With the RideLondon now less than 4 weeks away, last weekend was all about getting some serious mileage under our belts for my twin brother Tim and I. We plotted out a 70-mile route between London and Southend (pronounced Saafend) and headed out bright and early on Saturday morning.
We quickly learnt a couple of valuable lessons: not having a mounted GPS device can cause all manner of wrong turns, and humid conditions mean open season for every type of fly imaginable. Saturday was certainly a messy one, our faces resembled some sort of Jackson Pollock painting by the end of the ride and we easily added on an extra 5 miles by getting lost on the quiet Essex roads. I’ve since learnt that for many areas around the UK, Saturday 12th July was Flying Ant day, a rare occurrence when conditions are just right for the Queen ants from all manner of colonies to take to the skies in the hunt for male suitors. It was hideous. Ants aside it should be a welcome change when the RideLondon comes around that we’ll be cycling on closed roads and along a clearly sign-posted route. The Essex ride itself was just right, with roads that were undulating but never impossibly hilly, and enough snacks and fluids to ensure we didn’t need to stop for long when we did.
Like most others, however, taking on the RideLondon, I remain anxious about how I’ll be feeling when Leith Hill and then Box Hill come around, at miles 55 and 65 respectively. Much is said of Box Hill but Leith Hill climbs almost the same height in two thirds of the distance so that will certainly take its toll on the legs. Come mile 50 I’ll be guzzling down on whatever energy bars I have on me!
In terms of what the next 4 weeks have in store, for better or for worse (definitely for worse) I’ll be spending this coming weekend at Latitude festival, which will be a test of endurance and restraint. The weekend after I’ll be looking to get somewhere close to 85 miles in the tank and on the last weekend before the big day I’ll be heading out to Surrey with Tim to do a 15 mile reconnaissance cycle up Leith Hill and Box Hill. After that I’ll be carbo-loading my way to Sunday August 10th for what should be a day to remember!
