This is the second in a series of posts about my training and preparation for the 1530km London Edinburgh London audax event in August 2025. The series was inspired by LEL supremo Danial Webb asking if anyone was planning to post about their training and preparation for the event. Read part one here.

(London Edinburgh London is a cycle ride across Great Britain between the English and Scottish capitals. Held every four years, it is the premier British audax – a long-distance, non-competitive cycle ride. You have a maximum of 128 hours to ride to Edinburgh and back to London.)

London Wales London 2025

I wrote a lengthy post a year ago about completing the annual London Wales London audax from Chalfont St Peter near London to Chepstow in Wales and back via the original Severn Bridge. If you’re interested in a detailed account of riding LWL, head there as this will be a much shorter account. Instead I’ll focus on how I plan to learn from this year’s LWL experience to help my preparations for London Edinburgh London in August. (Both what worked well and what didn’t.) I’ll look at organisational lessons – yes, including charging devices – and personal ones, such as keeping healthy and maintaining morale through the inevitable lows.

I never thought we’d have a second year of fine weather for LWL, but conditions were similar to last year, with the exception of a light but noticeable headwind on the outward leg across the Cotswolds. We were lucky to miss the 28C temperatures two days before – as well as the far colder weather that arrived within 12 hours of the finish. Organiser Liam FitzPatrick is obviously on very good terms with the weather gods…

I was very pleased to complete the ride an hour faster than last year. I largely followed the lessons I mentioned in my 2024 LWL blogpost, although a number of other issues cropped up. Here’s my highlights video for a taste of the experience.

A very big thank you to Liam FitzPatrick and the wonderful LWL volunteers.

Let’s move on to the lessons I learned.

Don’t faff

This is one of the standout tips from my first LEL training blogpost. It’s far easier to gain time at controls, rather than on the road, unless you are a superb athlete who barely stops. I drew up a revised schedule for this one and it worked much better. Last year, for example, I was 70 minutes behind schedule at Chepstow, compared with 10 minutes this year. I climbed to the Somerset Monument in the light, which was nice, compared with last year’s growing darkness.

I’d have done even better had I not been forced to spend extra time at Chepstow and Lambourn controls charging my pesky Garmin Edge 1040 Solar – but I’ll have more to say on that later…

Eat and drink well

Last year, I was feeling underfuelled about 10km before the first control at Islip, and had to stop to grab an energy bar. This time I was in a much better state. Perhaps that larger bowl of granola at 4.35am at home paid off compared with last year’s more modest helping? I did need to eat more between Stow-on-the-Wold and lunch at Tewkesbury Abbey cafe, but that may have been because the headwind took more energy than last year. I enjoyed a baked potato with cheese and beans at the cafe, which set me up perfectly for the run to Chepstow.

Last year I struggled between here and Chepstow. It was a blow to my morale as on paper the first stage to Walford seemed fairly flat. This year I flew along – perhaps helped by way the earlier headwind had turned into a tailwind as well as my better fuelling.

Post-ride recovery

Last year I was so delighted to finish that I neglected my post-ride recovery. I could hardly walk for the next two days! This time I ate a protein-rich breakfast (scrambled eggs on toast) kindly made by my wife Karen, drank a large protein shake (TORQ Recovery banana and mango, since you ask…) and stretched every few hours. The result was dramatic – I was like a spring chicken the next day compared with last year’s old crock!

What didn’t go well – and needs sorting for London Edinburgh London

I’ll start with equipment and organisational failures.

Garmin problems

It was not the sight I was expecting. Glancing at my Garmin Edge 1040 Solar computer at Chepstow, I was horrified to see it had under 30 percent battery left. Last year, it had just as much juice left after I’d completed the whole ride after 20 hours’ cycling. How could it have performed so badly, when according to Garmin it should last up to 35 hours even without any solar boost?

Happily the very helpful LWL volunteers at Chepstow plugged it into the mains after it failed to charge from the integral USB C lead in my power bank. I waited until it was close to 50 percent before deciding I had to set off. I also stayed longer than planned at Lambourn as the battery remaining had plummeted again, but even with these boosts the pesky device switched itself off at least three times in the last 35 minutes of the event. At no point did it warn me it was about to die.

The lesson – apart from always fear ‘Garmin problems’? Test battery saver mode – frustratingly, mine did not give the extra time promised when I switched this on. Also, make sure you have a separate lead for your GPS that is long enough to run from the device on your handlebars to whichever bag contains your spare battery pack. (The built in lead in my power bank wasn’t long enough.) I was tempted to hold the power bank while I cycled, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk of losing control of the bike.

