Their story, in their words…
Good things:
We really pushed ourselves both physically and mentally. The distance and steep hills made sure our legs were always burning, and everyone was exhausted by the end of the trip, and the end of each day. I think we picked a good route as any further would’ve been very difficult for us, as we began to slow a lot in the last couple hours of each day. Mentally we also learnt to keep pushing, as often we were really tired, but with 10s of kilometres ahead and steep hills there was no option but to persevere. We knew this trip would be hard, but it was harder than we thought.
Difficult things:
Unfortunately a big factor was the weather. Days 1 and 2 were very rainy and it made the trip a bit worse, as it meant we were constantly soaked, and our bikes slipped on the paths. It wasn’t too bad but there were some patches with very bad downpour, which challenged us more mentally than physically, as seeing it raining when you have 30 odd kilometres left was not a pleasant sight. The topography was also very difficult as we faced countless hills. Day 3 was definitely the worst for this, as we encountered a 2.2 mile stretch with a 1000ft incline towards the end which seemed to stretch on forever. The hills slowed us down but luckily we managed to handle it.
OVERALL FEELINGS:
I think due to the difficult nature of the trip combined with the responsibility required to look after ourselves for 3 days abroad, we all felt a huge sense of achievement when we finished. We really enjoyed it, and are grateful to have had the chance to do it. It was agreed it was one of the hardest things we have had to do, and we all are very proud and happy we completed it smoothly. We enjoyed it a lot and it was fun to spend the 3 days living together. I think it really strengthened the bonds between us, and we had a brilliant time.
