Conquering the Poor Student Perm

Nearly a year ago, on a cold October day, we set out on the Permanent version of the Poor Student 200km audax from Oxford. It started out well, but eventually unravelled due to the cold temperatures -- I had not developed a system for keeping my feet warm. We made it around in time, but the last segment was certainly one of the most miserable times on a bike for me. I really did not want to be out in the cold any longer, and I made the decision at that point not to ride another 200 until the weather improved.

My audax career hasn't been particularly illustrious since then. We DNF'd the Dartmoor Devil in October and then the Shaftesbury Spring 200 in March (as temperatures remained wintry until April). Since then, I've spent time in the audax community helping out on various rides, but haven't actually managed to complete one myself. The prospect of finishing the audax season without a single point to my name seemed unacceptable, so I was happy to register myself along with Alberto to try again to enjoy the Poor Student Perm, this time hopefully in slightly better weather.

Early morning mist heading out of Oxford

We caught a 6:20am train from London to ensure maximum daylight riding time. It hurt to wake up that early, but it was the right decision as it also meant we got to enjoy quiet roads on our way out of Oxford. We rode the route in reverse, meaning that a stop at the Peartree service station, start- and end-point for many an audax in the area, was required. We got a receipt at the cashpoint and were headed out of the station when lo and behold, Justin from AC Hackney was pulling in!

He was coming off of a double header of the Dean 300, having bivvied in a field nearby the night before! Only in the audax world could a random service station be a bustling meeting place!

After a brief chat we were off again on our way to Chipping Norton. It was a lovely, misty morning and I was really enjoying being on the road bike, which I really haven't spent much time on this year. We were making pretty good time, and enjoyed a quick snack from a french bakery in Chipping Norton. The owner warned that rain was coming--he could tell because his bread was very soft--and sure enough just a few minutes after departing we starte getting some light rain. Fortunately it didn't last long; we didn't have to put on our waterproofs.

Cotswolds beauty

The section between Chipping Norton and Malmsebury (through the Cotswolds) has the only hills of the route. They're not outrageous, but Alberto reminded me that I had walked two of them last time around. Personally I have no memories of last year's attempt apart from the fact that my feet were cold. Anyway, this time I didn't have to walk any, although some were definitely tough, but I guess all that fully-loaded touring has made more of an impact on my fitness than I thought.

We made it to Malmesbury at around 2:30 and decided to have a proper rest in a cafe there. We had courgette soup and a hot drink, which really hit the spot. It wasn't cold out, but it was too chilly to stop for very long without adding extra layers - so it was nice to sit inside.

My legs had started to feel tired just as we approached Malmesbury, but after a rest they had pretty much recovered their full strength. We headed off on the final stretch still with a good amount of daylight left and still in good spirits. What a change from last time.

Snack break as the light starts to fade

There was a section after Malmesbury which was very unpleasant with heavy traffic. I'm not sure if it was the time of day, the road itself, or something else, but it was stressful and we were very glad to eventually turn off of it. Although my legs were now feeling fine, my back and neck muscles were not used to the road bike position and had started to bother me quite a bit after so many hours in the saddle. Similarly, for some reason my butt was hurting much more than it normally does.

This had the effect of making me look forward to the finish, but at the same time I was not unhappy. I did not experience  an emotional low at any point during the ride, something which is common for me on rides where I push myself a bit out of my comfort zone. I ended the ride feeling very spent, like I had worked hard, but I hadn't suffered. It's been a long time since I've hit that perfect balance and it felt great.

Ride report: South Bucks Winter Warmer 200 audax

Another early start, with a train out of town while it was still pitch dark. This time I was headed for Buckinghamshire, where I would be one of 62 starters on a cold December day.

The forecasts were for cold temperatures, possibly below 0 degrees celsius overnight, which implies the possibility of ice on the roads. That put off quite a lot of people, but still, 62 of us set off at 8 am. Quite impressive. Terry, the organiser, had put together a ride that was a good example of excellent value for money: £5 for a eat-as-much-as-you-want breakfast, and even more hot food at the finish!

Initially heading South, I tried to stick with the fast guys, but after pushing hard, I never managed to actually get to their group. It seemed pointless to try and keep them in sight, so ended up relaxing a bit. Eventually I got together with a guy on fixed wheel for the first half of the route.

