I asked for some advice earlier in the week before I set off and I followed around 50% of it, just wish I followed the rest.
The trip took me coast to coast, Devon to Somerset on day 1 then on day 2 Somerset to Berkshire. I’d planned way to many miles for the first day and, while I expected to be slower, I was much slower than that. There was also almost double the climbing predicted by komoot and with a 25kg bike it made me tired quickly. I also got some advice here to watch my stop times and I quickly found that it was taking much longer than expected. On the plus side the scenery was beautiful at the top of the 20% inclines. Day 1 was 111 miles, 7000ft elevation.
Unsurprisingly I pulled a muscle with all the climbing of day 1 so had to modify the route to reduce elevation. Day 2 was much colder with lots of rain and many flooded roads but I got there in the end. Day 2 was 90 miles, 4000ft elevation.
Next time I would be more realistic about route and speed and double check that the GPS isn’t going to direct me up a duel carriageway at night. I’d also pay closer attention to food as I was only left with sugar for the last 15 miles of day 2 and that made me hit the wall as I needed proper food.
Looking back, I had a great time.
by fixitmonkey