Turning 50 this year and what to set myself a cycling challenge. Can take about a week off (+ weekends either side) from family commitments and work.
was thinking Lands End John o groats (or maybe other way round). Will be doing it in Sept I think.
ideas?
i turn 60 this year, and was thinking i want something tough and a challenge.
to try and do before i am no longer able.
never fancied LEJOG but something like the great north trail is very appealing.
or up to Cape Wrath via my own route taking is plenty of gravel and forest trail.
never fancied LEJOG but something like the great north trail is very appealing.
same here, but this also does have appeal 🙂 https://bikepacking.com/routes/highland-trail-550/
LEJOG is kind of cool, you're not restricted to any one route (unlike Highland Trail 550 or North Coast 500) and you can do it in a myriad of ways, there's even a few off-road / bikepacking style routes.
There's something similar although much less well-known called The Opposite Diagonal which is Dover (or Beachy Head) to Cape Wrath.
Does it have to be in the UK? Cos there are plenty of options a little further afield through France or Spain for a week (plus travel either side) as well.
I've done Lejog, and the Med to the Channel. Ride across France, it's warmer, less traffic, more courteous drivers, and better food.
I hit 60 this year and I'm doing LEJoG in May. First half with road tyres and travelling light, staying in Premier Inns etc....after an overnight at friends on the Wirral I'll be swapping to gravel tyres, bikepacking kit and a mix of the odd hotel/B and B and some camping. I'll take a fortnight and come back via Orkney and the Aberdeen ferry. 9 days is 100m a day with some big climbing days in Cornwall and Devon so @ibnchris do be aware that the first 2 or 3 days can be killers. (100m plus and 7k ft+ climbing day after day)
The issues people hit seem to be getting to LE or JoG and getting back again afterwards. Bike places on the trains book up quickly (12 weeks in advance)
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
I have an eye on Lejog for my 60th in 2029, but not in a week - with the best will in the world 100 hilly miles a day for 10 days is a challenge too far for me (don't forget a day each side for travel)
A friend did a fully supported 14 day version, which was tough but she did it. She's also done Channel to the Med, which looked much sunnier and drier!
This year (also 50th) we are flying to Venice Marco Polo airport and cycling to Zagreb using the river Drau cycle route for most of the journey,
- The logistics of getting to and from LEJOG have always put me off.
I also turn 60 this year. Usual riding group of us are doing a 6 day bike trip to Mallorca, staying in Pollensa.
I did LEJOG a couple of years ago (at 58) - 9 days so c 110 miles/day - it was tough (Sept, weather was pretty poor - headwinds, rain and freezing on a couple of nights so camping wasn’t that pleasant!)
as others have said, the logistics at start and finish are a pain - but then again it’s an iconic achievement - so only you can decide if that’s worth the pain!
I did it as part of the Ride Across Britain, which is sadly no longer running, but would recommend doing it with some logistical help - I believe there are several firms who can do this (transporting bags, etc)
Like a couple of others, does it have to be in the UK? If I was allowing myself a week to ride my bike it certainly wouldn't be in the UK.
If you have to do a point to point 'challenge' then the Pyrenees cost-to-coast, or Geneva to Nice across the Alps instantly spring to mind, or pick a point on the Continent that's a week's long ride home from. The logistics of any of these can often be less awkward than the LEJOG.
I realise the LEJOG is an easily recognisable 'I Did A Thing' for a significant birthday but alternatives are legion.
def does not have to be in the UK. Was thinking Pyrenees could be cool. Or maybe a tour of Iceland. Fitness not great right now but have a few months to train. Can comfortably do 100km road sessions at the mo but 100miles probably a stretch right now. But aim to be able to do back to back 100m days on road or back to back 100km days on gravel
I realise the LEJOG is an easily recognisable 'I Did A Thing' for a significant birthday but alternatives are legion.
Yep, it seems to be the default "I want to do a long bike ride" option but I agree with the other comments, something in France or Spain would be easily accessible (or at least, accessible to about the same extent as sorting LE and JOG to/from logistics!)