2 min before the off

The roads were not bad, traffic-wise, as it was still early in the morning, but the ice was always in our minds. Although we did not encounter much, on a couple of shady sections (luckily uphill ones) my wheels slipped a little, yet not causing any trouble. Both my companion and I started taking it really easy on every turn though, and especially downhills.

At the first control (60 km into the ride) I got some quick snacks and pressed on to Alton. The following km were possible the best of the whole route, not flat, but not too lumpy. Really great lanes as we entered Hampshire, certainly much better than those of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

 I started to feel a bit weak and stomach pain made its routine appearance. I told my companion not to wait for me, and I carried on on my own. A few miles before Alton, the route called for the busy B3400, which yet a B road, was not pleasant at that time of the day. We know there are riders who are confident and don't mind (or actually love!) main roads. Also, I thought why people drive at 3 pm on a Saturday? Isn't it siesta time? Anyway, it just did not feel right to be on such roads so tried to press on so as to get those miles out quickly. Back on the lanes and onto Alton it was lovely countryside.

Some lovely lanes in between sections of not so busy nice roads

Once in Alton I stopped for some food and had to rush to the toilet. After feeling a lot better, fed and hydrated, I continued on the next section. A long-ish hill just after Alton was next, which was a good warm up. The sun was shinning though, and I overheated a bit, despite it being surely near 2 degrees C. Progress on the lanes was good. On some of the fields I began to see people standing with fancy camera gear and equipment, staring at nothing. Weird I thought at first. A few minutes later, I saw a lovely steam train making an appearance through the farmlands, with its massive tail of stem! Later on I learnt it was the Princess Elizabeth.

The Princess Elizabeth as taken from http://www.cheddington.org.uk/

A few mile later though, I had one of the most random and off-putting sights of my time in the UK. While coming down a rolling hill, I started hearing something that sounded like gun shots. Not that I've ever heard many since I used to go mountain-biking on the Madrid hills, but I was quite confident it was something along those lines. I was right. A whole bunch of guys where shooting with their big rifles to what looked like man-shaped targets. Was it real? What kind of ammo were they using? I was about to go past the hedges, meters in front of them!

Fortunately, nothing more than gravel got splashed at me (or little bits of something). Surely they were not using real ammo, but I left thinking...what the hell!?!? I was on my own, so could not discuss with anyone, but freaked out all the same. 5 min later I saw another unsual sight, which answered one of my long-standing questions that only emerges while out riding: who cuts all the hedges on both sides of the quiet lanes? See below...

Hedge trimmer tractor similar to the one I saw

GPS indicated a few more minutes before the sunset was due, so without delay I tried to cover as much km as possible before temperatures dropped back down to around freezing. Yet again, a sudden stomach pain called for another impromptu stop at a pub.

Night navigation was easy, along some lanes on our way back up to the start. But because we went near Reading, traffic was quite heavy and sometimes intimidating. I should remind myself of avoiding rides that go so close to big towns, or as it seems, to the West of London.

With some 40 km to go, it was totally dark, so still on my own and with no people visible in the front or back, I continued along the B3030 for a while. Although a nice rolling road, traffic was still bad. Being dark and still on busy roads was not pleasant, so only hoped to get back to the lanes, which I eventually did.

Ford, apparently up to the 1.5 m last week due to bad floodings in the West. Luckily down to "only" 0.5 m now

I was making good progress to get on the earlier train back to London, but another urgent visit to the toilet caused a bit of a delay yet again. Some riders went past me, and I eventually decided to give up on catching the early train and relaxed a bit towards the last 20 km or so.

Unfortunately, the last 15 km were again on ridiculously busy and fast roads, which I did not enjoy. The A4010 was specially bad, and eventually made it to the finish with a bit of a bad feeling about the whole ride.

Although it did have some very pleasant sections, particularly towards the Oxfordshire and Hampshire areas, I felt a lot of the time we spent on fast, busy roads. The organiser, his wife and helpers were extremely nice though, and the service they provided was amongst the best I've come to enjoy on audaxes. And all for a mere fiver. But the route does need some improvement in my opinion. Surely, the route is not mandatory, and you could take to the lanes, but with the abundance of quiet roads in that area, I think things can be bettered in future years.

After a much needed hot meal of chilli con carne, bread, and rice pudding, I gave my feedback to the organisers and thanked them for putting out a good ride. They assured me that other riders had suggested route changes on the busier sections as well, so I might reconsider coming back if this appeals in future rides.

