I was so excited that the London to Southend bike ride was back this year after its brief hiatus due to the pandemic. I have ridden it every year since 2007, except for 2019. Unfortunately, it had to be rearranged twice this year for various reasons, one of which was the tail end of lockdown.
So how was it?
Fantastic. It was not as busy as usual, which could have been down to the date changes. Some groups of people rode for charity or friends just out to enjoy the ride, but not as many as in previous years.
The first half of the ride had been redesigned and all credit to Bike Events for taking the route away from Charlie Brown’s roundabout. This can be a nightmare and dangerous to cycle around. It might also have been my imagination, but there seemed to be more hills on the new route between Chigwell and Mount Nessing!
Overall, though, this was a fantastic day out, with the weather definitely in our favour. And to add the cherry to the icing on the top of the cake, the medals were back 😊
If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen: https://www.strava.com/activities/5947650716