There's a sort of equivalent coast-to-coast in Spain called Vía de la Plata running from Cádiz or Seville in the south to Gijón or Oviedo in the north. Loads of bikepacking routes too now, a lot have sprung up since the launch of Badlands (a gravel race although you can do it as an unsupported challenge ride in your own time).
I did lejog ages ago and sometimes think of repeating it. 100m per day the fatigue sets in after a few days and I hated cycling through some lovely places and not stopping.
Have a look at cycling UK forum loads of tips on there.
Snap! I'm 50 in June and am riding across the Pyraness, starting in San Sebastian, finishing in Perpignan. A total of 10days riding, its going to be epic. Hard, but epic
The Opposite Diagonal which is Dover (or Beachy Head) to Cape Wrath.
I did it as Dover to Durness - means you don't have to mess around with the ferry and relying on good weather, as well as being an alliteration.
I did Torino-Nice in late August - which was amazing. 700k across 7 days riding, a day beforehand getting Nice->Turin and a day afterwards touristing in Nice. Basically followed the Torino-Nice Rally route (there are a few route variations to choose from).
Gravel bike generally perfect - there was only one descent that really warranted an MTB and the road climbs were all fine on slightly chubby tyres when I wasn't racing anyone.
Stunning, stunning, landscapes. I did b&bs, hotels and a couple of mountain refuges (Refugio Gardetta is a beautiful location), basically creditcard touring. It was occasionally testing, but never actually toys-out-of-pram overwhelming. Thoroughly reccomended.
(LEJOG doesn't really appeal, other than as a box to tick, certainly not as a road thing and gravel/mtb would take too long)
LEJOG is a good route. I did it back in 2018 in 10days. That’s 109 miles a day so quite tough.
I did enjoy it but I prefer doing European rides. Geneva to Nice across lots of the iconic climbs is a classic and doable in 10days.
We are riding Nice to Naples in September over 10days which should be a good trip, mainly through the middle of Italy.
Did LeJoG 20 years ago, unsupported over 13 days and loved it. Logistics to get home worked well despite some panick over confirming bike places on a train. We did it in June with great weather. I wouldn't be consdering it in Sept against the prevailing SW winds. There'sa reason most do LeJoG........Having said that if I had the time and budget again now, I would go with some of those Spanish or Italian ideas above. Just better tarmac, drivers and climate.
I did Lejog, supported as a charity ride, about 15 years ago. It had never been a bucket list thing for me but I really enjoyed it. It certainly took me to parts of the country I'd not visited and I've been back to many.
It's recognisable, convenient, and relatively planet-friendly.
Logistics back from JoG can be made pretty simple if you get in touch with the Johnogroatsbiketransport folk in Inverness.
+1 for not doing it in the UK.
Pick one of the EV routes and do all or part of it, I did the Rhine (EV15) this year and it was awesome.
I'm another who is in the 'train/fly somewhere distant, ride home' camp. And it would probably have a start point on the continent, for the same food, road and weather considerations as others have mentioned.
I did a more modest example last spring, had work reasons to be in Cardiff so trained down and rode home again; loved it. All of these options avoid the fairly awful logistics of trying to get a bike on a train through the choke point of Inverness, where Badger riders are competing with LeJogs. Although I do like the exit via Orkney - Aberdeen option mentioned above, that's smart.
Off road: Something in Andalucia, maybe Granada to Sevilla? Or how about Briancon to Nice (did that in 2024.. fantastic..)
Geneva to Nice can be done in a huge variety of ways, road, on the Rhone velo route or up in the mountains on a series of classic passes; off road there's a myriad of options... French railways or Easyjet for transport.
Fly out to Geneva, ride home through the Jura, up into the Ardennes, Flanders, ferry back?
Do a big chunk of eurovelo 1?
We did it in June with great weather. I wouldn't be consdering it in Sept against the prevailing SW winds.
September is surprisingly often a decent weather window although being the UK it's difficult to predict much in terms of winds.
Also the benefits of doing it in September is using the long summer days to do some proper training and also it's outside the school holidays.