I managed to loose all the ride stats, but overall I finished it in 10 h and 22 min, which considering all the (toilet) stopping was not too bad. It had also been my longest winter ride to date, and luckily it seems that I got my stuff right, including the layers. With a long base layer, a short jersey, winter jacket, wool socks, winter socks, shorts, leg warmers, head/neck buffs, and thick winter gloves with liners, I never felt cold or uncomfortable. Food and drink were also ok despite the stomach problems. We rode for about 205 km, and the rolling average must have been about 24 km/h.

Next long ride won't be until January. Still trying to decide whether to DIY it or do a perm, as none of the calendar appeal much. Will see...

Ride report: The Poor Student 200 (permanent version)

It's well known within the cycling and sports community that if you stop working out for longer than a month, you loose your fitness pretty dramatically. What it was meant to be an easy 200 km ride around the Cotswolds in October, proved to be an slow drag in chilly autumnal conditions.

I have set myself a goal of keeping active throughout the London winter this year. By active, I mean, riding at least one 200 km event every month. I could not find any suitable calendar events (i.e. events organised by AUK with a decent amount of audax riders), and so I decided to sign up for our first permanent event. These are events that you can ride any time of the year, provided you let the organiser know in advance. Similarly to the regular calendar events, proof of passage must be obtained along the way.

Below is the route (courtesy of Mike) we ended up doing, with only three controls: Oxford, Malmesbury, and Chipping Campden. Easy navigation and just over 200 km, with rolling terrain.

Given Lucy had been off the bike for a while, I anticipated an slow ride which will go on through some of the dark evening hours. With that in mind, we set up the bikes for night riding and set the alarm at 5 am. After an hour ride on the train to Oxford, I collected my receipt (Lucy won't be registering her ride) just past 7:50 am and off we went.

Deciding on what clothes to bring out for this ride was a bit difficult. At this time of the year it can be chilly at the start, but then it usually warms up in the central hours, to then plummet back to below 10C. As that was to be the case, we each had at least 4 layers of synthetic materials, plus leg warmers and long finger gloves with liners, just in case. Also, a couple of buffs.

8:30 am, leaving Oxford

The first 10 km or so were an easy pootle out of Oxford. Soon after that we started passing pretty villages and were out in the farmlands. The temperature was surely below 10C, but we warmed up quickly and I was comfortable. We had about 75 km to Malmesbury, another popular town within Audax UK as it is used on rides such as the Dean 300. So far, the route had been very quiet and pancake-flat, yet I noticed that our average speed was not particularly high.

Somewhere near West Swindon we hit a closed road sign. As it usually happens on these rides, we went through it and eventually hit a barrier with a no cyclist no walkers writing on it. Despite the best of our efforts to go through it, we got turned away, having to retrace some 8 km and do a bit of navigation to get back to original route. The GPS came in very handy, with all the roads shown up on the screen, it did not take us more than 30 min to loop back to the planned route. We had lost some valuable minutes here that would mean less time to get back to Oxford later. The only high of this diversion was a very old-looking bike chained on to a fence, showing a 1930s date, and a very old leather saddle.

Malmesbury had its Saturday market on by the time we got there, and with that, plenty of traffic. I find it amusing how people happily get stuck in traffic jams on a Saturday morning, in a random Cotswolds town. Wiggling through traffic I got my receipt and headed off for a quick bite before we carried on. At an English pattiserie we had a difficult time trying to choose between the usual staples: flapjackes, scones, rice cakes, and sandwiches. We wished we were in France/Belgium/Spain and their traditional bakeries here!

Malmesbury Saturday market

After a half an hour rest, we set out North towards Chipping Campden. The second section of the ride promised some Cotswolds hills and nice views. When we hit the 100 km mark we were still in good spirits, but after another 15 km we started to hit the first steep hills. Lucy had to walk a couple of them, and I soon noticed that this wasn't being the best of her days on the bike. After so long off two wheels, she was having a hard time and we still had 80 km to go. The hills came one after another, and despite their relatively short length, they proved challenging at times.

Lucy escaping the threatening clouds in the background

Steep downhill as we crossed the Cotswolds

Our speed had dropped to less than 20 km/h moving average, and I started to worry about making it back to Oxford on time. Also, we needed to eat something proper, so many hours after our early morning breakfast. The scenery was good and the roads still very quiet, most of them following national routes.

