I woke up early for the Wander Wye 600km Audax, my biggest ride this year. I ate my standard pre-ride breakfast of two fried eggs and a bagel (500 calories), along with oatmeal and coffee for an extra 250 calories. I felt fueled up for the challenge ahead.
The first 60km to Henley-on-Thames were fairly flat. My heart rate stayed in Zone 2 (around 125 bpm) as I rode with a group I met at the start. We hit the Chilterns hills next, and I worked harder to keep my heart rate below 150bpm on the climbs.
I stopped in Wallingford (130km) for a cheese toastie and coffee. I’d burned over 2000 calories already. Fueling is always tough on these long rides. I aim for 500 calories per hour on the bike.
The ride towards Stow-on-the-Wold was stunning – quiet country lanes reminiscent of a postcard. I devoured an egg sandwich from Cotswold Baguettes. Leaving town, I passed the spot where I’d bailed on this ride in 2019 with hip pain. I felt strong this time. In Worcester (290km) I refilled with a sandwich and flavored milk (500 calories). My power was steady, averaging around 150 watts. Night fell as I climbed into the Brecon Beacons. Temps dropped, so I added layers.
Exhausted, I stopped to nap around 330km. I probably slept only 7 minutes, but it was enough to finish the last miles to Chepstow. I managed 2 hours of sleep there before starting again at 7am. The rolling terrain towards Chippenham was stunning in the morning light. My calories burned was up to 7000 already though. At Starbucks I had two paninis (800 calories), which revived me for the final stretch. At Ascot (around 550km), I took a quick stop to drink recovery milk even though I wasn’t hungry. The rain was picking up but seeing other riders stopped gave me motivation for the final leg.
I finished in under 34 hours – not as fast as I’d hoped but I was proud to earn my Paris-Brest-Paris qualifier. Time to sign up for PBP!
Leave a Reply