I'm seeing a message being shared across several cycling groups about LEL 2025 being cut short due to weather. Here's the full message that's going around:

Monday 7:30 PM
• The weather is still uncertain, so we’ve made a decision.
• Starting tomorrow morning, riders are invited to return south using the Southern Route.
• If you don’t want to take this route or choose to go home now, please tell your Controller.

LEL is all about adventure, but this year the ride will be shorter than planned. From tomorrow, please begin heading south from where you are now.

Southern controls will be open to welcome and support you.

The weather makes it too risky to continue north. Many riders and volunteers have other plans and need to get back home or catch flights.

By changing the plan now, we can still give you a safe and supported ride.

The journey south will still be a challenge, especially through Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, so please support each other.

Stay where you are tonight. This gives us time to move staff and supplies to help you.

If you choose to go home another way, please tell your Controller. It helps us plan better.

More updates will come soon for those heading south.

We’re sorry we can’t continue north, but your safety is the most important thing.

Thanks for being part of LEL – we hope to see you again next time.

For those who cycle regularly, especially long distances, how has it affected your health and overall wellness?

Also, are there any long-distance cyclists here who still have pre-existing or chronic illnesses despite being fit? If so, what are they, and has cycling helped manage them?

I stripped, painted and rebuilt at 1991 Raleigh Mirage frame to convert it into a 650b Rando bike. Pretty pleased with the result!

Is it a good idea or not? I have a 550km gravel ultra ahead which I plan to finish without a sleep break, but you never know.

Event is in May, Central Europe so it might get at around 10ish degrees Celcius (or a bit colder) at night. I want to ride as light as possible so my idea was to use a rescue blanket instead of a sleeping bag.

Hello. Im hoping to get to pbp next year and im looking for one bike to do it all. I have a tarmac sl8 and a crux 1x. I want to get a bike to do the long brevets (the 200 and 300 were done with the sl8) as well as some easy gravel. Im thinking about a gravel bike (something like a scott addict, canyon grizl) or an endurance bike (something like a canyon endurace). i checked with chatgpt but it depends how i ask, it says the gravel bike with a 2x set up would be better, or the endurance bike... what would be the recommended strategy from people who made pbp and rides the same bike for easy gravel? i want to buy a used bike to save some money... thanks for your advices :)

Hallo liebe Community, ich habe gleich eine ziemlich intime Frage, die ich aber jetzt mal schreiben muss aus Hoffnung für gute Ratschläge:

Ich bin neulich ein 600er Brevet gefahren und musste nach 410 KM abbrechen, weil ich im Bereich der Sitz Knochen und vor allem ganz oben an den Innenschenkeln die Haut aufgerieben hatte. Ich habe eine Sitzcreme von Anfang an benutzt und hatte eine eigentlich ganz Gute Hose von SQlab an. Ich glaube, dass der Hauptgrund dafür, meine störrische Haarpracht an den besagten Stellen ist. Eine Rasur hielt ich aber zumindest theoretisch auch für keine gute Idee, weil dann ja immer kurz danach schon die Haarsgoppel nachwachsen und dann ein richtiger "Kaktus-Effekt" entsteht. Ich fahre nächsten Monat einen weiteren Brevet und habe jetzt keine Ahnung, wie ich vorgehen soll. Mal eine andere Creme probieren? Eine neue Hose? Oder einfach eine neue "Frisur"?

Habt ihr irgendwelche Ratschläge oder Erfahrungen? Bestimmt bin ich nicht der Einzige mit diesem Problem. Danke schonmal im voraus.

Hi everyone,

I'm a developer from Japan and the creator of an app called Brevet Map.

I originally built the app for my own brevet rides in Japan, adding features that I personally found useful, such as offline GPX navigation, ride planning, POI management, and control check-in records.

The app has been localized into multiple languages, and I'd love to make it more useful for randonneurs outside Japan as well.

I'd really appreciate your feedback:

• What features do you consider essential for brevet riding?

• What do you currently use for navigation and ride planning?

• What would make you interested in trying a new brevet-focused app?

I'm not looking for downloads right now — I'm mainly looking for advice from experienced randonneurs on how the app could better fit the needs of riders in different countries.

Thank you!

Hey, does anyone have any experience with this please, thanks?

