Unknown territory! 200 miles 😬

So up until the 23rd of April my longest bike ride was 135 miles in 2018, I had done a few rides of similar distances and am now fairly comfortable with 200km / 130 miles. However I need to go further, much further! So the next hurdle towards achieving a 2022 Super Randonneur is a 300km event. I chose to enter the Oasts and Coasts 300 down in Sunny Kent. My club mate Eddie was keen to give it a spin as well 👍.

Having booked a Premier inn near the start I realised with the ride to and from the hotel it would be a 200 mile ride #doublecentury 🙂.

So after a 04-30 alarm we rolled out of the hotel at 05-15. After a quick coffee and croissant at the start we headed south at 6am. The first 100km were easy and fun, all new roads for me lots other riders in various small groups the first 3 control points passed and onwards towards the coast at Rye. It was here I was reacquainted with my old Nemesis.... Head wind and wow what a head wind this section was the dreaded Romney march, pan flat and the local riders had warned us to beware 😳. The flat featureless land accentuated the wind, but we had 8 riders in our group so we started a chain gang to share the work. This 25 mile section was hard but would have been brutal solo. We reached Hythe at 160km for lunch. 

by the shingle beach we found a pub for lunch before heading once more into the wind. The next 40km through Dover and Deal was quite frankly horrible. Just me and Eddie rough roads lots of slow shared use cycle ways and hills with very strong headwinds. When we reached deal I was grumpy like a bear with a sore head. We still had another 100km to do we had gone from flying along to a snails pace. After a mars bar and Lucozade we pushed on now with another group of riders, we knew as we gradually rounded the coast the wind would eventually be across and then maybe just maybe help. 🤞🤞🤞🤞

After dinner at Herne Bay we eventually had a tail wind..... Ohhh I love a taily 🌪

We now flew along weary but eventually making good progress. The last pitstop a 24hr garage and with the light now fading Eddie was finding things tough 😕,  his back aching and his bike making some worrying noises 😢 we limped along lights now on full power in the dark. I however was having a second wind, so was keen to keep pushing this wasn't what Eddie wanted 😅 but reluctantly I kept myself in check. Then he punctured the tyre sealed but it would not hold more than a few psi. We limped to the finish Ed and his bike battered tired but we had done it ! Pizza waited for us as a reward for a hard long day in the saddle. 

201 miles,  10774ft of elevation. 

Door to Door it took 17 hours but i felt good and could have carried on if necessary.

Great confidence boost for bigger challenges ahead.

400km next up in May all for the MND Association. 

Before heading home the next day I even bagged 4 @100 climbs in the area in another 40km ride 😃