Credit carded Lejog over 14 days with a friend earlier this year. It was just a chilled ride and great fun on our gravel bikes. We did the Cicerone route with a detour home in the middle to spend a day with the family. First 2 days was tough, not so much that it was hilly in Devon and Cornwall but more that there was no payback on the descents as narrow twisty roads with high banks/hedges so on the brakes most of the time as we wary of cars revving, understandably, up the hills.
Highlight has to be all the friendly people we met and numerous great views/iconic moments.
Some really great ideas for tours in Europe above and noted. Mate and I did talk about cycling New Zealand or at least the south island during the UK winter but I can quite understand OH saying ' and what about me!!'
September is surprisingly often a decent weather window although being the UK it's difficult to predict much in terms of winds.
I did both my Lejog and Med to Manche rides in September, and agree it's a good time of year. Warm enough, reasonable daylight, kids back at school. French logistics were easier. We flew one way to the south coast, dumped cardboard bike boxes at the airport, and rode to St Malo. I rode back from Poole to Bristol the next day.
We really enjoyed the An Turas Mor portion of the Great North Trail this year.
Do a big chunk of eurovelo 1?
There's a chap on Youtube who did this then got the ferry home from Spain. He looked like he was enjoying it, less certain about his family?
Lots of choices.
We did Le Jog on back roads and took our time , 21 days I think it was with a rest day it's a great ride and was quite a bit longer mileage than a faster route.
7 to 10 days maybe a different experience.
Luggage transfer is a good 50th birthday treat for a bike tour whichever route you choose.
Choosing and planning is part of the fun!
I did both my Lejog and Med to Manche rides in September,
Would you rate it as Med heading north?!
I'm thinking of the Paris - Nice pro race, known as the race to the sun. But no-one ever says "hey, how about we ride from the sunshine of the Med coast right up into the grim north of the English Channel..."
I'd want to finish somewhere nice. Like Nice. (sorry...)
The London Edinburgh London ride is a good option, do it one way over a week and get the train back , audax routes do tend to choose the best quiet roads. I did it a few years back , the route changes a bit each year but generally the same.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Would you rate it as Med heading north?!
Logistically, it's easier. Fly south, dump cardboard box, ride north to a channel ferry port.
The European Bike Express has pick up and drop off points in France. An interesting experience! We have used it twice in the past and a good few years ago now. Bikes go in the trailer and you get out in the south of France!
LEJOG? You can **** that sky high. I’d be off to Greece to ride Mt Olympus and Meteora.
+1 for not doing it in the UK.
Pick one of the EV routes and do all or part of it, I did the Rhine (EV15) this year and it was awesome.
@MrChrispy - thinking of this with a group of friends in the summer, hotels and minimal kit.
Plan to start near the source and go to the coast. Did it work for you? Can I ask how long you took, and how you got to the start/home from finish?
Flew into Basel with bikes in cardboard boxes from a local bike shop.
And after building the bikes at baggage collection 3 of us cycled to the station and got the train straight to Strasbourg (where we were meeting the 4th rider). Then it was follow the EV15 to Rotterdam, eat sleep ride repeat for 7 days.
Every night we'd find somewhere on booking.com that was on route and just headed for it the next day, worked really well.
4 of us, 7 days, 120km/day.
I've love to have done the sections closer to the alps, people we spoke to said it was ace.
10 days should get you from source to the coast no problem, travel light and get accommodation as you go.
thank you!
optimistically hoping it’s all downhill from the source to the sea 😉
we’ve done a few trips driving a van to Holland/Belgium, parking up and and following circular routes ( Operation Market Garden etc or touring round Flanders).
it’s so easy to travel and most hotels are happy to accommodate bikes.
just need to persuade a driver to drop us in Switzerland and then meet us at Rotterdam, but no-one seems keen…
Have a look at the routes on bikepacking.com
Loads of options and ideas. Eg for Spain badlands, el piri, or Montanas Vacias to name just three.
This year we did Málaga to Granada and generally towards Almeria over a week bike packing on gravel. Best thing I've ever done on a bike. Hoping to do Montanas Vacias this year.