for as long as it remains financially and organisationally viable. If we have another wave of a bad covid infection and the world seizes again before April, then I will probably close the event and pro-rata refund whatever is left in the kitty. Everyone would get back xxp in the £. This will, of course, be horrible, not least because of the work already sunk into the event.
By April there are no refunds, not least because by then we are in the process of spending lots of money on stuff for the event. So if the event is viable it will still go ahead even if there are international travel restrictions. This is why it's crucial that buy travel insurance that cover this sort of situation.
None of this is confirmed; it's just our general thinking of the fairest way to proceed should we have to start making difficult choices.
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My bank demands address, zipcode and city of the recipient for a transfer, which are not listed in the email. Can I find these somewhere?
Btw, that email had the subject "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021", but on the about page (https://londonedinburghlondon.com/about) I don't see time travel to the event included ???
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In 2017 the registered address for LEL was a Norwich address. I remember that as I had to put it on the website as part our negotiations with PayPal to unlock our funds. I’d think it’s a bit manic out there even though there’s a ballot replacing the fastest finger of 2017. Personally I’d wait till at least Monday before contacting Roger. The first 72 hours after opening entries are pretty mad in the central team.
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Btw, that email had the subject "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021", but on the about page (https://londonedinburghlondon.com/about) I don't see time travel to the event included ???
Good luck getting your head round this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Summer_Olympics
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No hurries, I'm a paid up AUK member so I'm in anyway :)
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In fact had a quick look on Companies House.
Address details here
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07341627
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My bank demands address, zipcode and city of the recipient for a transfer, which are not listed in the email. Can I find these somewhere?
Why on earth ? I can only guess that you are not UK based .. and this is some weird money laundering provision, or maybe they think we are supplying you with drugs. Roger
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My bank demands address, zipcode and city of the recipient for a transfer, which are not listed in the email. Can I find these somewhere?
Why on earth ? I can only guess that you are not UK based .. and this is some weird money laundering provision, or maybe they think we are supplying you with drugs. Roger
anti fraud measure?
check the account number you have matches with the address of the person/business you are trying to pay.
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Dutch bank. Maybe just a practical thing to allow the remote bank to check whether the account number is correct / as intended. When I transfer money to a Dutch account I don't need to provide address, but get real-time feedback when the name of the beneficiary does not match the account number.
But it's all sorted thanks to Phil.
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Should I expect any confirmation of my payment? I got the "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021" email and made the transfer, but I wouldn't put it past Halifax (or me) to have messed that up somehow.
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Should I expect any confirmation of my payment? I got the "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021" email and made the transfer, but I wouldn't put it past Halifax (or me) to have messed that up somehow.
I expect that's a manual process going through the list of entrants and the payments received. Halifax would have confirmed the name of the account as LEL 2021 limited, I saw that so I'm pretty confident I didn't mess up the numbers. (although I could have got the reference number wrong and paid for someone else's entry)
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Should I expect any confirmation of my payment? I got the "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021" email and made the transfer, but I wouldn't put it past Halifax (or me) to have messed that up somehow.
There was a post about this recently on the Facebook page. You might get an email at the end of January when the final list has been compiled. If not then you'll get a message asking about start time and ordering kit sometime afterwards. A bit vague.
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My bank demands address, zipcode and city of the recipient for a transfer, which are not listed in the email. Can I find these somewhere?
Btw, that email had the subject "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021", but on the about page (https://londonedinburghlondon.com/about) I don't see time travel to the event included ???
May I suggest using wise (formally transfer wise) instead, it's a lot easier.
J
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Should I expect any confirmation of my payment? I got the "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021" email and made the transfer, but I wouldn't put it past Halifax (or me) to have messed that up somehow.
There was a similar question on Facebook earlier this afternoon and Danial answered - "bear with us. Got the tsunami of emails to reply to first, then we’ll send payment confirmations."
But the much better news was his other post (for those of you not on Facebook) -
"Please accept my apologies if you are waiting for a reply to an email. I’ve spent the last few days on the road, visiting controls and checking the route between London and St Ives.
If you are anxious about the ballot, please don’t be. It looks increasingly like we will fall into a sweet spot of having enough entries, but not having to run a ballot. In other words, if you have applied for a place, we are 90% certain that you will get one. So please don’t worry; we will see you in London in August."
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Jason was superb in 2013, but had delivered quite the drink and sniff problem by 2017 and was found stealing cash and merch from the front desk.
Now this, this is how you pitch LEL to Netflix for their documentary/sports stream ;-)
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Should I expect any confirmation of my payment? I got the "Your entry to London Edinburgh London 2021" email and made the transfer, but I wouldn't put it past Halifax (or me) to have messed that up somehow.
