Hi all
I’m very lucky to have got an entry to LEL!!
How should I focus my training?
I’ve done long rides in the past like Mallorca 312, Pisa to Sicily with 9 consecutive 100 mile days. But no ultra endurance stuff.
My current FTP 250 at 80kg!
What plans would you advise? The event is in August
Thanks in advance
Look up all the stuff that @GoLongThenGoHome has posted.
There are several threads with Audax, Randonneuring, or Ultracycling in the title that are all a good starting spot for research.
You already know how to do the event from a cycling perspective based on prior events. To get better at riding long, ride long. Now you just need to get better at self-supported events by doing self-supported events. Join your local Audax / Randonneuring club and participate to the maximum. 
Congrats and good luck. Proper mental attitude is much more important than cycling power to make sure you finish. And since the first finisher and last finisher get the same award / medallion, make finishing your goal.
Sounds like an exciting opportunity!
We’d recommend using our recently updated Plan Builder to get started. It’ll lay out everything for you based on your recent training/riding. Choosing a “Gran Fondo” Specialty Phase focus would likely be the best fit for your event.
The tips from @mimod are great as well! Fit long rides into your training schedule when you can work them in. Just be sure to consider how they’ll impact the rest of your plan, too. Red Light Green Light can be super useful with that and it will let you know if you need a little extra rest as you train through your plan.
Hope that helps point you in the right direction – feel free to let us know if you have any additional questions!
Funnily enough, tomorrow I will be riding past the Writtle start, on a local winter audax.
Lookup the LEL 22 discussion.
Most weeks in training you don’t really need to go beyond a longest ride of 5-6 hours duration. Any Randonneur organisations nearby? Aim to complete a 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km series before LEL. Another good one is to do 3 x 250km on back to back days. A long weekend of long days. That’ll teach you most of what you’ll need.
Where are you based? If you are not used to Northern European weather then get out on long rides when the weather isn’t great. Last edition was a hot one (for Brits), but if it’s more typical UK summer, it’ll be colder and wetter than non north Europeans expect.
If you are not used to riding on unlit roads, then get out at night, and become comfortable with it. LEL isn’t signed other than a few km either side of controls. Get your navigation and gps usage nailed.
Good luck with your build up. I am helping at a northern control this time round.
Learn what you can keep eating without upsetting your stomach. You’ll have got a glimpse of what is involved with those 9x160km but 5x300km is a whole new level of putting way more calories in your mouth than your body is used to or thinks it needs!
As above, once you can do multiple back to back hundreds with no body problems it’s really just about the fuel and sleep. Find the foods your body can process in large quantities with as little distress as possible. Dried Mango does wonders for me to settle the stomach whilst still providing energy when I start struggling with “real food”. Same goes for chocolate or salted caramel milk.
Find what works for you before LEL on regular events as it’s a little late to experiment in August.
Thanks for all the advice guys! Much appreciated 
I’ve got a few audaxes lined up 300k in April and 600ks in June and July. Time to try out fulling correctly, as think I’m normally a under fuller…
As you say the mental side is massively important. I’m ready for the tears and hopefully the elation of finishing followed by the it’s done deflation.
I’m uk based so happy with weather conditions. I think 
Do any of you have recommendations for aero bars. I’ve not used them before but I my longer rides I do suffer with neck and arm discomfort but as to be expected!
Think it would be real benefit to have the extra position for many reasons. I’ve bee looking at Zipp Vulka with 50mm risers.
I know ideally a good bike fit would help! Although I’ve had them in the past with mixed feelings about results. Also I can’t justify the cost at present so wanted to dial them in on the turbo before heading out into the big bad world 
Thanks again
Hey, I’ve not done LEL but this advice may help that I’ve learnt the hard way doing other big audaxes.
Do an SR first. The pain of a 300 is different to a 400 (no sleep) which is again different to a 600 (sleep, but knowing you have to suffer the next day).
Try and get to the point where a 200 is just a nice weekend ride.
On the event
Keep going until you really need to sleep and then sleep at that control. Don’t sleep when your friends sleep, or when you get to an ‘overnight’ stop. If you’re a bit wired, being stuck in a room full of snoring, farting, grumbling old men does nothing to help sleep. I had my best sleep on a bench somewhere in Wales on the Mille Cymru 
Ride at your own pace and be prepared to ride solo.
If you get really bad saddle sores sit your arse down on the saddle until they burst. In my experience open sores are less painful than big pus filled blisters.
Take saddle cream
Take gels. They are expensive but work well between controls if you cant chew any more sweets.
Mints are good
Half Coca-Cola, half water in bideons with some electrolytes works well for drinks
I’ve used Redshift QR aero bars since doing LeJog solo in '22. They’re more for hand/arm relief than anything else however are also nice to have when you are heading into the wind. I use the QR ones as my Audax bike is also my Winter Club bike so they are on and off several times a month. Another benefit of aero bars is you can strap a drybag lengthways underneath them and push gilets/rain jackets through the gap between the bag and bars on those showery days.
Make the decision soon so you have time to get used to the position and strengthen up the muscles required to hold it for longer intervals, the stress you are relieving from your hands has to go somewhere else
Most Rando / Audax riders have their aero bars jacked up such that your shoulder / head height doesn’t change when going from the drops to the aeros. Thus, this will not help with neck pain. For most of us, the aero bars are really just another position to reduce hand numbness. A small bit of aero gains from having your elbows brought inboard, but that’s almost an afterthought. Aero for a Rando / Audax is a completely different thing than aero for a triathlete.
Personally, I use the Profile Design Sonic Ergo 45AR Aero Bar with some healthy-sized risers. Can’t use them when riding in a group or paceline, but since 85% of my riding is solo, it’s a nice extra position for the hands and arms that I find very comfortable.
I’m sure it’s not the case, but I’d caution against the 600 in July being too close to LEL. If it’s the beginning of.July that’s fine , but I wouldn’t do anything that long within 3 weeks of LEL.
You need to be shedding any audax induced fatigue closing in on the main event. You want to start rested with a strong body, immune system tip top. The big events like LEL really do test both your physical and mental weaknesses, and will find any chinks.