Dragon Ride Gran Fondo - can I ride the UKs toughest sportive in under 8 hours?

My longest ride yet and an amazing day on the bike. Enjoyed this sportive so much. For once my legs felt great, and although I started off a little too enthusiastically, I felt overall that I managed to pace the ride fairly well, got my nutrition strategy bang-on and ended strong on the last two tough climbs. The weather wasn't that sunny, but in hindsight the cloudy skies kept things cool. Some of the climbs were no joke - particularly the Rhigos and Bwlch, that the organisers back-loaded towards the end of the route. Huge shout-out to Neil who kept me company for the first 90-odd miles until he sped away. Also massive thanks to the organisers who put on such a fun event. I can definitely recommend this sportive to anyone who's looking for a good cycling challenge and a great atmosphere. Maybe at some point I'll have a go at the longer, more difficult 'Devil' route, which is the one-up from the Gran Fondo I completed, and has another 50 or so miles, and 3000+ extra feet of climbing! Copyright free music courtesy of YouTube audio library: Will 2 Pwr - half cool Renegade Jubilee - The Whole Other Nimbus - Eveningland Ringside - Dyalla Soulicious - Dyalla Back 2 the future - offshore Follow me: Strava:   / strava   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hampshirecy...