So..... That 150 miles over a weekend..... Done, well 155
Saturday, set off just after 7am, I wanted an early start just in case of any problems en route and to head out of Southend before the traffic build up. It's about 11 miles before you hit the country roads, at that point I feel I can start to enjoy the ride. It's unbroken, no stop-start at traffic lights every so often.
First stop was about 33 miles in and 4 miles south of Colchester, a snack comprising of half a chicken sub, half a pack of salt N Vinegar crisps and a few swigs of drink. Total fluid level for each ride was 2.5L, two 750ml bike bottles with electrolyte tabs and two 500ml bottles of juice. I also had strawberry laces for sugar intake and delish content along with breakfast bars to eat while riding.
The other 2 towns I had to encounter was Colchester first which took me right through the high st and Ipswich. Both were fairly straightforward, they both had cycle lanes which helped me thread my way through. Ipswich was more hitting the outskirts and easier. Once I passed them both it was back to country roads. The beauty of the Garmin Edge Explore is that you choose the destinations and it picks the most cycle friendly routes, you can also edit the route if needs be using the Garmin connect app. Plan the route on the app, switch on Bluetooth then the phone pairs with the sat nav device and sends through the route.... Easy.
After Ipswich I did stop a couple more times and arrived at my destination at 1pm... 78 miles. I didn't take any photos on the Saturday as I was concentrating on riding an unknown route, however on the return route I made a point of stopping whenever I wanted to take photos. It's not about hitting the average speed it's just as much enjoying the countryside and fresh air.
A great ride there and back, I'd like to do it on the road bike to see the difference in time.
Check out my activity on Strava:
https://strava.app.link/rURCt5ir8db