Such matters will be far more important on LEL where you’re not allowed to use mains power at controls to charge devices.

UPDATE: I am now sure that the reason my Garmin lost power so quickly on LWL was that the screen brightness was no longer set to automatic. I have no idea how this happened – but it does give me faith that it will be more reliable on LEL. It is still at around 80 percent of charge after fiive rides lasting around 10 hours.

Test, test and test again – long before the big day

The old tricks are the best. A mega event is not the time to try new equipment, shoes or food. I should have followed this better before LWL 2025.

I’d decided to buy a bigger Restrap saddle bag. I love the way the Yorkshire company’s bags are in two parts: a holster that stays on the bike, and a dry bag that you can remove to take into a control, hotel or cafe. I bought the 18L bag two months ago with LEL in mind, but only fitted it to the bike three days before LWL. It seemed fine. But on the Friday night, 10 hours before starting LWL, I was worried to see that the full bag was pressing against the rear mudguard, which in turn was pressing on the tyre. I soon decided not to spend any more time trying to solve the problem, and fitted my old, trusty 7L Restrap race saddle bag. This last minute panic banished the idea of a calm evening contemplating my 407km ride…

The smaller bag worked well, but I definitely need something bigger for LEL. Fortunately I have plenty of time to find out how to use the larger bag successfully.

Finding things – especially in the dark

It was time to dress for the night. I’d made great progress after the Severn Bridge, and was on the fast section along the lanes towards Malmesbury. I spotted a suitable place to rest the bike safely next to a farmhouse. I emptied the saddle bag to get out my leg warmers, down jacket and long gloves. Before long, various tools, snacks and ointments were spread across the grass. In the gathering darkness I put things back, but couldn’t find the battery for my head torch. (I’d taken it out before setting off, for fear that it would run down if the power button was pressed in the bag. Ironically the result was I had no battery at all…)

As a result, I’ve decided on LEL to use mini bags to group things together (medicines, gels, etc) and so avoid having to empty the saddle bag completely to find things. It reminds me of my 1990s cycle tours with four panniers, when I kept a note of what was in each pannier to give me a chance of finding anything quickly. (See my blogpost about a 1996 tour of Brittany, with the four panniers seen above.)

Don’t rely on GPS and route notes alone

It’s tempting to think that having the route on your Garmin or Wahoo, along with route notes, will see you home without getting lost. Banish that temptation. Your GPS will inevitably send you the wrong way at least once, most likely at night, and in a place where there are no instructions in your notes. Around 11.30pm on LWL, my Garmin told me to turn off the main road through Wroughton, Swindon, and cycle along Priors Hill, and then The Pitchens. I soon found that this was a no through road leading to a footpath. Fortunately I had the route on Komoot, and quickly confirmed that I should have continued along the main road through the village. Sure enough, I soon came to the hill towards Chiseldon that I remembered from last year, which this time was blessed with the sounds of a teenage party in full swing. Thank you, Komoot.

Camera, lights, action…

I love taking a GoPro on my cycling adventures. On bleak winter nights, it’s satisfying watching the resulting video of a gorgeous day’s riding in Portugal or Wales. The newer GoPro cameras are so much better than the early ones, especially with image stabilisation. My latest has a magnetic mount that makes it a doddle to take it off the bike. But I noticed recently that the downside is much shakier footage on poor road surfaces or forest trails. I may need switch back to the old mounting for LEL.

I’ve also taken the plunge and bought my first 360 camera, the Insta360 X5. I like the idea of capturing moving images in surround vision, as it were, rather than having to swivel the GoPro to take a side shot. I took it on LWL to take shots of the start, and of the always spectacular crossing of the Severn Bridge. Unfortunately, every time I went to record a video I accidentally selected timelapse, which means there is little useable 360 degree footage in my LWL video. But better to learn that lesson now rather than on the one-off that is LEL.

Lessons for body and mind

Keeping fit and healthy is critical to successfully completing a big cycling challenge like LEL. Here are my lessons from LWL.

Accept the lows – they will pass

As LWL organiser Liam FitzPatrick told the Guardian in 2018, the mental challenge of epic rides like LWL could be tougher than the physical:

‘What makes it difficult isn’t so much the speed, it’s that you’ve got time to think,” he said. ‘If your thighs hurt or you’ve got saddle sores then you might have another eight hours of this, grinding you down. When it’s three in the morning, when you’ve had a couple of punctures, when it’s cold and wet … that’s when it gets to you.’

