Tony: Well what started as a ride in the country turned out to be a real slog….Peter and I left home at 6.45 on Sunday and headed for Dorking. All good, dry and the sun was almost threatening to make an early appearance.

Arrived in good time and registered and lined up to start, which is when things started to go wrong. Peter had borrowed David’s bike and had not used cleats before, so having clicked in he was unable to click out…first challenge, clearly if you don’t click out you fall off !!. Anyhow a quick lesson at the start seemed to work and off we went…only to be stopped at the crossing for the A24….and Peter couldn’t click out, thank goodness for a friendly lamppost……any way drama over and off we went again..all going well then some hills, then some more hills, box hill among them, bloody hell !!!

Then it got comparatively flat. First food station, went past and doing ok, approaching 70 k and a saddle malfunction noticed by the fact that my knees were hitting my chin, so off the bike adjusted, thought it was a little tough ! Stopped at the second station to get some more water and then on the last leg…..well, around a corner and across a road and their it was, the steepest hill I have ever seen….nothing in the legs and baled about half way up. However walking was even harder…not great, actually walked past someone who was still trying to cycle up it, now that was strange !!!

Anyhow complete the 140k in just over 6 hours great work out, but Peter had injured his knee..so a bit of a worrying, but no doubt in my mind he did it trying to get out of the cleats and I’m sure he will be fine, at the Physio todayfingers crossed….next stop New Forest two weeks….