We're Doing What?!

So, I had agreed to complete the coast to coast in a day. How hard could it be? My record distance in a single day was 90 miles on my trusty GT hybrid with panniers and wearing jeans. Yes, I had only been 21 and we had ended up sleeping by the side of a canal but we had done it.

Time to check out the scale of the challenge... and oh boy, what a challenge. A quick peek at the official site started to make the whole thing seem like a bad idea. This version of the coast to coast starts at Seascale and takes you through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and across the Northern valleys of the North York Moors. It is 150 miles of finest English countryside with 4500 metres of ascent. I got exhausted just watching the official route video below.



Looking at the results from 2014 the average finish time for a 37 year old male was 12 hours 31 minutes. The maximum was 16 hours but I don't even want to consider that amount of time in the saddle. Here are some results (you'll learn that I love a good chart) and it is interesting how consistent this is across over 700 riders.

Was I really going to sign up for this? I had quite a few moments of doubt, it was going to be a large commitment of time and energy and also money. However, I am a complete sucker for a challenge and a good story and this looked like a great chance to push myself and get super fit. I signed up, told enough people so that I couldn't pull out and then checked the requirements.

Parking, registration, camping, suggested equipment., No MTBs.... No Hybrids?!

Time to go bike shopping.