There was a similar question on Facebook earlier this afternoon and Danial answered - "bear with us. Got the tsunami of emails to reply to first, then we’ll send payment confirmations."
But the much better news was his other post (for those of you not on Facebook) -
"Please accept my apologies if you are waiting for a reply to an email. I’ve spent the last few days on the road, visiting controls and checking the route between London and St Ives.
If you are anxious about the ballot, please don’t be. It looks increasingly like we will fall into a sweet spot of having enough entries, but not having to run a ballot. In other words, if you have applied for a place, we are 90% certain that you will get one. So please don’t worry; we will see you in London in August."
Have you entered Neil?
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Yes Phil, I'm in.
With guaranteed entry it was all very relaxed, compared to the stressful experience in 2017.
I'm hoping the five years of extra experience since 2017 will mean I make it all the way around this time.
How about you?
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Yes entered sometime over the weekend.
I’m a guaranteed and free entry. I feel unsuitably slow at the moment like many I’m sure. I’m recently back into a regular 4 rides a week routine again, and gradually increasing time on the bike. Believe in the process etc, no shortcuts to fitness I’ll need for LEL.
I’m looking forward to the simplicity of this edition, for me, this time round. Get fit enough and start is about it.
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I’m sure you’ll have thought long and hard about what happened in 2017 and how you can overcome what stopped you last time.
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May I suggest using wise (formally transfer wise) instead, it's a lot easier.
The link for Wise payment in the "your entry to LEL 2021" mail didn't lead to a page where I could pay, but to a page telling me how wonderful and cheap Wise was. It did seem my only recourse was to create an account with them to transfer the moneys, which I declined. Regular banktransfer worked fine once I got the address (thanks again Phil) at the extra expense of a cup of coffee.
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May I suggest using wise (formally transfer wise) instead, it's a lot easier.
The link for Wise payment in the "your entry to LEL 2021" mail didn't lead to a page where I could pay, but to a page telling me how wonderful and cheap Wise was. It did seem my only recourse was to create an account with them to transfer the moneys, which I declined. Regular banktransfer worked fine once I got the address (thanks again Phil) at the extra expense of a cup of coffee.
I used Wise but that link was very dodgy indeed. And I still had to contact the organisation of LEL for instructions (for those who are stuck: "Do not claim to know LEL bank details ,. do not use paying "Someone else " use " Charity or Business "). Personally I don't mind paying a couple of pound sterling extra for a direct link to pay, but this seems to have worked.
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Yes Phil, I'm in.
Yes entered sometime over the weekend.
Look forward to welcoming you both to Barney!
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But the much better news was his other post (for those of you not on Facebook) -
"Please accept my apologies if you are waiting for a reply to an email. I’ve spent the last few days on the road, visiting controls and checking the route between London and St Ives.
If you are anxious about the ballot, please don’t be. It looks increasingly like we will fall into a sweet spot of having enough entries, but not having to run a ballot. In other words, if you have applied for a place, we are 90% certain that you will get one. So please don’t worry; we will see you in London in August."
[/quote]
Hi all
I am in the ballot so this is very exciting news, however I am not on Facebook and have never felt any desire to join. Am I likely to miss out on anything 'important' by not being there and following the LEL page?
Thanks
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I'm hoping the five years of extra experience since 2017 will mean I make it all the way around this time.
I'm in the same boat, I only made Edinburgh last time.
Hopefully we've both learned enough to get back to London this time, all the best.
Am I likely to miss out on anything 'important' by not being there and following the LEL page?
Nothing actually important.
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I’m sure you’ll have thought long and hard about what happened in 2017 and how you can overcome what stopped you last time.
I certainly have, but it wasn't just one thing but a cascade of poor choices. Before LEL 2017 my longest ride had been 400km. Seventy audaxes later, including PBP, I feel I'm beginning to understand how it all works.
2017 was an amazing experience and I'm looking forward to having another this year.
Look forward to welcoming you both to Barney!
Thanks Pete, I'll be disappointed if I don't see you twice!
I'm hoping the five years of extra experience since 2017 will mean I make it all the way around this time.
I'm in the same boat, I only made Edinburgh last time.
Hopefully we've both learned enough to get back to London this time, all the best.
Good luck Mark, and enjoy it no matter how far you get.
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Hi all
I am in the ballot so this is very exciting news, however I am not on Facebook and have never felt any desire to join. Am I likely to miss out on anything 'important' by not being there and following the LEL page?
Thanks
Anything important will be sent out via email.
There are 5 things you need to do
1. Prepare for the challenge ahead both physically and mentally. This is your number 1 priority. The most important thing.
2. When you are invited to the website rider area. Choose a preferred start time. Not critical but if you have a preference let it be known.
