Gideon's London – Wales – London

Gideon Rabinowitz recounts his London – Wales – London, (or Chalfont St Peter, Chepstow return) epic ride.     

"Well, that’s 2025 challenge No. 1 in the bag, or my 11th Audax of the season. It was my 5th LWL ride, having previously finished twice and bailed twice. Every time, the big hills at Symons Yat and the Somerset Monument defeated me. So this time I think I knew what I was doing, fit and ready to meet my demons - hills!

LWL organiser Liam Fitzpatrick knows a thing or two about flashing rear lights, especially in the dark. In fact, every other line in the rider instructions alluded to his distaste for said devices. Numerous Facebook posts warn riders that they would be attacked by zombies or badgers in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, as that is where the night section goes through.

Liam is the perfect foil to my humour, and I’ve even accused him of being deluded in believing Neil Armstrong did land on the moon and that the Earth is not flat.

At 5.30, I was at Chalfont St Peter community hall, which was heaving with cyclists in a variety of gear. No two were dressed the same until I met one of the LEL (London Edinburgh London) organisers, who was wearing the same 2025 jersey and 2022 Gilet as me. Honestly, the shame of it! It was good to reconnect with a number of Audaxers and also Liam, who runs the event.

The start was at 06.00 sharp, and Liam briefed us about the state of the roads and the abundance of badgers on the route. I don’t have too many memories of the run to Islip apart from the memory of 2024 heading down a hill without brakes! Had a nice conversation with a guy who turned out to be a Cub Scout leader from Finchampstead and we compared notes on risk assessments, (exciting!) and the frustration with participants who don’t bring what they have been asked to… a real bug bear of my wife, who is a real Cub Scout leader.

Arriving at Islip (60km) was like a ‘welcome home’ from Danial, the LEL organiser, who was delighted to see me resplendent in my LEL gear both in 2022 and 2025!. Cards stamped, (both of them as I got a special flashing light card from Liam), a good fill of food and off I was again.

The run to Tewkesbury, at around 145 km, was along familiar roads, undulating but nothing huge. I occasionally cycled with some riders I’d met on previous events before rolling into the town, heaving with shoppers and tourists, and making a B line for Greggs, where there were many other cyclists for our fill.

My next stop was Welfor, an info control at 187 km, where there was a suitable watering hole and time to snack, drink, and gird my loins for the challenging climb to come at Symonds Yat, which, on every previous occasion, had me walking and panting to get to the summit.

En route to Symonds Yat, I followed a huge articulated lorry that I really thought was going to get stuck and prompt a rapid reroute. I have to confess I was very nervous at this point, but much to my pleasant surprise, I climbed the first three ramps without any issue, and then the road was blocked by traffic. A nice driver waved me onto the last ramp, which must be at least 20%. It was tough, but doable on this occasion!

After that, the rest of the climbs, before the descent into Chepstow, felt easy, even St Bravels, which in previous events had left me with palpitations. I rolled into Chepstow at around 4, just over halfway, feeling warm and strong. I had a good fill of an excellent chilli plus numerous flapjacks before refilling my bottles and heading off across the Severn Bridge.

It was still daylight, and as I proceeded across the southern edge of the route, it remained warm and bright right up to Wootton Basset. Memories of 2023, the last time I made it this far, came to mind; it had been dark and cold, and I had struggled. I climbed the Somerset monument again, another one that had defeated me on previous attempts. Even the stop at Wootton Basset didn’t feel urgent but was welcome nonetheless, along with more layers.

Even so, the light was starting to fade, and by the time I’d got to Baydon, just above Lambourn, it was dark. I zoomed down the hill to Lambourn to be guided into the control by marshals…

I must admit, I arrived much earlier than expected, and my planned faster detour along the A4 was no longer feasible as it was simply too early. Anyone who knows that stretch of the A4 will understand. Nevertheless, after a good serving of beans on toast and adding more layers, I was ready to go – though I did take a 10-minute snooze before venturing out.

Now, with just over 300km covered, you really have to make up your mind about finishing this. It’s cold and dark, and I’ll be passing within a mile of home, but then I remember also why I am doing this, so I want this to happen.

At this stage, the organisers like it if you can form a group during the night, but I had my plan to use local knowledge to go a bit further but avoid numerous hills, so off down the Valley Road I went and onto my own route at Great Shefford. This is when I felt really alone at 11.00. You have nothing but your light and GPS device to look at, and the world looks very different from the daytime, and the feeling of isolation is very strong.

Happily, all went to plan, and I found myself back under the street lights of Newbury at Grove Road before climbing onto the B4009 to direct me through Hermitage. Then, approaching Hampstead Norreys, my GPS units started to pick up the route, and that confidence-inspiring green light appeared (no, not zombie stares!), and I was back on route… a few minor hills before the steep descent onto Streatley.

Then I crossed into Goring, where I started to see small lights coming towards me; whatever could they be? As I got closer, it turned out to be a nighttime running event in Goring! I thought, ‘they must be nuts’, but then again, who am I to talk? I tackled the big climb to Crays Pond, then the gentle rolling backroads where I met another rider before descending into Henley. This section was tough as it was now past midnight and getting very cold.

Into the last control, a 24-hour garage, a haven for long-distance cyclists, hot chocolate and that all-important receipt obtained before donning more gear for the final section to the Arivee. The last stage featured nice fast roads into Marlow, which was deserted, as we were now well past midnight. It included one last nasty hill, which Liam, the organiser, described as ‘that last slap in the face when you don’t need it’; a sharp right turn down a tiny back road before coming out onto familiar roads to guide me into the centre of Chalfont St Peter and the finish. I arrived at almost 4:00 am on the dot – 22 hours after the start, well within the cut-off.

It was lovely to be greeted by Liam, to whom I presented my cards for the final stamps, some rice pudding (it’s all I could stomach), and a 10-minute snooze before my departure. I had my last bit of Flasher banter with Liam, where I told him that by asking riders not to use flashing lights, the badgers would have less to do and spread more bovine TB to cattle. I think he told me that he loved me, but it may have been a profanity-laced phrase asking me to go home!

The bike was easily dismantled, and I slumped into the car, glad for a very quick journey back to Newbury and through the front door at around 6. Shower and collapse was then the order of the day! Or was it two days?

So that was my first challenge for Dad and Jeroen completed. It was no less tough than I expected, but it went better than I could have hoped. Now I have June to look forward to, the 600km Bryan Chapman Memorial, and more unfinished hills business!"