London Edinburgh London 2022

On August 7 around 1500 riders, including myself, set off on a 1550 km round trip by bike from London to Edinburgh and back to London again.

Saturday, 6 August — Registration

With the amount of riders attending the event, registration takes place the day before the start. It was an opportunity to meet riders and start getting to know some of the army of volunteers that had come from around the world to help make the event a great success. It quickly became apparent that this was a big event! Volunteers at every turn were making sure all the riders were welcome and where they were supposed to be.

Sunday, 7 August — Day 1

In the build up to the event, riders could choose the start time they preferred. The early riders were off at 06:00 on Sunday morning but, as I did not get my requested time slot, I was due to start later at 13:30 on Sunday afternoon. For me, that meant that most of the field would be ahead on the road so I would always have company and wheels to aim for. It also meant that I had a short first day to cover as many miles as I could.

Ready for the start

Monday, 8 August — Day 2

By now the full extent of the task ahead had dawned on me. Day two was always going to be a test. With the previous day’s miles in the legs and the increasing elevation to come, things were about to get tougher.

North York Moors
Pennines at 00:50
Brampton was a busy checkpoint so sleep was whereever you could find a space.

Tuesday, 9 August — Day 3

Having reached Brampton, and after a few hours sleep, I was in a much better state of mind and had decided to continue on. It seemed that with the Pennines behind me, I could start to think about getting to the halfway mark; my next goal.

Carbs, carbs, carbs

Wednesday, 10 August — Day 4

Having got some rest under the table, I was ready to start the next section and left Eskdalemuir at 04:00. Today was going to have to be another big day to keep on track with my schedule. Leaving the checkpoint I was greeted with a misty start and an immediate climb out of the valley. It was only once we topped out over Saugh Hill that the mist gave way to a clear morning sunrise.

06:00 River Esk at Longtown

Thursday, 11 August — Day 5

The finish was in sight but it was still 320 km away. I had managed to sleep well at Hessle and had started a little later than planned at 06:12 in the morning. If I was to finish within my 100 hour target I would need to arrive back in London by 17:30. A tall order by my standards but the terrain for this last stretch was much flatter than any of the previous days.

Cambridge
London Edinburgh London route

Stats

Day 1: London to Louth
Distance: 246 km / 153 mi
Elevation: 1414 m / 4642 ft
Moving time: 09:37
Sleep/eat/faff time: 4:13
Elapsed time: 13:50
View on Map My Tracks

A full brevet. Job done!

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MD at digital agency Tinderhouse and founder of Map My Tracks.

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Nick Tatt

MD at digital agency Tinderhouse and founder of Map My Tracks.