Good and bad news.
Have finished the 150k version of Phil and Friends in under seven hours. Under seven hours! Six hours 58 minutes and 54 seconds to be precise. It was most strange, at one point I was 4th on the road. 4th! Now don’t get me wrong I know it isn’t a race and in fact most of the time I was worried I was going too fast and was going to blow up. Arriving at Edale Youth Hostel at 11.35 I stopped for coffee and beans and toast, and was swiftly back on the road, and then came Winnats…
Who put that there? Winnats Pass Looms
…now most people who cycle in the Peak District know that Winnats can be hard. Not particularly long, the gradient is 20%. But today a headwind funnelled through the pass and half way up I was down to 3.5 miles an hour and the next thing I had a foot on the ground and then there was no way back. Had to walk the rest.
Still, under 7 hours! Actually, I was riding with another guy when we got to the Hollow Meadows turn at 6 hours 47. The time was achieved by riding the descent to stannington at an average in excess of 30 mph. Reckless, probably. Satisfying, definitely.
Tags: CTC, Cycling, Phil and Friends
