By Mike King
I was up early on Sunday morning for a 6.30am start to my ride. Fortunately, I hadn't had too much to drink on Saturday night so I was feeling OK, if a little sleepy. The light traffic and early morning sunshine were some compensation for getting up at the crack of dawn and made all the difference to what was a really enjoyable first ride in my contribution to Johnson King's 2012 Gold Challenge.
My route was a loop that took me from Greenwich out into Kent and then back to Greenwich, a total of just over 50km. As I set off, my first challenge was to cycle up Maze Hill, a steep incline that starts less than 100 yards from my house. Maze Hill isnt very long but with a 10% gradient it was a bit of a shock to the system at that time in the morning, particularly when there had been no time to warm up. Still, by the time I reached the top I had woken up and was ready for the rest of the ride.
From Maze Hill, it was good varied run out through Sidcup to Farningham then Wilmington, Bexley Village and back to Greenwich. A total distance of 52km covered.
My next ride is in a couple of weeks, by which time I’ll have a new bike. Sarah's bought me a carbon framed racer for my birthday and hopefully it'll make Maze Hill a little less challenging.
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