---
title: "Macclesfield Bikeathon"
date: 2024-05-12T08:00:00.0Z
tags:
    - cycling
excerpt: "Just some thoughts about finishing the Macclesfield Bikeathon yesterday"
---

I finished my first [charity bike ride](/post/fundraising-for-cyclists-fighting-cancer-in-2024/) yesterday, which was the Macclesfield Bikeathon. Originally I'd planned to travel down by car or train, and then just ride the 100km route, but my car broke down so instead I cycled from Manchester - Macclesfield, which added an extra 35km to the route.

The route itself was really nice, I spent the first 50-or-so kilometres out in front on my own, before being passed by two much faster cyclists. I stuck with them for a little while, but got dropped on the last 20km after my legs gave out a bit. Then that final 20km was pretty much entirely uphill, so I went _very_ slowly for it.

I tried to stay on top of refuelling & drinking, but I still was pretty worn out by the time I got to the end. Still, I managed a good average pace of 27.5km/hr, not bad for my first 100km+ ride since September.

As for the event itself, the route could have been more clearly marked, and there was no "start' line. Instead you just grabbed your number from the desk and set off, which was a bit confusing.

Anyway, that's the first event out of the way. My next one will be the Manchester - Blackpool ride on 14/07/24, unless I find an extra event to do in June.