The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
The eccentricity of the long-distance cyclist
Long-distance cycling takes varied forms. In the UK the “LEJoG” or “JoGLE” (Land’s End to John O’Groats and vice-versa) is perhaps the most well-known challenge and one that many riders want to add to their cycling resume.
The actual route itself is not set as there are numerous tracks and roads available throughout the UK; the keypoints are the start and finish locations.
Many riders are happy to complete such a challenge over a number of days, weeks and even months, but there are just as many who want to finish the route in the quickest time possible.
Gethin Butler holds the current men’s “end-to-end” title on a conventional bicycle with an incredible 44 hours, 4 minutes and 20 seconds over 874 miles, set in 2001.
Lynne Biddulph holds the women’s record at 52 hours and 45 minutes, but Jasmijn Muller is aiming to break it in September this year – and continue cycling to beat the 1,000 miles record which currently stands at 64 hours and 38 minutes.
Another facet of long distance cycling is audax riding. Audax, derived from the word audacious, is an area of the sport that attracts a particular kind of rider.
I know several audaxers who would be the first to admit that, in the already idiosyncratic world of long-distance cycling, they are particularly unusual.
One woman I know, upon completion of a 174km ride, decided she needed to continue for another 26km around the hotel car park to reach the magic audax figure of 200km while the rest of us sat down for our evening meal.
Audax riders usually participate in pre-arranged long-distance events such as London-Edinburgh-London, but riders can log their general ride mileage on the Audax UK website based on specific regulations. Each ride is awarded points and riders can measure themselves up against their fellow audaxers.
At the time of writing, my car park riding acquaintance from above was topping the table for women with 46 points so far in 2017.
Such peculiarities in the world of cycling are not uncommon and it is that diversity that makes it such a wonderful and interesting movement to be a part of.
Cycling long distances is already a challenge, but to do it at speed and without a break takes a positive mindset.
Jasmijn Muller has already shown that tenacity by breaking the Zwift Distance Challenge Record which meant she rode 1,627km on a static turbo-trainer in her front room.
I struggle to cycle indoors on my turbo trainer for more than an hour, so for Jasmijn to break such a record shows she has the spirit, resolve and chutzpah to succeed in her LEjoG attempt.
You can find out more about Jasmijn at: www.lejogrecord.co.uk/zwift