300 km (186 miles) / 12h | My Personal Cycling Challenge

On June 15, 2026, I decided to break my personal record and cycle a loop of just over 300 kilometers (186 miles). I turned the whole venture into a challenge with the following tier system:

· Bronze: Just finishing the 300 km (186 mi) distance;

· Silver: Completing the distance before sunset;

· Gold: Finishing with a net moving time under 12 hours (hanging a virtual gold medal around my neck).

The plan for gold was ambitious but doable… if it weren’t for a few major hurdles:

· First and most important: I ran a 100 km (62 miles) ultramarathon just two weeks prior;

· Second: Because I was focusing almost entirely on running prep, I hadn’t fully built up my cycling legs yet this season;

· Third: The unpredictable weather. I caught the tail end of a weather front that brought cold temperatures, a relentless headwind for a huge chunk of the route (and a crosswind for most of the rest; it only stopped bothering me during the last 50 km / 31 mi), and even heavy downpours on a few sections.

The route took me:

· From Rzeszów;

· Past the Julin Palace (built in 1880 by aristocrat Alfred Potocki);

· Along the shores of Lake Tarnobrzeg (flooded in 2009 on the site of a former open-pit sulfur mine);

· Under the Krzyżtopór (Crossaxe) Castle in Ujazd (built in 1644 and burned down by Russian troops in 1770);

· Through Staszów, Połaniec, and Mielec;

· Ending back in Rzeszów.

If you'd like to see how the journey looked in motion, I’ve made a video for YouTube. It’s a scenic, music-driven, mostly POV vlog. I don’t talk much, but there are full English subtitles available if you want to follow along with the story!

https://youtu.be/N-gTj19y4Zo

In the end, I fell quite short of the gold medal, but hitting the 300th kilometer (186th mile) at 7:50 PM – about 54 minutes before sunset – secured me the silver. My net moving time was 13 hours and 55 minutes. Along the way, I took two longer (about 10-minute) food stops and 3 shorter stops to take photos. Thanks to carrying enough energy gels and isotonic drinks for the entire route, I didn't have to make any store stops.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/18983426264