Wasn't feeling my best heading out on Saturday morning, but sometimes you just go anyway. The route started from West Suffolk and the conditions weren't exactly welcoming - persistent rain and headwinds on the road sections made it a proper slog at times.
Three service station stops along the way, which says everything about the day. Not a smooth, head-down effort - more a case of keeping moving and getting it done.
The off-road sections were the highlight though. Once away from the exposed roads the gravel opened up nicely and reminded me why this route is worth doing.
Despite everything, managed a fastest time on the medium route. A gold medal ride even if it didn't feel like one. Four hours of driving to get there and back - totally reasonable, obviously.
The numbers: 64.92 km covered in 2:34:15 moving time, 418 m of elevation, and a 218 W weighted average power. A Historic Relative Effort of 602 and 95% intensity - no wonder it hurt.