3. Again in rider area choose your bag drop control locations. There will be two assuming same as previous years.
4. Turn up to registration the day before the event starts. Bring identification plus your contents for your bag drops. Contents is usually one or two changes of cycling clothes per bag. You’ll pick up your bags for the drops at registration.
5. Turn up and start riding on event start day.
In the website rider area you’ll also be able to purchase merchandise like LEL jerseys etc but that’s not critical.
Facebook will be full of equipment lists, what start should I choose, detailed ride plans that will fall apart on the first day of riding, what bag drops should I go for, what shoes should I wear, what waterproof, dynamo or battery lights, how do I keep my phone charged, which cycling shorts, what valve cap colour, what’s the weather going to be? etc. There will be questions directed at Danial and Roger because they haven’t replied to an email in less than 24 hours. It will be a bit like Groundhog Day with the same questions being asked ad nauseam. Questions that are answered in the FAQ page on the website, or if rider’s had read the email sent to them, or even a post two days earlier.
There can be a lot of energy on the Facebook pages but it can also feel like Hotel California at times. You won’t miss anything important by not being on it. Maybe missing a little of the excitement and energy. For foreign riders who’ve never been to Britain, no doubt of great use, though they’ll get contradictory responses on weather and how cold and what to wear.
I left Facebook a few years back and don’t intend to return.
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I should add for the ballot.
It’s likely you’ll get confirmation via email you were successful (or not) end of this month or early next month. You’ll have a reference number in that email. It will be 6 digits and may even be in the email you got when you entered the ballot. The confirmation will ask you to pay. Make sure you use that 6 digit number as the reference in the bank transfer or WISE transfer. It enables Roger to match the payment to your entry.
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1. Prepare for the challenge ahead both physically and mentally. This is your number 1 priority. The most important thing.
Absolutely this, forget about all detailed plans of where you will be at what time, just be as fit as possible and the ride will look after itself. Weather is very variable, direction of the wind will make a huge difference to how far you can ride in day 1.
I think the people that struggled most last time, were the ones who were ahead of plan on the way north, and relaxed, before finding the going much slower on the way back south. If you are feeling good, and the weather is benign, then push on as far as possible.
That said I'm still worried about this ride and will likely spend more time than is useful thinking about a schedule. Even after riding PBP quite comfortably, the extra 300km feels like a big increase, despite the additional time.
....., what valve cap colour, ...
can't believe this crucial piece of information was so far down the list
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....., what valve cap colour, ...
can't believe this crucial piece of information was so far down the list
You guys are using valve caps?
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Also important is to prepare for contingency plans. All too often I see riders not carrying enough warm/waterproof clothes and not enough basic spares to repair the most basic bike issues. Then other riders have to stop and help them out, sometimes causing the other rider to end up close to the time limit (OK, I know that you can have extra time for that accredited but you still end up uncomfortably far at the back of the field).
So don't overdo it on lightweight and make sure that you can take care of yourself.
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....., what valve cap colour, ...
can't believe this crucial piece of information was so far down the list
You guys are using valve caps?
schwalbe tubes come with clear caps, look like there is nothing there, but keeps the muck out of the valve
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Also important is to prepare for contingency plans. All too often I see riders not carrying enough warm/waterproof clothes and not enough basic spares to repair the most basic bike issues. Then other riders have to stop and help them out, sometimes causing the other rider to end up close to the time limit (OK, I know that you can have extra time for that accredited but you still end up uncomfortably far at the back of the field).
So don't overdo it on lightweight and make sure that you can take care of yourself.
This is sound, I'd expect most audaxers to be carrying what they are likely to need, preventative maintenance is also good, new gear and brake cables and tyres one-two months before the big ride. (I did find my rear was nearly worn through 600km into borders of belgium, still wasn't leaking despite being tubeless and the canvas showing)
I only just had enough clothes on PBP for the low temperatures and I did come across someone really struggling on the wednesday night on the last section to Rambouillet. Would have been such a shame to get within 20km of the finish and then fail due to hypothermia.
Travelling light is not faster if you freeze at night.
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So don't overdo it on lightweight and make sure that you can take care of yourself.
The following comment is probably pointless in /this/ forum - at Spalding last time we had a ultra-lightweight Italian rider who had started breaking spokes on our country's ultra-smooth roads. He was incandescent that we couldn't supply & fit replacement aero spokes.
So Ivo's comment applies.
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Just wondering if the LEL route is mandatory this time? Idle curiosity, not worth bothering the team over. I did look in the FAQ but nothing in there one way or the other.
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Just wondering if the LEL route is mandatory this time? Idle curiosity, not worth bothering the team over. I did look in the FAQ but nothing in there one way or the other.
The answer is yes although I believe Danial has permission for free routing through Edinburgh. Visit the attractions or don’t as is your wont.
