The best keepsakes from a big ride are the ones you will actually look at again. Sort your photos while they are fresh, write half a page about the day, get the medal or number out of the drawer, and print the route. For a multi-day ride like Land's End to John o' Groats, you can put every day on one print so the whole journey sits on a single wall.
This post is for the rider. If you are buying for someone else who has just finished, my guide to a gift for a cyclist partner is a better place to start.
Why it is worth marking a big ride
Big rides take months of planning and training. Then the day, or the fortnight, comes and goes and normal life carries on. A few weeks later the details start to blur: the café that saved you, the headwind across the moors, the climb you thought you would never get up. A little effort now keeps those memories, and gives you something to show the people who sponsored or cheered you on.
The rides people most want to remember
Land's End to John o' Groats
LEJOG (or JOGLE, if you went the other way) is the big one for a lot of UK riders, roughly 900 to 1000 miles depending on the route. If you are still planning yours, I've written about cycling the length of the UK. If you have done it, the keepsake ideas below are for you.
The Coast to Coast
Whichever version you rode, crossing the country from one sea to the other makes a lovely shape on a map and a good story at the pub.
Your first century
The first 100 miles (or 100 kilometres) is a milestone every keen rider remembers. It is often the ride that turns someone from "a bit into cycling" into a cyclist.
The Etape du Tour
Riding a real Tour de France stage on closed roads is something most people only do once or twice. It deserves more than a medal in a drawer.
Charity rides
These carry extra weight, especially if you rode in memory of someone. A keepsake can be a way of honouring them as well as the ride.
A sportive that finally went to plan
Sometimes the most satisfying ride is a local sportive you have struggled with for years and finally nailed.
Keepsake ideas that last
1. Sort your photos within a week
Go through your phone and pick the best ten or so photos. Delete the blurry ones and put the keepers in a shared album or a small printed photo book. A handful of good images means more than three hundred you never scroll back through.
2. Write a short ride report
You do not need to be a writer. Half a page on the start, the hardest moment, the best bit and how you felt at the finish is plenty. Note who you rode with, where you stopped and the weather. In ten years this is the part you will be glad you did.
3. Display the medal, number or brevet card
A simple box frame or a hook near the bike keeps them out of the drawer. Some riders frame their number next to a photo from the day.
4. Keep the kit
The event jersey, or the cap you wore all the way up the country, is part of the story. Even if you retire it, keep it rather than sending it to the charity shop.
5. Print the route
This is where I come in, so I will be honest about my bias. A printed map shows the actual line you rode, with your distance, elevation, time and date if you want them. It is the one keepsake that shows the whole ride at a glance, which is why it works so well for end to ends and tours.
6. Plan the reunion ride
Some of the best memories come from sitting down with the people you rode with and planning what comes next. A ride on the anniversary is a nice way to keep the group together.
A multi-day print: the whole LEJOG on one page
No single Strava activity shows a trip that took days or weeks, which is why a multi-day print makes such a good LEJOG keepsake. Here is how I would put one together.
- Gather every day. Find each day's ride on Strava, or export each GPX from your bike computer. There is a guide to getting GPX files from Garmin Connect if that is where your rides live.
- Add them one by one. The builder places them in the order you upload them, so reorder if a day lands out of sequence.
- Choose your stats. For a tour, total distance, total elevation and the dates of the trip usually look cleanest.
- Add a title. Something like "LEJOG" with the year and the riders' names keeps it personal.
- Check the preview. Make sure every day is there and the line joins up as you expect.
If one of your days is missing from the Strava list (it happens, especially with older rides), download the GPX for that activity and upload it instead. If a day was never recorded, you can recreate it by creating a GPX file from the route you rode.
For more on colours, text and framing, my Strava poster design guide goes into the detail.
If you would rather not deal with the files at all, the Done For You option means you send me the GPX files and details, I make the map, and you get a proof to check before anything is printed.
Keepsakes for the Etape and the big climbs
If your big ride was in the mountains, a map of your own ride looks great next to a poster of the climb itself. The Tour de France posters include some of the famous cols. And if Alpe d'Huez is next on your list, here is my guide on how to ride Alpe d'Huez.
FAQ
What is a good LEJOG keepsake?
A printed map of the whole route with every day on it, your total distance and the dates, alongside a few good photos and a short written account of the trip.
Can I combine several days of riding into one print?
Yes. Add each day's Strava ride or GPX file to the builder and reorder them if they are not in sequence.
What if part of my tour was not recorded?
Use the days you have, or recreate the missing section as a GPX route and add it. If you are unsure, get in touch and I can help.
Can someone else make the map for me?
Yes. With Done For You I make the map from your files and send a proof before printing.
Give the ride a place on the wall
If you have a big ride behind you, it deserves better than sitting in your Strava feed. When you are ready, you can start building your map in the map builder. A3 prints start from £35 and every print is made in the UK.
