Results for The 48 2023

Well, here they are, the results that confirmed what we already knew, that David is a machine and won The 48 for the second year in a row.

Some observations:

• David came top in almost every single category: he rode the furthest distance because he maximised the amount of time he spent on his bike. He minimised the climbing he did by going to Europe; a lot of his climbing was done on the first night getting to Dover. He had a stretch goal of getting to Berlin but probably reckoned without the prevailing headwind and the need to ride most of the time on segregated bike lanes. A truly epic effort that has set the bar so high it would take something amazing to beat it.

• Richard had a great ride reaching his target in Scotland and getting in his longest rides ever on consecutive days. He might reflect on the route choice though to try and reduce his elevation. That might help him spend more time on the bike.

• Dave seems drawn to Edinburgh as a destination and probably knows the route off by heart by now. He climbed the most meters though so maybe he will reflect on an east coast line like Richard if he ever does it again. Of course, he wins the toughest rider award for sleeping "adjacent to a hedge" on Friday night and in a bus stop on Saturday night.

• Rachel will feel smug for reaching the same destination as me but getting there faster and riding fewer kilometers, so that counts as a win in our house. She can also feel happy to have planned the straightest route having lost the fewest kilometers as the crow flies. She could go much further though if she spent time time actually riding the bike. She should also stop booking her overnight stops in pubs.

• I am happy enough with my ride. I was only 60km behind last year's total and on almost no training time. But crappy route planning and an over reliance on Komoot means I spent too much time on A roads. I did climb the fewest meters though and a lot of the climbing I did do came as a result of forced route changes. Like Rachel, I didn't spend enough time riding, but in my defense, my saddle sores were still there 10 days later. I also feel like I have set the bar at 400km as the distance possible for a very average club rider on minimal training.

• Mark was very happy with his first effort and had a very relaxed approach. He was the only one to do any deliberate sightseeing on route for sure. But he climbed more than anyone else (hello Devon and Cornwall) and spent only a third of his time on the bike. He was also the only person to jump into the sea at the end (take note Richard). Mark can also revel in the fact he had the fastest average speed. Just.

• And so to Brian, who some might argue was the real winner. Friday night in his own bed. A Saturday ride through the Cotswolds in the sunshine and dinner at a fancy hotel with his wife. It has amused me though that he climbed more than I did for just over half the distance, courtesy of his little Sunday morning jaunt around Bath.

So that's it for another year. I really enjoyed it again. It's now 1-1 between Rachel and I so we have already agreed to a best-of-three rematch next year. Brian has already committed on camera, so who else will return? Who will now join us on 17th-19th May next year?