All the big rides are done, so it’s time for fretting about kit and buying stuff that may, or may not, be useful.
I don’t need another jersey, but another one is on the way. To be fair, most of mine are slightly too loose these days, as well as being a bit old fashioned, with hemmed sleeves. I’m just vain enough to quite like a tighter cut, with raw edged sleeves and I want to look my best when Team Less Cargo rolls into Writtle. Just look at this. Isn’t it fab?
Also on the way are some more socks. I’ve embraced the short sock and although I have a few pairs, they were cheap and appear to be made of tissue. My feet have magic powers and I can kill a sub-standard pair of socks in less time that it takes to eat a cheese sandwich. A minor factor in my choice of sock is that in my house socks are fodder for the creatures that live in the floordrobe, so I’ve chosen some with protective colouring. Hopefully they might be around long enough to come on LEL before eventually getting lost or being eaten.
Gear and brake cables are on the way too. I haven’t snapped a gear cable for nearly 20 years and my one brake cable failure was 9 years ago, but a chap can’t be too careful. He also needs to consider his USB cables. Mine are decent quality (Ugreen) but I’ve added a USC-C to USB-C cable to the set up. It should be slightly faster than USB-C to USB-A.
Food on LEL is a potential worry. In 2022 it was pretty poor, as far as Barnard Castle. Not much of it, no pudding and bugger all to take away from controls, not even a bananananana. Apparently it got better the further north you got, but that wasn’t much use to me. The biggest problem was finding supplies after hours, because the route went nowhere near any all-night garages. This year is no better, although there are many pop-up cafes along the route. Anyway, just to be safe I’m stocking up on stuff to go in my drop bags. Guava blocks, naturally, but also some meal replacement bars. The marketing is a bit too manly for my liking, but the bars look interesting. A 150g bar (600kcal) should see me through any late night food crisis. They arrived today and feel pleasantly squishy, so I’m hoping they won’t be too challenging to eat. My immediate challenge is not to eat them while I’m sat at my desk.
Also going in the Carradice & drop bags are some pouches. I’ve mentioned baby food pouches before – the various bananananana & porridge versions are really good – but they’re quite light in calories. A 100g pouch has about 70kcal, mainly because they consist of mashed bananana with a sprinkle of oats and a splash of coconut water. Tasty and perfect for those occasions when eating solids is just too much to bear, but not an efficient way to carry food around. I found a company who make grown-up adventure food in pouches, including porridge. Their version is much denser in calories, with more oats and additional carbs from maple syrup. One of their 100g pouches has around 200kcal and the flavours all look nice.
These fancy flapjacks and posh pouches will provide urgent calories at critical moments, but they should also be a treat and a bit of a morale boost. I’m quite excited about trying them and at 2am on some godsforsaken stretch of wilderness I’ll be even more grateful than usual for anything that lifts the spirits.
But there’s more!
All controls on LEL are shoes-off. You really, really don’t want to be walking in bare socks around a control, especially the toilets. Last time I carried a pair of semi-disposable slippers, the kind you’re given at a hotel that wants to look posh. This time I’ve got some beach shoe things. A bit more robust, but easy to put on and I can wear them in the shower.
Last, but not least, I’ve invested in a musette to carry my stuff around in at controls. Just a light cotton bag into which I can throw bottles, shoes and any other odds and sods on arrival, as well as taking away any stray bananananas that happen to be laying around.
Well Chuffed Cycling 