You will almost certainly have dark moments on LEL. It might be the sight of yet another hill, torrential rain or a mechanical when you are at a low ebb. I was fortunate on LWL that, aside from the headwind-slog through the Cotswolds, I never found the ride a torment. There was one moment, though, that could have been a text book example of how to take joy from lows. All too soon after Lambourn I saw the sign to turn right to tackle Buckham Hill. It’s a beast when you face it over 200 miles into a ride in the middle of the night. Yet as I paused to curse the ascent, I looked up in awe at the night sky. I was treated to the sight of a crescent moon, and a sky full of stars. How could I complain about a hill when I could relish such natural wonders? Night riding has a magic of its own, at least when the weather is kind. In the words of Laura Branigan in her 1980s song Self Control about audax riding:

In the day, nothing matters

It’s the nighttime that flatters

In the night, no control

Be extra vigilant when tired

I’m amazed what the human body is capable of – even mine. Cycling 407km without sleep? No problem. Yet don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. In the middle of the night, I struggled to clip in to my pedals a few times when restarting after a breather on the steeper hills. I vividly remember telling myself to be careful – it would have been so easy to slip and crash to the ground, risking injury and mechanical damage.

I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to a pair of friendly LWL riders at Chepstow control. They left just before me as one of them was apparently anxious about the night section. As I was half way across the Severn Bridge, I spotted them and a couple of other riders anxiously looking at the rear wheel of a bike. It belonged to the anxious rider. He’d seen it crashing to the ground after resting it against the bridge handrail, presumably while he took a photo. The result: a broken spoke. It reminded me of an important lesson: rest the bike with the drivetrain facing in, so if it falls the derailleurs won’t take any impact. The trick is to remember this when you are tired.

Get the hydration balance right

After LWL 2024, I decided that it had been a mistake to stop adding electrolyte tablets to my water after dark. That decision was based on my inability to move for a couple of days after finishing. This time, I used stronger electrolytes – which proved a bigger mistake. Last year I used Precision Hydration 250. This time, I felt sick after 18 hours of drinking water laced with the stronger 1000 tablets, and so switched to plain water. I didn’t feel like eating anything after my 1am meal at Lambourn. As a result, I probably lost some time over the final 90km. Next time, I’ll go for the weaker tablets.

On reflection, I was probably wrong to blame the lack of electrolytes for my condition after LWL 2024. I was fine this time thanks to stretching and taking on a generous amount of protein and carbs.

Above: what a difference a year makes. Left: a haggard look after finishing LWL 2024; right: all smiles, 2025.

Look after your bum and hands

Saddle sores. Few things are more likely to ruin an endurance ride. On LWL 2025 I should have been better at following my own advice:

Don’t forget to keep your backside clean over the ride; changing into clean shorts a couple of times may help. (Also consider carrying some baby wipes to give yourself a quick clean between shower visits.) I use chamois cream on multi-day rides as this can avoid chafing.

I did apply chamois cream before the start of LWL 2025, but I should have brought some to reapply during the ride. It’s obvious when you think about it that the original cream is unlikely to be in place after 24 hours. As a result, I really suffered for a couple of days after LWL. Had it been LEL, that sore bum would have been torture.

Nathan Clough, LEL 2025’s medical director has written an excellent article on the LEL website about avoiding or minimising saddle sores. Well worth a read.

In a similar vein, my hands were feeling the effects for several days after they’d guided me across 407km. I’d been using new long gloves this time for the night section, which perhaps weren’t sufficiently padded. Or was I gripping the handlebars too tightly? Looking back, I do remember adopting a slightly different hold as the ride progressed, which probably put too much pressure on the palms. About eight hours after finishing I put some muscle pain relief gel on my fingers, which got them moving again quickly. It’s worth carrying some on LEL in case you need pain relief on the road. I’m still pondering aero bars, although I’m not sure it’s sensible to use them as a newbie on a ride when I’ll be tired and need fast reaction times.

Final reflections

LWL proved a great experience, and a valuable training exercise for LEL. I just need to follow my own advice!

My next big event is the Bryan Chapman Memorial audax across Wales and back in June. This is a step up from LWL, with over 8,000 metres (25,000 feet) of climbing over 607km. I’ll have to be on the top of my game to manage it – I can’t afford to put my feet up for the rest of May, unlike last year! It will be an excellent test of my progress towards LEL.

UPDATE: read my next LEL preparation post: Hard Lessons from Bryan Chapman…