I completed the Wiggle Spring Saddle Sportive on Sunday which was my longest ride yet at just under 75 miles.

I managed to complete it in 4 hours 42 minutes at an average speed of about 15.9 miles per hour which I was very happy with. I managed to pace myself better than in previous rides and still felt pretty good at the finish despite a headwind over the last few miles.

I’ve got more training rides lined up this week before taking on the Norwich Cycle Swarm on Bank Holiday Monday which should be a nice challenge over 70 miles.

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Early days still with my training but so far, so good. Off on my longest ride ever tomorrow – 72 miles – the Wiggle Spring Saddle Sportive. It should be a good challenge although the forecast is for it to be quite windy which I’m not looking forward to.

Over the past few weeks I’ve completed a couple of long rides. Firstly I did a 53 mile Ipswich Bicycle Club social ride, managing to get into a faster group than I expected , which meant I did my fastest 50 miles ever by miles (17.5 mph average)! It was really tough and I ended up holding up the rest of the group towards the end, which was a bit embarrassing.

Last weekend I took part in the Boxford Tornado with my fellow tennis referee Alan. It was a 60 mile sportive around Suffolk with the first half being relatively comfortable but the second half was really tough with a strong headwind. Alan finished much stronger than me, but we made it round in one piece.

Here we are at the finish about to tuck into excellent tea and cake.