Truuli tackle the Essex countryside for charity

Ride Essex was a great ride and one I had been looking forward to since we decided to take part, especially as we were doing it for a good cause which was “Action Medical Research for Children”. They are an amazing charity doing wonderful research to help better our kids medical future, and who better to support than the future leaders of the country.

My ride was very eventful, to say the least! The day started off really well with me having a hearty breakfast in the morning consisting of four slices of toast, three eggs, and a large cup of coffee with a snickers bar to finish.

I arrived on site with my fellow team riders, Michael and Leigh. The car park was already quite full of riders preparing to start their ride. There was a great buzz about the event amongst the riders we spoke to. Bikes were polished, jerseys were bright and colourful and generally, everyone was pumped up for the journey ahead.

We set off at roughly 7 am on the ‘Classic route’ of a 64-mile round trip, with the intention of completing the ride within 4 hours. Unintentionally, within the first few miles, our team had split up I set off at a really good pace, averaging 21 miles per hour over the first 1 hour, using the rider in front of me riding a blue Specialized Tarmac as a guide. Along the way, I really started to pull away from the pack and remember thinking to myself I’m on the way to a personal best time.

During the 2nd hour or so of the ride, I realised I hadn’t seen any of the course markers for a while. I quickly came to realise it wasn’t just the pack of other riders I had pulled away from, I had actually pulled away from the course itself! One slight dip in concentration pulled me 10 miles off course – I was so focused on my exceptional speed I failed to check my surroundings until it was too late. Fortunately, the race directors had provided contact numbers in case of these situations. A quick call to them and I was back on course, however, I was now back at the 11-mile checkpoint despite riding 32 miles. As frustrating as it was, I was determined to finish the race no matter how long it took me or how far I was behind at this point.

The route itself was very scenic and oddly enough, quite therapeutic. The air was so much cleaner than inner London and there were no cars around for miles, making it a very smooth ride. The roads were flat the majority of the time and the hill climbs often gifted a descent afterwards.

All in all, it was great being amongst so many different riders and speaking to them for encouragement. There were people who had travelled across the country just to take part in the event.

After finally finishing the ride I had clocked up a whopping 84 miles, giving me an even bigger sense of achievement. I was shattered but very proud. Raising just under £1500 in total also helped, as did a large McDonald’s meal on the way home.

Mission complete and medal received. I definitely plan on taking part in more riding events in the future.

Matthew Keddo – Truuli Property Expert