Lizzie Woodall's 115 miles of action

Lizzie Woodall writes:

"The day had come – 115 miles of riding from Bristol to London.

"The Action 100 ride leaves the hills behind in Bristol and cuts across the flat plains of Wiltshire and Berkshire, before slinking into Sunbury-on-Thames.

"After a huge bowl of porridge, Joe and I met our fellow cycle partners, including Chris and Ally (with a bright and shiny Tabitha), at 6.30am and set off for London.

"No less than 45 minutes later, we cycled through the detritus of the previous evening’s partying in Bath, with not even a dog walker in sight.

"After our first climb past Box, I noticed a sign which pointed me to our first food zone. Flapjacks and cold squash tempted me, as well as a chance to catch up with everyone else.

"Every 20 miles, there was a food stop. I stopped at every one, which may not have been recommended, but the complimentary flapjacks and biscuits pulled me in!

"Silbury Hill, the largest man made mound in Europe almost made me stop to take a snap, but we pushed on towards Marlborough where I paused to photograph the White Horse on the hill.

"As we passed Reading the sky darkened and as I navigated my way around the busy junctions, a friendly local shouted at me to ‘get a car!’. He obviously hadn't heard it's “better by bike!” I waved back at him and rang my bell as I said goodbye to the city.

"The rain pelted on my back and we decided to take advantage of yet another food stop to dry off and have another flapjack.

"I heard the drones of the planes above me and as the sun reappeared, I saw a sign that informed of the remaining 10 miles.

"Suddenly, I was competing in the Tour de France and this was the last stage! I could feel the wind in my hair and the roar of blood in my head as I gripped the drops and cycled as fast as I could.

"Seven hours of hard cycling, with many stops and cakes in between, led us to the finish at 5pm, a bottle of Bucks Fizz and smiles all round.

"All I had left to do was sup a cold beer – good preparation for Notting Hill carnival the next day…"

Read Lizzie's training blog at:

• Then there were two
• Another week, another training ride
• Ready for action