//Race Report: London Wales London
So what is LWL?
Its an audax. Which is basically a French word used to describe a long bike ride which is self supported. One literal French translation of the word is ‘courageous’ another is ‘foolhardy’. Its all in the eye of the beholder.
Woodstock
First checkpoint was Woodstock in Oxfordshire. We managed to stay in a fairly large group most of the way here, which meant we travelled quickly without too much energy. If ever there was a lesson on the importance of ‘drafting’ in cycling this was it.
In the midst of a big group I chatted away to YK, as if we were out on a typical sunday social ride. At one point I said to him “I need to stop for a pee, you stay in the bunch and I’ll catch up again”. I was no more than 40 seconds off the bike, back on again, and it took me around ten minutes of almost full on effort, just to catch back up again.
At the checkpoint, the organisers had arranged a full on breakfast buffet in a community centre. We loaded up and by the time we left the main bunch had gone.
0 KM
So my riding partner and I, (YK, a fellow Glaswegian) left Rickmansworth Premier Inn at 5.05am and rode 10km to the start line of London Wales London, to be met by 133 other folk, with bikes laden with bags, lights and bottles. We were signed in and picked up our brevet card.
In order to successfully complete the 412km ride you have to navigate through check points, at which your card will be stamped. Some checkpoints have no-one there, so you need to obtain a receipt from a shop in the area to prove you were there.
Tewkesbury
Next checkpoint was in Tewkesbury, another 74km away. We got onto the back of a small group and did what we could to stay with them on a mostly flat section. but at the first sign of a climb we had to let them go.
Sun was out, we were ahead of our own internal schedule and all was good with the world.
In Tewkesbury, we got ourselves some lunch from a coffee shop, and picked up the necessary receipt and probably sat down for a bit too long.
It was here that I looked at all the videos from LEC’s morning session, which gave me a great little boost!
By this point, you notice the different approaches of the riders. The fast folk are gone. we were probably average speed riders, but faff around too much at stops. Some riders are slow, but stop for as little time as possible. This leads to a leapfrogging effect. We ride up to a group, pass them by then stop for a drink/pee/whatever and see them pass us. We then catch up and pass again and so it goes.
This means you get to know faces quite quickly and one of the massive plus points of Audax riding is the camaraderie between everyone.
It’s not a race, so you don’t see anyone as competition. you ride at slower average speeds than a shorter event, so chatting away to a stranger about the rides they’ve done in the past, hints and tips etc. are all very common and really enjoyable. One such conversation with a girl led to the revelation that she had completed the iconic North Cost 500 in Scotland. On a Brompton!!!
Anyway, temperatures were now hotter than forecast, which was having an effect. YK felt dehydrated, sore head etc. and I lost a cleat screw so we made an unscheduled pub stop and watched familiar riders pass us by.
Chepstow
We carried on down into the next main checkpoint. Chepstow. Wales. Chicken curry on the menu, proper toilets, restock up on drinks and ready to rollout. YK by this point had been struggling most of the day with his stomach and wasn’t eating as well as he’d have liked.
I called the family for a bit of inspiration on a video call then we set off for what was the largest stage to come. 98km to Lambourn.
After Chepstow we cycled across the Severn Bridge which is a pretty cool thing to do. And on seeing the “Welcome to England” sign we had one of our last positive moments. (Woo hoo, we’re ‘already’ on our way home, a mere 13 hours after starting.)
Two minutes after this and we were on a big hill. Not ideal. Halfway up my chain dropped. Even less ideal. Eventually get it back on and climb to top, and I get a puncture. F**!
There’s never a good time for a puncture, but this was during a particularly lovely sunset, so we at least still had daylight to get it fixed.
As light faded, so too does quite a bit of the “isn’t it just great being out in the fresh air on your bike” vibe. We took on the second biggest climb of the ride, up to Somerset monument, just as twilight became night.
“Get out of my pub!”
We got to the next checkpoint at Walford - 192km into the ride. Aware we’d slowed down quite a bit, we decided against finding a town sign to pose with for a photo for an Instagram joke about Eastenders. This was another unmanned checkpoint, so off we went.
Next checkpoint would see us in Wales, and past the halfway point.
