Ashley Hollick

What was your reason for wanting to ride the Trafalgar Way?

I like doing Linier A-B rides they have more purpose than going for a circular ride. I’d chosen this as my first AUDAX and liked the history associated with the route and the iconic finish in London.

How would you sum up your ride of the Trafalgar Way to a friend?

Hilly, Scenic, Challenging, fulfilling, wet, windy, sunny, well-organised, great people. What else could you wish for!

what was your most memorable part of the ride?

Riding across Bodmin Moor and stopping at the point where we’d buried my mothers’ ashes a couple of years earlier. I’d not looked into the route in the detail I should have and didn’t realise we’d ride past it!

Oh and riding past Buckingham Palace and down the Mall to the finish after such an epic night was pretty memorable.

What are your top 3 tips for anyone thinking of riding the Trafalgar Way?

1. Get lots of hilly days into your training.
2. Don’t let the distance put you off, the first daylight sector is very scenic, the night bit you cant see…and the final daylight sector is a total contrast the first day.
3. Ride with others through the night if you can.

What are your top bits of equipment or kit you wouldn’t want to ride the Trafalgar Way without?

Try to obtain a dynamo light set up (Salisbury plain. & Dorset were pretty miserable in the rain with poor lights)

Invest in the most expensive/best rain jacket you can afford!

Have good quality over boots, spare socks and gloves to boost your moral once the rain stops.

What bike (make and model) and chainset / cassette set up did you ride the Trafalgar Way with (if available)?

I rode a Burls Titanium with Shimano Ultegra mechanical, compact Chain set and 11-32 on the back. Probably the right choice for me as Cornwall was a bit hilly!