I recently decided to enter Fitz's Challenge - a long-estabished local randonee. Take your pick as to what level of pain you desire, I went for Fitz's Classic - as I wanted to climb (make that struggle for close to 3 kilometres up) Fitz's Hil (average gradient about 10 per cent). The target time was 11 hours.

The day started atrociously as I rode from home to the starting point and got thoroughly drenched getting there. As I was already soaked I decided I might as well attempt the challenge. So, together with 200 others, started rolling out at about 7:30am in rain which kept on coming down for the next hour or so - thankfully it let up and wasn't a bad day in the end....aside from having to ride into a fierce headwind for about the last 30 kilometres! The puncture didn't help much either.

This photo taken at about the 135 kilometre mark isn't flattering but pain makes one not very photogenic.

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7 hours 53 minutes of riding and 2800 metres of altitude gain later, I crawled across the finish line.

Since then the bike has had a makeover as well, so it looks quite flash now.

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Glad, I did the Challenge. Makes me think I can climb bigger mountains in the future.

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Big congrats! My coworker is trying to talk me into doing some crazy viking run this summer where you have to jump fire, climb giant hayhills, crawl through smashed cars, crawl under barbed wire, through pipes, etc…and I think 75% of the people do it while drunk…about 5 miles total I think…and yet it somehow seems a bit less tough than your jaunt lol…

Posted by brine blank on 22.11.10 at 10.18am

Okay…granny was slow…but she was 90…updates on the fish!!!!

Posted by Brine blank on 05.01.11 at 03.56am

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