Congratulations to Mike Archer

In Mike's Words

The weather didn’t look great when I woke up that morning. A thick sea mist had rolled in, obscuring my usual view of the South Downs and the summit of Truleigh Hill. Nevertheless, with a baby due in a week’s time, my window of opportunity was rapidly closing. It was now or never. Surely the mist couldn’t be that bad on the tops, or last all day...

I started at the junction of the Downs Link and the South Downs Way, heading west first. My theory was simple: get the faster section done in daylight, where I could make the most of the speed and visibility, then tackle the far more familiar brutality of the Eastbourne leg after dark, when limited visibility would reduce my top-end speed anyway.

The first few hours were a complete whiteout. The air was so thick with moisture that I couldn’t even wear clear lenses. Despite the conditions, I settled into my schedule, pushing on towards Winchester and rewarding myself with a proper sit-down and coffee at Greggs for 15 minutes.

I was still feeling surprisingly fresh by the time I returned to my starting point. After a quick refuel and an extra layer for the night shift, I set off towards Eastbourne in high spirits. I generally enjoy riding through the night, but that optimism slowly faded over the next 40 hard miles as the dreaded mist returned. The wet, slow terrain was difficult enough, but the poor visibility made it hard to find the right line—sometimes even the right track.

I arrived in Eastbourne soaked and increasingly concerned about the clock. My average speed had dropped dramatically, and I started to worry that a sub-24-hour finish might slip away. But I hadn’t invested 18 hours of effort to finish just outside the target. I knew it would be close, so I simply kept pushing.

As dawn approached, my speed gradually began to recover. Once I was back over the A27, I was fairly confident the ride was in the bag. A few miles later, I rolled back to the car, tired, wet, and covered in cow sh!t.

A shame about the weather, but there’s always next time.