It also included the harshest climb of the entire route. A single lane road four kilometres long with a 19.8% gradient in the middle. Not exactly Alpe D’Huez, but when you have 195km in your legs already you feel every percentage point above one! My weight advantage means I’m quicker up climbs than YK, but far slower down them. This meant I got to the top and had a couple of mins to stop and film another clip for my Instagram commentary, and also just reflect on things so far.
Past halfway, the hardest climb completed. My literal translation of Audax was firmly on the ‘courageous’ vibe so far.
Malmesbury
We knew we’d never make it all the way to Lambourn in one go, so we aimed for Malmesbury, around halfway. Getting there about ten-ish we found a fast food shop and ordered a 12" pizza, a fair few bunches passed us as we waited for our Margarhita treat. Huddled in a doorway eating it, a fellow rider appeared. She’d been behind us most of the route and looked colder than us. We offered her our final two slices and she looked like she could cry with joy! Good deed for the day done, we got on our way.
20km down the road we passed a large group of riders at a 24 hr garage, picking up cold food. We both had a little “internal fist bump” moment as our pizza waiting time was now justified.
This is now where these ultra endurance events come into their own. Riding through dark country lanes, where light pollution isn’t an issue. Riding two abreast so that out light beams combined to shine a bit of a pathway in front of us, we got into a rhythm. Depending on how the route opened up, sometimes you see a blinking red light ahead and it gives you an odd feeling of comfort that you aren’t the only person out here in the middle of nowhere. There were large parts where we pedalled without saying a word to each other, just focusing on nothing more than getting to the next checkpoint.
Its hard to describe as there’s nothing I can compare it to. Reflexes dumbed by fatigue, but senses heightened due to reduced visibility. Sounds stupid but descents aren’t taken any slower than daytime. Too cold to be wasting time, and relishing a break from pedalling, we flew down hills despite only having about 15 metres ahead of us lit by our beams.
Henley
One more checkpoint at Henley (55km away) which was just a receipt required from a garage. It’s only been six days since as I write this, but I don’t remember much about the next 50km other than our legs were on auto, just turning without really thinking and the main impediment to continuing was mostly mental. Stopping isn’t really an option and that in itself is hard to compute. Who can you call at 3am on a Sunday to come pick you up from a country lane outside Swindon? And even if you could, sitting waiting for them would be even colder than just pedalling. So you just pedal. You’re so tired that you don’t take much in, hence the sketchy memory.
Sun started to come up about five, which was the first sign in my mind that we might actually accomplish this!
By the time we got to the garage in Henley, there was a group of riders steadily appearing, and we traded stories of our night hours, and how thankful we were that we avoided having to fix a mechanical in the dark in freezing temperatures when brain fog makes even a puncture repair seem like open heart surgery.
The final 30ish km ticked by slowly, and we rolled into the finish with an hour and twenty minutes to spare.
Absolutely shattered, very sore (I’ve already bought a different saddle this week) but with a real sense of achievement.
413.75km travelled.
25hours 39mins elapsed time.
19hours 21mins moving time.
The warm daal at the finish line was one of the nicest breakfasts I’ve had in a long time!
Of the 135 of us who started, 120 finished, which was a pretty good percentage, I thought.
I was soooo sick of cycling by the time I got home on Sunday. But come Monday evening my mind had healed somewhat quicker than my body and thoughts of the next challenge began to form!
Lambourn
On arrival at Lambourn, we weren’t in the best of shape. my eyes were so heavy. Lots of faster riders get here then have a couple of hours sleep but our average speed meant that was a luxury we couldn’t afford.
Before I could sit down amongst the sleeping bodies, someone threw up in the corner of the hall. The volunteer staff were quick to attend to him, but it was a sobering sight at 2am as they wrapped him in a space blanket. An older chap at the next table called someone to arrange pick up, as he “had nothing left”.
I ordered a bowl of the vegetarian chilli and started prepping the bike for the final assault. The food and a coffee had an almost instant effect in waking me up, but we took our time as the hall was heated and outside was three degrees. Eventually we put on every item of clothing we owned, and reluctantly left the warmth.
In my mind, I had already changed my French-English translation. Courageous got scored out. Audax now definitely meant ‘foolhardy’.
92km to go.
Most importantly, Coach Graeme did all of this to fundraise for the incredible support provided by Cardiac Risk in the Young, from counselling to research and screening. You can help fund this too and you don’t even need to ride over 400 kilometres, in the dark.