Luckily we cleared those clouds in time

Chipping Camden was about 135 km into the ride. After an steep descent into the village, we went past some very posh-looking houses, and soon were looking for a café to have a warm meal. Doing this proved difficult, not only because of the ridiculously steep prices (even worse than we experience in London!) but because most of them were not even serving hot food. It was 4:30 pm or so, certainly not a good time for lunch nor dinner in the UK. £5.75 for a cake was also ruled out as an option.

Eventually we had a sit down meal at one of the only two pubs of the village. Lucy got saussage and mash, while I got a simple tomato soup. It was getting cold and rain started to drop over our bikes, but we had the luxury of a fire and some warm food.

Riding into the last 60 km

Shortly after 5:30 pm we set off for the last 70 km of the ride. Lucy felt a bit better, yet her legs were not responding as well as they had been earlier in the year. We made slow progress and had to stop a few times to eat some snacks. The temperatures were still reasonable for this time of the year, yet she felt cold and did not seem to be enjoying the ride very much.

Cannot get any better than this! 6:30 pm, sunset and corn fields

The route got a lot flatter here on, and we even had a bit of a tailwind. Sunset was also fast approaching - my favourite time of the day to ride. Lights were turned on and within half an hour we were back to night riding mode. It was 7:30 pm and we had another 20 km or so to go. Lucy was feeling a bit better, so we pressed on, making it to Peartree services, on the outskirts of Oxford, by 8:30 pm. Still within time, I got my receipt while Lucy pressed on to the station. I rode quickly after Peartree into central Oxford, caught up with Lucy and continued on to the station to obtain my final proof of passage.

At 8:50 pm we had officially completed the ride, nearly 13 hours after we set off in the morning. Shortly afterwards we were heading back to London, after what it had been an enjoyable ride in reasonable autumnal weather.

This completes my October ride, and am now looking into the November options. Lucy had a harder than expected time after all the time she spent off the bike in September. The route was quite flat overall, and fairly quiet. I intend to be back to do this same ride in January, when the actual calendar event takes place. It will surely be a much colder day, but the company will hopefully help me ride a bit faster.

The overall stats were as below:

- Overall km: 210 km
- Overall average: 16.5 km/h
- Moving average: 20.4 km/h
- Max speed: 51.2 km/h
- Time on the bike: 10:32
- Time stopped: 02h 15 min

A pootle around Oxford

Last weekend, while Alberto was busy completing the Dean 300km audax, I spent a lovely day in Oxford. I had planned to participate in a 5K there, but wasn't feeling my best, so I settled for a day in Oxford, with my bike.

We had forgotten just how much of a cycling town Oxford is. It's very different from London though -- cyclists take it easy, they don't rush around trying to race each other -- and they rarely wear hi-viz or helmets. It was a pleasure to ride around amongst them, especially with the comparatively light traffic!

I had my commuter bike, or Gordita as she is affectionately known, which was great because it meant I could leave her locked up and explore on foot when I wanted to, without worrying.

Gordita and the Bridge of Sighs

Mainly I just pootled around and did some sightseeing. The weather was fabulous and I spent a long time just reading in the park. Before I knew it, it was time to meet Alberto and go out for a well deserved (for him at least!) meal. I'll admit I was a little jealous of his 300, but I'll be doing my own soon enough.

Sometimes it's nice just to take it easy and enjoy a different side of bike riding!

Ride report: Dean 300 (Oxford to Wales and back)

On a very damp day in January I decided to go and enter the Dean 300 along with some other events. It was one of those days when I needed to plan something, to have some good rides to look forward to. Maybe it was just another distraction or excuse to not write more thesis?

The truth is, the Dean appeared to be one of the must-do events on the Audax UK calendar. The numbers were quite intimidating though: 307 km, 4000 m of climb, and in March. At the time, I had only one 200 flat-ish event under my belt, so it really looked like a serious challenge.

