Distance: 109km
Total time: 5h30m
Saturday marked my introduction to the world of audax with my very first randonnée. Despite some rib pain the weekend before, I’d signed up on a whim and fortunately recovered by the time the day came round.
An early train from London and a short cycle left me in Girton for this years Cambridge autumnal 100, loading up on flapjack and coffee as we all waited to be set off.
The first couple of controls went without a hitch - it was a beautiful day, Cambridge is crazy flat, and I spent a while chatting to a fellow randonneur as we passed 2nd and 3rd through the first control (32km).
Passing through the second control (Thaxted, 60km), I got my brevet stamped at the local post office, and decided to temper my initial hunger by buying a big ol’ bar of chocolate to take with me. As I set off, disaster struck! My knee started seizing up: clearly jumping into a 100km cycle off the back of a couple of weeks of not cycling was going to catch up with me eventally.
As I gradually found myself slowing down, I stopped off a couple of times to stretch my quads and did by best to hobble onwards. At that point another cyclist caught up with me and, clearly having seen me devour that chocolate bar over the couse of the last half an hour, very worriedly asked me whether I was having a sugar crash 😆. A combination of stretching and chatting to said cyclist saw me through to the next control (Saffron Walden, 72km).
Cycling in, we split off, her in search of a Tesco while I looked around for a takeaway. Finding a local chippy, I bought some fish (and also some chips, because card minimums), and wandered up to the common for a standing stretching session while eating my fish and chips. This seemed to amuse the other passing cyclists as we recognised and waved to each other.
Finally it was time to move on, and I kept a manageable speed that avoided my knee flaring up again. One info control in Balsham (86km), and I was on the home stretch back to Cambridge (itself an adventure since the tourists and locals were now out on the streets in full force) and, just beyond, Girton.
