Adventures in riding far

    Rando Imperator 600: Crossing the Alps in two days  652 km 3381 m altitude  38.5 hours (max. allowed 43 h) Strava files here and here . On 4 and 5 September 2021 I took part in the Rando Imperator, a 650 km audax from Munich to Ferrara, brilliantly organised by Witoor , a cycling tour operator from Ferrara. For long stretches the route follows the old Roman road via Claudia Augusta, giving this randonée its name. I was part of a field of 140 cyclists that set off from Munich at 4.30 am, most of them Italians who felt quite chilly in the early autumn temperatures of Bavaria. Still night, we followed the gravel path along the river Isar, which was barely visible through the dark forest.  A chilly start in Munich    The gate of the coal mining village of Penzberg wishes us "Good luck" The Alps already visible in the distance  When dawn came, we found ourselves in the rolling hills of the pre-Alps, mist lying over the fields and cow be...

    London-Edinburgh-London 2022 1530 km Time limit 128h 20'  Strava file   7 August 2022 301 km 1768 m elevation It’s 10:15 on the big day, the start of LEL, and I’m feeling on only moderate form. I’d tried to bank sleep in the run up to the start, but have actually been sleeping badly for days. So when my starting group – U – gets going it’s a relief to finally stop worrying and be on my way. The first few kilometres out of London are stressful; there is too much traffic and the other riders seem a bit hectic, but after half an hour or so we are in the rolling fields of Essex and I begin to settle in. Some of the other riders from the U group are still bouncing around and one of the overseas riders nearly gets hit by a car on a turn, because he was looking the wrong way.  At the start in Debden I start chatting with a rider who is more evenly paced – his name is Ian and he is a doctor from Newcastle – and we pick up a silent Brazilian rider and make good prog...