Mike on a bike Good Friday bike ride

So, Good Friday dawned but good isn’t the word that would be used to describe the weather! As I set off to the start of the bike ride it was raining hard.

By the time I arrived at the start it had lightened to drizzle but conditions were still bad. After a short briefing on the route we set off at 7:20am and, having ridden through the first flood of the day, the hills began.

We had been warned by the event organisers that the course was hilly and challenging and they hadn’t lied. Hill after hill after hill – with a few more hills thrown in between these for variety – made for very hard going. The rain did stop but the Chilterns were covered in thick grey mist so it was damp anyway and there weren’t any magnificent views to take my mind off matters. It was simply a case of put your head down and keep the legs turning.

104.6 kilometres (65 miles) later I crossed the finish line with a time of 5 hours 29 minutes and 44 seconds. The hot soup (and cold beer!) which awaited which was very welcome.

And the end result – £253.25 (including gift aid) raised for KidsOut. It was the thought of this money and the aid it will potentially bring to the disadvantaged children which kept me going. Yes, it was tough but my thinking was – what is a few hours suffering in the rain compared to what these children go through?