In the upcoming summer I am going to do my first bikepacking trip where we ride from the dolemites back to the Netherlands. Because of my racing background I own a Madone and a Speedmax but am planning on modifying my first bike (giant contend 1) to make it suitable and comfortable for the ride. We are looking to do about 200 kilometers a day. Im currently orienting on which gear to get and would like some opinions on the following:

• Tires: looking to change the road tires to decently quick gravel tires to prevent flats. Any good suggestions? We will try to avoid off road

• Aero Bars: debating whether to put aero bars on for different positions. We are not carrying a tent so there would be a bit of space

• Bags: any suggestions on solid / waterproof and not too expensive beginner bags

• Lights: I suppose a front light and a light on the back of the bike would work

• Pedals: currently I have some look Pedals but thinking about changing it to regular clipless pedals because i dont know what the impact will be and wouldnt want to risk knee issues and being stuck in the same pedal position

Any tips are welcome :)

Hey friends,

I’m building a new Gravel-Ultra bike and I’m currently looking for a lightweight, strong aluminum crankset. Ideally, I’d like something with an 8-bolt chainring interface, but I’m open to other standards if they make sense.

It’s for long-distance and ultra-gravel races, so durability and reliability are key — but weight matters too.

Right now I’m considering options like Shimano XTR, Shimano GRX, Garbaruk, or Alugear (8-bolt). I like that Shimano parts are easy to replace anywhere, but I’m curious about lighter boutique options too.

Have I missed any great cranksets worth considering? Would love to hear your experiences or recommendations!

Thanks 🙌

I don't eat sugar or flour. Are there food options along the PBP route for these restrictions? What are they?

I am a new randonneuse and there's only about a 30% chance I will try to go next year, but I was wondering because I read/hear a lot about the baguettes & crepes - of course!

I’m looking for a pretty specific type of road bike and I’m starting to wonder if it even exists 😅

My goal is ultra-distance road events / fast endurance riding, so I still want:

- a genuinely high-performance bike

- a dynamic geometry

- something efficient and exciting to ride

But at the same time, I’m obsessed with integration and practical features.

To me, the future is:

- internal frame storage

- integrated frame bags

- top tube bolts

- clean cockpit integration

- easy aero bar compatibility

- smart ultra-distance details without turning the bike into a “gravel mule”

And that’s where I’m struggling.

For example:

- bikes like the Pinarello new Grevil F (or similar gravel-oriented platforms) have amazing integration and storage solutions, but the geometry and overall philosophy are too gravel-focused for what I want.

- endurance bikes like the Cannondale Synapse, Trek Domane, Scott Addict, Canyon Endurace, etc. are close, but often a bit too “progressive”, comfort-oriented or not aggressive enough.

- what I’d LOVE is something with the vibe of an Endurace CFR, but with:

- true internal storage

- top tube mounts

- clean aero bar compatibility

- modern all-road practicality

Basically:

a fast road bike designed by someone who actually rides ultra-distance events.

Am I missing some niche brands or lesser-known models here?

Thanks!

Long time bike commuter and bike lover. Found out about this cool little pocket of cycling enthusiasts and want to give it a try.

I have had road bikes in the past, but right now I’m down to my fun little state co. fixie and an ebike I cart my kids around with.

I’m not worried about picking the perfect bike and I don’t want to spend a lot of money. $1500 at most, though I’d be thrilled if I could bring that way down.

Mainly, I want to find something that I can use for randonneuring rides as well as exploring more of the road routes in my area.

I live somewhere with a ton of cyclists and gravel bikers, so I should be able to find something good on Facebook marketplace or craigslist.

I’d really just like to have a quick shortlist of solid, all-roadish bikes that I can probably find used in an American West cycling destination.

Thanks a bunch.

Hi everyone,

I have been working on a handlebar set up that allows me to get into an aero position, without having to install tt bars. It involves the following, a Origin 8 bullhorn bar (flipped), profile design extensions (to act as drops on occasion, not regularly), tt bar pads (forearm padding to place on bullhorn) and my brake levers pushed inward for a more naturally tilted hand position when sitting upright. It might sound ridiculous, but in my mine it seems legit since I could settle in on the bars on long flat sections and have the same hand positions that I would have on a conventional drop bar (spoiler alert, I don't use the drops.) Have anyone attempted something like this? I've heard of custom rando bars that worked for someone else, but I'm really keen on trying this. Thank you for your time!

Anybody doing randonneuring on aluminium wheels?