Hey all just to let you know how i went on today.

Woke up at 5am and was at Buckingham Palace for 6am,Headed out on our way out of london and for the first 30 miles i was in 4th and closing the leading trio eventually getting to 3rd as the front runners seperated and went ahead but after we started our way through Chertsey my greed for glory started to take its toll and the knackering that i had put my body through to try and move through the places had begun to take its effect as well as the added factor that i was planning to do a complete non stop ride ignoring the provided water stations using my own an continuing along.

My pace started to slow as we started the long climb into the hills that seemed to never end,hill after hill we climbed each one getting steeper in gradient each time until it reached a point where you simply ran out of gears and just had to give it everything you had spinning the pedals at full whack and slowly clawing your way up the hills,

The rain kept coming constantly with a strong headwind in our face most of the way making it feel as if you had concrete wheels weighing you down,This is where i lost 6 places as the riders who i had passed earlier decided to run at a slower pace but save more for the hill climbing whilst i had decided on the opposite decision,

Finally the descent started into Virginia Water and down into Windsor itself and at that point we had a long 2-3 mile steep descent which giving the added factor of extremely slippery surfaces and strong winds still allowed me to reach 31mph tucked right onto the drops and watching the battlements of Windsor castle rise up and come into view as i raced downhill through the long winding hilltops.

The end was in sight,the organisers sign stating clearly just a single 1 mile to go until our arrival into Windsor but what a mile it was,It was called the 'The Longest Walk' for a reason being that it was a singular 1 mile completely straight stretch of road that is the leadup to Windsor castle's gates itself which was open on every side meaning the wind came in harsh gusts straight across you bringing sheets of rain with it making it extremely challenging,

Never the less i had arrived at the castle and turned into the town of Windsor itself and followed a few narrow market streets and quiet backroads and turned out into the Brocas,a huge open field area not far from Eton station just to the side of Windsor castle and turned into the long ribboned off approach that led to the Palace to Palace Prince's Trust finish line,

Up ahead i could hear the Heart 106.2 radio presenter calling out my approach as the crowd started to give a great cheer and that alone made it all worth while as it felt incredible,I passed through the finish line and was greeted by the event organisers who took my photo and gave me my medal as well as the 9 other cyclists who had entered before me and we gave each other a well deserved handshake at the challenge we had laid down to one another along the way.

Stopping just to the side of the finish line inside the victory camp i recieved a goodie bag of discount vouchers for various cycling events and stores as well as a lunch pack of a Fajita sandwich,chrisps,nutri bar and was also met by some of the Red Bull team who encouraged me to try one of their new flavours of drink which turned out to be rather tasty,

Stayed around for a bit and talked to a few of the fellow cyclists and event crew before heading off to the car with my parents who had come to watch at the finish line and headed on home.

To summarize the event briefly it was by far the most fulfilling event i have done so far even more so than the longer London to Southend ride that i had participated in a month or so ago,The weather was not kind to us cyclists but the cause overcame any issues that we may have encountered and we somehow found energy left to tackle each obstacle that faced us on the journey whilst making friends and good conversation with fellow cyclists and having a great ride at the same time,I will definitly be back next year for it.

The total distance of the trip from Buckingham Palace to Windsor castle: 50 Miles
Total time taken: 2 Hours 48 Mins
Number of stop including water stations: None (Did a complete Nonstop cycle)
Weather conditions: 15MPH facing winds and crosswinds with Heavy to Moderate rain throughout

Finishing position: 10th out of 3000 cyclists.