Despite the cancellation of the event following days of heavy rain and a forecast for more, I decided to go for it on the 30th June. Having put in 1,300 miles of training since January and having also raised so much sponsorship thanks to people’s generous support I felt that I had little choice and, after all, I wanted to do it.

The day started well and we arrived at Chilcomb just outside Winchester at 5:20am and at that point it was not raining. About a mile into the ride it dawned on me that this was going to be a very testing ride but even then I had no idea just how bad; the torrential rain in the week leading up to the ride had left the trail in a very muddy and extremely slippery state and I had to keep my speed and gears low to avoid losing control and to maintain traction. Half an hour after starting the rain began, although it was more like a heavy mist. When I neared my first rendezvous point the fog and low cloud became evident for the first time and it was fortunate that I had ridden this part of the route on a training ride three weeks earlier; visibility was down to about 30 metres so conditions were already conspiring to make this a challenge in more ways than one.

After a change into a dry top and a bite to eat at the 20-mile point I set of again, the next arranged meeting point being Amberley at 44 miles. Having come off after about 12 miles I was hoping not to repeat that experience and in order to keep the bike upright I was forced to continue to keep the gears low and to treat every descent with more respect than usual. The rain became a permanent feature and mud and water was flying everywhere, my cycling glasses abandoned because it’s hard to see through steamed-up lenses, however this meant that I had to cope with mud in the eyes so that was yet another thing to contend with. I think my sense of humour may have been waning by this point.

Before reaching Amberley I suffered another fall when my bike started sliding from under me and I found myself heading towards a barbed-wire fence. Fortunately I managed to stop before the fence but suffered a painful pulled calf muscle in the process. At this point it really struck me just how stuck I would be if something more serious happened. A few miles before Amberley my back brakes started making a horrible noise and I discovered that the pads had more-or-less disintegrated, so I had to rely on the front disc to get me to Amberley where I knew I had put a spare pair of brake pads in the boot of the car. Once at Amberley I changed into dry shorts and yet another top and tucked into some welcome food. At this stage I had no thoughts of abandoning the ride and I knew that I was almost half-way toEastbourne.

During my stop at Amberley the rain had become heavier so I knew that my dry clothing wouldn’t stay that way for long; even so-called rain jackets can only take so much until they become ineffective and start to let the water through. After crossing the A24 at Washington I knew I had the steep chalk climb up to Chanctonbury Ring ahead of me. I had managed this climb on a training ride back in May so had no reason to think I wouldn’t make it without resorting to walking, but I was wrong as there was just no grip to be had on the wet chalk and flint surface.

Just before the river Adur at the 60-mile point my front brake gave me cause for concern as it was making a strange noise but it seemed okay. After fixing a puncture I went up over Truleigh Hill and reached Devil’s Dyke where I spoke to some people who said they were supporting a team of four who were about to abandon as it had taken them 4 hours longer to reach this point than it had last year. By now it was still raining hard, conditions on the ground were getting worse (if that was possible), my bike was more-or-less okay but starting to show worrying symptoms and I was soaked again. Having negotiated a tricky, slippery chalk descent that had torrents of water running down its length, I reached my third rendezvous point at Pyecombe and made the very tough decision to abandon. Conditions were getting worse and my thoughts at this point were more about safety than anything else. I had managed a total of 70 miles in what I can only describe as the worst conditions I have ridden in in my 20+ years of cycling. You can take it from me that it felt more like 120 miles!

It's not too late to sponsor me and to help me raise money for St Leonard's Community Hall and Save the Children, just click the "Sponsor Us Now" link below. Donating through this site is very easy, fast and secure and if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

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Toby