Going into this sportive I was a little tentative after poor signage in other recent events, but I needn’t have worried.
This was the first Sportive I had entered that was sponsored by Wiggle, and this will not be my last - the event was organised very well and the signage could not be faulted.
I delayed my start a little, waiting for the roads to dry up a little bit more, and by 9am it seemed about the right time to set off.
Heading towards the start line, I found another Redhill rider – James - waiting to begin. He’d already been briefed by the organisers so went on his way with his friend, while I held back and got the information and left a couple minutes later.
Apart from having to cross some busy junctions, the first half passed quite easily, with a few hills here and there, but nothing too bad.
Anticipating a lonely ride and to help me get up any tricky climbs, I decided to make use of my mp3 player, which is packed full of dance music. After 50 miles I was still in high spirits, singing along to my music (now hoping no one heard).
But then I reached Fittleworth, and more importantly - Bedham Lane, where the incline caught me off guard. I don’t know how long it went on for, but I do know there certainly wasn’t any singing and the climb seemed to go on for an eternity.
Once the incline was over, it took a while to get back into my flow, but a well timed energy bar kicked in at just the right time, and off I went determined to keep my pace up above 17mph.
There were still some testing inclines which wouldn’t usually cause many problems, but after the approximate 60 miles and the wind increasing somewhat, it was a struggle,
Thankfully, the home straight soon came into view and I crossed the line feeling happy that I’d completed the 65 mile route and hadn’t entered the longer one!
Finishing stats: -
65.5 miles in 3hrs 33mins 46secs (64.5 shown on the Garmin)
Average speed in the end was 18.5mph (18.1 shown on the Garmin)
And I managed to get the gold, so this time I go away a happy boy.