Little Miss Endurance

I went for a bike ride and covered a total of 56.81 km in one day. My parents named me Abby, but you can call me Little Miss Endurance.

I love cycling. I think it is an excellent way to keep your weight in check, clear your mind, and build endurance. This ride proved all of that—and then some.

On that day, I covered 56.81 km, with a total elevation gain of 400 m, and a maximum elevation of 2,026 m. My average speed was 13.7 km/h, my fastest speed was 40.8 km/h, and my slowest was 4 km/h. My moving time was 4 hours, 9 minutes, and 36 seconds, not counting the several breaks I took along the way.

The experience was T for tough. I ended up with knee pain that lasted three days.

You may wonder how I ended up in this situation in the first place. Well, I saw an ad on TikTok—the social media platform. It said “Beginner-friendly bike ride.” I thought to myself, I am a beginner, I have a bike, I ride every day. This is the event for me. I showed up with a friend and was extremely pumped.

I did have a premonition, which I pushed deep down into my stomach, and instead chatted excitedly with the cyclists as they gathered into a big crowd outside the KFC Hyrax. We started the journey at a light pace, crossing town in single file, led by the cycling patron. It was breezy and calm—so calm that my mind drifted and I collided with the person in front of me while thinking about a pasta dinner I was going to make for my kids, using cheese that had overstayed in the fridge.

Around the 14 km mark, the ride started to get hard. We hit a steep incline. I was still pumped and pedaled on, determined. The incline had a brief flat section before turning into another steep climb. That’s when doubt started creeping in. By the time we reached the 28 km mark, after clearing the last steep incline, I regretted my choices that day. I really should not have come. I wondered if anyone would notice if I quietly turned back and went home—but the friend I had come with was right behind me and would not allow me to quit.

The next 6 km had softer inclines, and somehow, I made it to our destination. We took photos and ate a late lunch. By then, my knees were already starting to ache. Then we began the journey back. It took just 4 km before I had to stop by the side of the road, get off my bike, and lie flat on my back on the grass. Five other people joined me. My knees were killing me. We rested for about ten minutes and then, very reluctantly, got back on our bikes.

The worst part about the journey was this: even if you quit, you cannot leave your bike in the wilderness. You still have to ride back home. Thankfully, the return ride had more declines than inclines, and those were genuinely fun. Speed, wind, gravity—it almost made you forget the pain.

But let me say this clearly: they lied on that ad. That was not a beginner-friendly bike ride.

It was one of the toughest things I have ever done.

But I did it.

Because I can do anything.