Came March 23rd, and we were in Paddington Station, minutes before the rush hour, on our way to Oxford. I had managed to convince Lucy to come with me, although she would not be riding the event this time. The Dean is named after the Forest of Dean, where the ride goes through in the first half. It is a loop starting from the North of Oxford, to Chepstow in Wales, and back. For the curious, the route looked like this:


We arrived in Oxford in time to grab some dinner, cycle around a little, and head up to the room. While in town, I managed to spot what it looked like audaxers: mudguards, steel frame, cap, bright lights, all qualify as attributes to long distance machacas. Upon arrival in our hotel, we met a couple on a tandem, who were also doing the ride. Was in bed by 11 pm, set the alarm at 5:15 am and tried to get some good sleep. At 3 am I was already awake, thirsty and nervous.

No need for alarm ring, as was awake by 5:00 am, but not out of bed until 5:30 am. Shortly afterwards I started to hear fellow riders wheeling their bikes out of their rooms. I was running late, as always. Left the room by 5:50 am to find out that the start of the ride was not where I was expecting it to be. And it was very foggy. Luckily, saw a couple other riders who pointed me in the right direction. 5:55 am and I had my brevet card in my jersey pocket. According to the organiser, some 75 hard souls were awake on a cold, foggy Saturday morning, in a random location North of Oxford, ready for more than 10 hours on the saddle. We do this for fun. And it is so much fun, honest. With English punctuality, Andrew, the organiser, waved us off at 6 am.

5:55 am, 2.5 degrees, 307 km ahead. Note the machacas on fixed wheel

Oxford to Stow (44 km)
The first leg of the ride went by pretty quickly. It was rather cold and everyone, or at least the group I was in, pressed on. For the first 30 km or so I averaged more than 29 km/h without putting in too much effort. Had an interesting chat with one of the riders, a PBP finisher, and a five times Dean finisher. He emphasized on the importance of keeping yourself hydrated, and I was more than happy to take on all his advice. After all I am just a newbie in this world. As a consequence of this, I guess, I was soon needing to go for a pee, which dropped me off the main group. Although I tried, I could not manage to get back to the fast peloton, and so I rode the remainder of the 14 km by myself. The sun was trying to come out, and at some point I had a great view over the valley, with the thick layer of clouds at the bottom.

Fog and the sun trying to come out. 7 am

Rolling hills and the fog I'd just left behind

Got to the first garage control, minutes after it had just opened, and in good spirits, although a little chilly. My hands were so cold that I could barely bring the bike to a stop at the garage, and almost had my first fall of the day. Luckily this did not happen. I was soon in possession of a receipt and carried on.

Stow to Newent (57 km)
We were now entering the Cotswolds. That meant more ups and downs, which was good, as I was still a little chilly. Although I started off with two riders, I soon had to let them go, as they were putting a pace that was not realistic to keep up for the whole day. Behind me was Frank, a rider that I knew from other long routes, and another veteran of this long distance thing. It was on one of this hills when I saw a guy riding a frame that I had been looking at in the past. The temperatures were rising now, and the three of us made our way through the Cotswolds chatting about the usual: bikes, rides, and equipment.

When I looked at my computer, I had clocked up more than 100 km in 3h and 40 min, without pushing too much. Group riding makes it a lot easier, and this was my fastest ever 100 km. Shortly afterwards, we stopped at the next control, where I stocked up on water and grab some food. Frank had already left before we even realised. Experienced audaxers do not faff around controls!

Quiet lanes, fog is clearing up now

Newent to Chepstow (49 km)

The next leg involved some little climbs, mostly through the Forest of Dean. I departed Newent with Ulfson, who happened to be my companion for the rest of the ride. We were soon following other riders, and cought up with Frank. A bunch of us navigated our way through dense pine forests. I was quite impressed by this little forest, and reminded me of my travels in Sweden. Despite what we were told, the roads were not actually that steep, or maybe it was because it was so nice that we were not even bothered? The traffic had been pretty much non-existent up until here. 

Entering the Forest of Dean

Already on t-shirt

Unfortunately all the lovely roads were finished way too early. After a few more ups and downs we carried on to Chepstow via some really nice descents. We were officially in Wales. The sun was shining and I was feeling quite warm. Lucy informed me from watching the news that the Chepstow area happened to be the hottest in the UK for that day!

Once in Chepstow, we got a bit lost trying to find a decent cafe with cooked food. We had put in 150 km and were incredibly hungry. We ended up playing safe and had a full English breakfast in a nearby pub, where a couple of drunkards showed interest in our bikes and got confused when we told them that we had cycled from Oxford and intended to ride back as well.

