by Date: 31st May 2015
Distance: 175.7km
Average speed: 23.7km/h
Well, that was really, really hard. It took me just under 8 hours to finish, the conditions were far from ideal (it was very windy and wet at times) and my legs were sore before I started!
The first 50 miles or so weren’t too bad, although I was in full wet gear due to the forecast of showers (which did appear throughout the day) so I wasn’t as comfortable as I could be. The main reason for the good going was the tailwind, which would soon bite us on the bottom when we turned around for home.
I have been struggling for fitness ever since my health problems last year, and my legs especially are suffering – I think I maybe overdid it at the start of the year and have various aches (my quadriceps tendons and IT bands especially), so for the last half of the ride I struggled whenever the road went uphill. The last stretch from Chelmsford onward was horrible, directly into the wind and my legs had gone, I would crawl along at 16km/h for a while before getting a burst of energy, quickly to fade back to 16km/h again!
Many thanks to Geoff who did the whole ride with me, I’m sure I slowed him down quite a bit. I need to let my legs heal up properly and get properly fit before attempting another century.
The organisation itself was top-notch as always with KILOTOGO – the route was well signposted, food stops were well stocked (and the hot drinks in the last stop were really appreciated!) and the finish line commentary was good for morale! I had a massage at the end which was definitely needed, otherwise I would have been a wreck the next day!