I have won the battle, bring on the war!!!

I decide to try to make it on my bike to Ely and back about 13.5 miles each way. Although it was raining as usual there was no sign that it would improve. I thought I would still attempt it.

I got myself all ready with riding gear (Padded cycling shorts and cycling jersey) with track suit on top and waterproof high visibility jacket.


I packed my high visibility rucksack with things that I may need like tools, puncture repair stuff, pump, mobile phone etc and set off.

The first 5 miles were pretty hard but once I passed that it was plane sailing. I just seemed to carry on, miles and miles, seemingly without getting tired. I passed the half way point and was a little tired but I could still carry on.

I eventually made it to Ely, 13.6 miles and felt great. I rode down the cycle paths until I reached the cathedral. This was the place that I had put down on my plan to reach.

I think you need a goal, it is not good enough to say I am going to cycle to Ely, it had to be to Ely Cathedral, so I found it and took some pictures for this blog.

I rested my bike and High Visibility rucksack down in front of the canon and backed away to take some pictures. If not, I may have been accused of downloading some pictures of Ely Cathedral from the Internet.

The second thing I did was to find a pub.

I thought I deserved a treat for all the cycling. So I found a pub called The Kings Arms and got a pint of Black Sheep and a 8oz sirloin steak with chips. I was like a man possessed with them, I must have burned off my Weetabix breakfast because I was starving, and the pint was well received as well.


I stayed in Ely for a couple of hours (not drinking, before you ask), found somewhere to get some bananas to give me the energy to make the journey back. I had a quick look around the market whilst I was there.

The whole time that I was in Ely it had stopped raining. The moment I sat back on my bike it started raining again. I was feeling pretty full of energy but still a little tired. So I set off.


The first few miles we sluggish, but manageable, then things went from bad to worse. 35 mph gusts were now blowing against me, and they continued most of the way back. It was truly a battle to get back, there were a few times that I felt like giving up, travelling at 8 - 10 mph, fighting all the way back. I found the longest road in the world, pictured to the left, it felt like the longest road in the world but it was only 3 or 4 miles long. At the end of a very very long straight bit there was a turn, to another very very long straight road, it seemed to go on forever. I eventually made it home, absolutely exhausted but I had made it, 27 miles in total, in just three weeks of training I had managed to cycle half the 54 miles that I am going to be riding when I do the London to Brighton. Although I know the London to Brighton will have a lot more big hills. My average speed for this trip was 11.4 mph, which is not bad considering the trouble I had getting back with the wind against me. I consider this a result.