Entering Chepstow

Chepstow to Malmesmury (49 km)

After almost 1 h of total faffing, and to our surprise, without seeing other audaxers, we left Chepstow. This town lies on the western side of the Severn river. To get on to the other side, you need to cross the Severn bridge, and that involved a sharp climb that my stomach did not seem to like that much. Got on to the cycle lane and enjoyed a very calmed river crossing.

Crossing the Severn bridge

From here on, I had my lowest moment of the day. I was not feeling good, had severe stomach cramps and found it hard to pedal. I still have to learn that on bike rides I have to be even more careful than usual with what I eat. Fry-ups are not good. Put on the small ring and continued pedalling, although had to relax the pace quite a bit.

Half way through this leg we ended up forming a mini-peloton with two other guys from Dorset. I was quite nice to work with them, and together we battled some slight headwind without a problem. The guys were doing the Easter Arrows event from Dorset to York in a few weeks time, so were happy to do some fast miles with us. Next stop was Malmesmury, where once again we stopped in a supermarket for some food. It had been my quickest 200 km, in just over 8 h of riding time. 

Malmesmury to Membury (56 km)

The Dorset riders had warned us that a few hills awaited us. Although we stuck together for quite some time, we dropped them in the second of the hills. I can adapt easily to other peoples paces in the flat, but find it hard on the uphills, so we just kept going up at a comfortable speed. Sunset was approaching and Ulfson and I wanted to arrive at the next control before it got completely dark. The scenery was really nice in the Malmesmury Downs area, with some amazing descents.

Somewhere in the Malmesmury Downs

And so we did. I knew about Membury since Lucy's grandad, an army pilot for the US army in WW2, had been based there during the war. However, nowadays, I could not see anything from the roads, although apparently the runway remains. Crossing over the M4 and into the service area, we stopped there for some more food and a receipt.

Always nice to see the sunset from the saddle

Membury to Oxford (50 km)

We turned into night mode here. Lights and warmer clothes on. GPS screen backlit. All good to go for 2 h of night riding.

Left the service area in complete darkness at 7 pm. Had spoken to Lucy and agreed to meet in Oxford for some dinner, so food was calling. This last bit of the ride was quite benign, with only a little hill shortly after the stop. It was here where we picked up our first flat tyre of the day. Minutes before we had been talking about how great the Gatorskin tyres are for UK conditions. Oh well. Fixed it as quickly as we possibly could (it was cold when stopped!) and carried on. Frank and the Dorset riders passed us here, and we did not see them again. 

The night riding section went pretty well, with the exception of the flat tyre, and we pulled into the Oxford suburbs 20 min before 9 pm. We pressed on as we tried to complete the ride in less than 15 hours. A few traffic lights slowed us down, and we got our receipts just a couple minutes past 9 pm. Ulfson and I shook hands and congratulated each other on a great ride. It truly feels good to complete this, 2h earlier than I had anticipated. Quite surprisingly, I did not feel any pain and legs were still going strong. Yet.

Oxford

Lucy was waiting for me in town to go out for dinner. I would not take a shower and would turn up in lycra. Not that we ever go to anything too fancy, but still...

We're known to be crap with directions, so ended up looping around town until we found the noodle bar that we were looking for initially. Ate compulsively all the food they served and Lucy's leftovers as well. When I stood up, everything started to hurt.

The ride back to our hotel room was the worst 15 min of riding that I can remember. Could not even sit down properly on the saddle, the wrists hurt, and I was feeling really tired. Somehow managed to have a shower, write some notes, and collapse into bed. Lesson learnt: no prolonged stopping in long rides, unless is strictly necessary! Luckily, I felt perfectly fine the following morning!

All in all it had been an amazing experience. One of my favourite rides, if not the favourite, with great companions. Weather could have not been better, which definitely helped a lot. In previous years, they had snow, hail, rain, and wind. Some seasoned riders took more than 20 h to complete it, so I was very pleased we did not have any of that. 

The stats for the day:

- Total 308 km

- Moving average speed: 23.6 km/h

- Maximum speed: 63.6 km/h

- Moving time: 12 h and 48 min

- Stopped time: 2 h and 12 min

- Average speed (including stops): 20.1 km/h

- The climbing is a bit controversial. Despite the official 4000 m, I reckon we did not do much more than 3000 m, but still, not a flat route

- 8 water bottles drunk. At least 8 times I had to pee.