LEL – Day One.

I was up at 2:00 a.m. and making breakfast, the early start being so that I could help at the Edinburgh control of the London-Edinburgh-London audax; a mere 1,441 km cycle ride to be completed in approximately five days by approximately 1,400 riders (less the drop-outs). As always, and as befits Britain, the weather was mixed. Cyclists will go to just about any lengths to keep their feet dry (other than the bleedin’ obvious of staying indoors); this one had wrapped his feet up in a combination of shower caps, polythene bags, cling-film and gaffer tape and, is here seen using a pen-knife to remove his feet and shoes from their parcels. Personally, I’d have used a pair of scissors as I suspect they may be both safer and more efficient.

While it was pouring with rain, it was my turn to stand at the entrance to the control and make sure no one rode on past; It was a difficult task as we didn’t want to annoy the commuting cyclists by diverting them into the school, it not always being possible to recognize one from the other. I actually sat down on the job as my back was giving me Hell though, while the pain-killing drugs had a soporific effect, the cold rain managed to keep me alert. What was worrying was that I was sat right next to this safety barrier (first extra)which was part of the school crossing furniture. Worrying on several counts.

The current trend amongst cyclists seems to be to dispense with mudguards and put up with the consequences: mud sprayed up your back (which then trickles down on to your sensitive seating area), mud sprayed directly onto your genitals (with very uncomfortable consequences) and mud sprayed onto the transmission. The guys riding the sort of bike in the second extra think nothing of spending more on their chain and sprockets than I would on a complete bike. Many of the fast riders used dynamos built into the front wheel hubs, these not only provide a very good light but avoid all the faffing about with batteries, not just for lights but for Iphones and satnavs as well. Time spent charging electronic gismos and replacing lamp batteries could be better used pushing pedals round while those souls who generously give their time to helping get the riders around the course safely get really pee-ed off when 1,400 cyclists are looking for somewhere to plug in their phone chargers at the controls. The other interesting development is the luggage. This bike was typical with handle-bar bag, saddlebag and a bag that sits in the middle of the bike frame making it very difficult to gain access to the bottles of high energy drinks. I suspect that many bikes set their owners back by more than £5k with a few of them being worth more than twice that figure.

The final extra is of the small dormitory housing 72 beds (if I remember my multiplication tables correctly). The large dormitory had the remaining 228 beds. I understand that some riders were complaining about others who were snoring. It would be the smell that would bother me.