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....., what valve cap colour, ...
can't believe this crucial piece of information was so far down the list
You guys are using valve caps?
Not only that but I have fairy lights and tinsel decorating the bike.
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But the much better news was his other post (for those of you not on Facebook) -
"Please accept my apologies if you are waiting for a reply to an email. I’ve spent the last few days on the road, visiting controls and checking the route between London and St Ives.
If you are anxious about the ballot, please don’t be. It looks increasingly like we will fall into a sweet spot of having enough entries, but not having to run a ballot. In other words, if you have applied for a place, we are 90% certain that you will get one. So please don’t worry; we will see you in London in August."
Hi all
I am in the ballot so this is very exciting news, however I am not on Facebook and have never felt any desire to join. Am I likely to miss out on anything 'important' by not being there and following the LEL page?
Thanks
[/quote]
I'm "on" the Facebook page, but I still missed that announcement!
So I'd say it's not essential for LEL prep :)
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....., what valve cap colour, ...
can't believe this crucial piece of information was so far down the list
You guys are using valve caps?
schwalbe tubes come with clear caps, look like there is nothing there, but keeps the muck out of the valve
It's not deliberate, I tend to misplace them
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That's because you should be using Continental tubes, with yellow caps that are easier to find on dark, wet roads.
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Nooo.
Everyone should know that red valve caps are faster, which = more sleeping time.
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Am absolutely delighted to see the discussion move to the really important matters of LEL. 😂
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I wonder if Eskdalemuir control will have that wonderful savoury pie, then crumble and custard of 2013? That saw me nicely through the evening to Brampton.
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Time for a LEL sub-board, Mods?
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Time for a LEL sub-board, Mods?
In addition to the one that appeared earlier today ?
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A pretty key FB post that has not been picked up here yet Danial on 11th Jan
If you are anxious about the ballot, please don’t be. It looks increasingly like we will fall into a sweet spot of having enough entries, but not having to run a ballot. In other words, if you have applied for a place, we are 90% certain that you will get one. So please don’t worry; we will see you in London in August.
I would update that by saying that I think the 90 % is understated by at least 9% .. but remember I am not the boss.. so a late flood of balloteers could make me look very silly.
Roger
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A pretty key FB post that has not been picked up here yet Danial on 11th Jan
If you are anxious about the ballot, please don’t be. It looks increasingly like we will fall into a sweet spot of having enough entries, but not having to run a ballot. In other words, if you have applied for a place, we are 90% certain that you will get one. So please don’t worry; we will see you in London in August.
I would update that by saying that I think the 90 % is understated by at least 9% .. but remember I am not the boss.. so a late flood of balloteers could make me look very silly.
Roger
Wow - this is becoming ever more real. Fingers crossed!
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Yes ealer, you better get training!
A later post from Danial said -
"If you are waiting for a confirmation for a guaranteed place, just enter the ballot. We are going to be slightly oversubscribed so we are going to accept everyone. In fact, I recommend everyone just enter the ballot if they haven’t already; it’s simpler and will get you to the same place.
We will send payment confirmations out this weekend to those of you who have kindly already paid, followed by the good news to the ballot entrants next weekend."
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So, last night I had my first (of, I expect, many) dream that I'm riding LEL and x, y or z is going wrong.
But I also did my first training ride yesterday so...
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So, last night I had my first (of, I expect, many) dream that I'm riding LEL and x, y or z is going wrong.
But I also did my first training ride yesterday so...
Had another dream in which a bike gets stolen :( Then thought "doesn't matter it's only a dream" and woke up.
Not for the first time, this is really weird, all sorts of strange shit can happen in dreams, but if a bike gets nicked it crosses some sort of line.
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Yes ealer, you better get training!
A later post from Danial said -
"If you are waiting for a confirmation for a guaranteed place, just enter the ballot. We are going to be slightly oversubscribed so we are going to accept everyone. In fact, I recommend everyone just enter the ballot if they haven’t already; it’s simpler and will get you to the same place.
We will send payment confirmations out this weekend to those of you who have kindly already paid, followed by the good news to the ballot entrants next weekend."
Email just arrived - I'm in!!
See you all at the start....
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Danial has opened entries for some 'last minute' places as I surmise they think there will be a lower than estimated pay-up post ballot success percentage.
https://londonedinburghlondon.com/enter
Spread the word.
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That is right .. looks as if some ballot entries were not committed to ride ..only making up their mind if they got a place. faced with reality ..pay and start training a chunk decided that their ballot entry could be let go. So if you are up for it .. there are some places available .. no ballot . enter and pay and you are in . We will close this route as soon as we are comfortable with the number of paid up entries.. maybe 30/40 more.