{"id":125,"date":"2008-07-13T09:11:02","date_gmt":"2008-07-13T08:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simkin.org\/wordpress\/?p=125"},"modified":"2008-07-14T09:25:30","modified_gmt":"2008-07-14T08:25:30","slug":"are-we-there-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/simkin.org\/wordpress\/?p=125","title":{"rendered":"Are we there yet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I finished the Essex Countryside Bike ride. It was 58miles long. They lied.<\/p>\n

According to my computer, it was 62miles. When the 58mile mark came and went, I was running out of steam. My usual training rides are 15-30miles so this was always going to get hard for me towards the end. But I did it.<\/p>\n

It was looking initially like I would not make it due to having to walk to the start after suffering two punctures at Rayleigh high street. I picked up two bits of glass. The first gave me a puncture. The second did for my replacement tube. The friendly mechanic at the start soon got me on the road though.<\/p>\n

I managed to buddy-up with a local chap named Jason. He did well for most of the way but got his own puncture just after the halfway point. I have to admit that his lack of fitness meant that I kept losing him and waiting for him to catch-up but after about the 45mile mark, I carried on alone. I managed to see him at the end though, so I know he did make it in the end.<\/p>\n

As far as the ride itself goes, there are a few gentle climbs until we hit Danbury where it seems like they stack the hills, one behind the other. There are no Ditchling Beacon style climbs, so I didn’t need my small cog at any stage but it kept the knees working hard for a few miles.<\/p>\n