I know that in the information hand out for LEL given out at PBP there was a
photo of a Fixies rider who is from Tennessee - but I do not recall his
name.

RUSA must be the desired audience for this ride...

This is on my list for next year to try to make happen - any others planning
on going next year?

Jim House
Maumee, OH

I rode LEL in 2009 and it was about as much fun and agony as I'd ever had
on a bike. The route is challenging and beautiful and, for riders from the
USA, a bit otherworldly. The support could not be more gracious nor the
volunteers more pleasant. It was also really exciting to ride in such an
international field. As a point of comparison, there were 5000 riders in
PBP, there were 600 riders in LEL. All food and sleep arrangements are
covered by the modest entry. It really is almost too good to be true. How
else could you afford to spend 4 days in Britain for $250? I highly
recommend this event and plan to ride again in 2013. There were only 13 of
us from the USA in 2009. Seems like we could do better next time around.

Here's a ride report<http://thehudsonvalleyrandonneur.blogspot.com/2009/08/london-edinburg...>I wrote at the time.

Best,

George Swain
RUSA #4232

See y'all in London.  Been looking forward to this for years.

Paul ROZELLE
RUSA# 2955

I'm seriously considering it.

I found Ken Bonner's spreadsheet with the finishing results.  413
finishers, 23 women, only one female American finisher.  

Any other American women thinking about giving it a go?  

From experienced LEL riders, I'd be curious to hear some opinions on how
this route compares in difficulty to PBP.  

Susan

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When I tried LEL in 2009, I was absolutely new to randonneuring, and
had completed only one 200K and one 300K in my life.  I didn't know
what I was doing.  I laminated something like 16 pages of cue sheets,
and tried to lash them to my handlesbars with zip ties.  They were
blown apart by the wind, and got wet when it rained. I had trouble
with my lighting system.  Navigation was extrenmely difficult.  I had
a GPS, but no track for the route, and no way to keep it charged
beyond the 17-hour battery life.  Then, as I was approaching
Edinburgh, and on my way back, there was a terrible storm, pouring
sheets of rain for hours, and the low temperature was around 40
degrees.  Then, when the weather finally broke, I found that I had
missed a turn, and was 30 miles off route, lacking the time needed to
get back on route.

I sorted all this out in time for PBP.  The qualifying requiirements
forced me to train better.  I bought a handlebar bag with a proper
sleeve for the cue sheets.  I got an E-werk charger so that my GPS
would be charged as I rode. I got an Edelux light, which proved much
more reliable than the E6 I had before.  And I just knew a lot more
about surviving a long randonnee.

Having said this, then, I would make these poiints:
1. Navigation on LEL is far, far more difficult than on PBP.  With
only 600 riders, as opposed to 5000 on PBP, you are less likely to be
around a string of riders who will show you the correct route.
2. By comparison to Britain, the roads of Brittainy are straight and
predictable.  British conventions for naming roads are very different
than our own, and, most often, instead of following a named road, you
are told to follow a road going to a certain town.  If you don't know
where that town is, it can be quite baffling.  I did ride one night
with a Brit who had an instinctive understanding of the roads that was
completely inaccessible to me.  So when I try LEL again in 2013, I
will consider a good GPS track necessary for my success.
3. The weather in Scotland can be really, really tough, and it can
change very quickly.  I tend to think of Britain as a land of gentle
rain, sort of like Portland, but that image did not match up with what
I found in Scotland.  I was one of those who rode through the storm
betwen Loudeac and Brest, but I would say that the weather in Scotland
was exponentially worse than anything I experienced in Brittany.
4. A couple of the early controls had minimal and unpalatable food,
but in general, the standard of food was very high.  Unlike PBP, you
don't have to pay for anything on LEL--showers, cots, food and drink
are all covered by the entry price. It looks like the organizers are
determined to raise the standards evern higher this time around.  If
they do, it will be fabulous.  One difficulty I had was that I could
not find a bed on the night of the very bad storm, and ended up
sleeping on four metal chairs pushed together.  It looks like there
will be many more beds availalbe in 2013--including some in
Edinburgh---and that will be a very good thiing indeed.
5. While there are many fewer people on LEL, the mix and the
congeniality are comparable.  I rode with and talked to Russian,
French, German and Swedish riders on LEL, and I didn't generally have
to reach into my grade-school French to do so, as I did on PBP.
6.  There were some glitches in the organization of LEL last time.
For example, registering for the event was very chaotic and took
forever.  All of the publicity I have seen suggests to me a
determination to be more organized and efficient than last time
around.

All in all, I think it is a fabulous ride, and that more Americans
should participate.  And I have some business to settle there in 2013.

Bill Watts
RUSA #5365

On May 7, 5:32 pm, "Susan Otcenas" <su...@teamestrogen.com> wrote:

The general consensus is that, excepting the horrendous weather of last
time, LEL is easier than PBP. The majority of  the route is flatter, and
the extra 200km distance means that you have a lower minimum speed limit.

Ian Hennessey
Audax UK

On 08/05/2012 17:30, William Watts wrote:

The terrain's varied, and there are only four or five proper gaspers.
There's a very high scenery to effort ratio. Yad Moss and the Beeftub
are the star climbs, and both have brilliant descents on the other
side. In either direction in the case of Yad Moss. The Humber Bridge
is very scenic if you cross during the day; south of the bridge, at
320km on the way out, most of the route is flat. The last 50km are
slow; but it's a price worth paying to stay clear of London traffic.
Allow an hour longer than you might think for the last leg.

If you like randonneuring, you probably 'like' weather. In that sense,
LEL is never dull. You could be roasted in the sun, or be rained on
pitilessly. In July you'll probably get a bit of both, followed by
lots of warm, cloudy weather. We won't have much of an idea until a
few days before. All part of the fun; bring waterproofs.

Danial Webb
London Edinburgh London

On May 8, 9:42 pm, Ian Hennessey <i...@awliscombe.co.uk> wrote:

What you decide to buy and bring will depend a lot on what sort of
climate you are used to. So rather than list appropriate garments,
here are a few pointers.

- Although LEL might be wet, it could still be rather warm. Lots of
layers will work better than a single piece of kit.
- If it's showery, it's often best to just take the hit and not stop
to get kit out. You'll dry out faster that way.
- The temperature is likely to drop quite a lot when it gets dark.
- The one piece of kit I would recommend you consider are rainlegs
(http://www.rainlegs.com). These are waterproof chaps. They're also
good as an extra layer if it's cold.

Hope this helps.

Danial

Ian Hennessey
Audax UK

On 10/05/2012 19:38, DanialWebb wrote: