Entries for London-Edinburgh-London – Britain's toughest bike ride – open at 6pm today (+ video)

Entries to London-Edinburgh-London 2017 (LEL) open today (Friday) at 6pm. Held once every four years, this decidedly challenging event is not a race, but riders have just over 100 hours to get back to London. The 2017 edition starts on July 30.

Entries will be limited to 1,500 riders. Guaranteed entries and those available to Audax UK members have already gone.

Tickets will be made available in three batches, at 6pm, 11.59pm and 7am tomorrow (Saturday, January 21). If they sell out, a waiting list will be set up.

The entry fee is £319 and includes food; beds in dormitories and showers; two bag drops to selected controls; and a moto crew and rescue service along the route.

For details of how to buy tickets, click here.

The 2017 route is 1,433km long and involves 11,128m of climbing. A route sheet is provided as well as GPS details.

The route passes through the fens of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire before taking in tough climbs in the Pennines and Scottish Lowlands. Quiet country lanes are used wherever possible.

Along the route there are control points where riders can get hot food, showers and somewhere to sleep.

According to the organisers, Audax UK: “The food is basic but there will be plenty of it. We provide inflatable beds and blankets in sports halls, and we’ll even give you a wake-up call if you need it. Our bike mechanics will do their best to fix your bike if it’s broken, and we can help if you get sick or can’t finish the ride.”

This is the eighth edition of LEL with the field having grown from just 26 finishers the first time around.

London Edinburgh London - Official Documentary from MadeGood.films on Vimeo. http://www.madegood.com/