Vic and I completed the Pedal for Scotland Glasgow to Edinburgh bike ride on Sunday. The weather was awful - it rained solidly for 4 1/2 hours but it was fun (in a semi-masochistic way).
I finished the ride in about 4 hours 40 minutes which was a little more that I had hoped, but I had calculated my ideal time based upon the route being 47 miles. Once I started, I discovered that it was 55 miles this year! (See here, especially the line "Even though 47.5 miles might seem like a huge distance...") Not too bad in that case.
My goals (in order) were to
- Finish
- Average 10-12 mph
- Not to stop except at the four official stops
- Not to have to push the bike at any point.
I managed all those goals, averaging 11.5 mph (including the time at the four stops) and managed the whole ride without dismounting - even up the road hills from South Queensferry to Dalmenie. They were a killer given that we had cycled over 40 miles by then.
Thanks to everyone who sponsored us both. Once you include gift aid, we managed to raise £862 for Alzheimer Scotland.
Will I do it again? Probably. Next time I will definitely be taking a road bike as oppose to my mountain bike though.