Well that was fun! Good weather - not too hot so kept the same clothing for the whole ride. The main difference between this and any other ride I've done was, because of the closed roads and a flat route, you are pedalling all the time - no micro-rests stopping for lights, junctions or coasting downhill. You're literally at it constantly
I felt a bit of cramp in the thighs towards the end but nothing to slow me down.
The only negative was some teams thinking they were pros and overtaking much too close, even when there was a spare lane or 2 available and empty. Twats! And there was a potentially serious accident which completely blocked the route at about the 40 mile mark. Hope it wasn't too serious. Luckilly someone next to me was local and knew a detour which re-joined the route half a mile up so I followed him
Official time was 5.13 but the delay and detour cost approx 18 minutes as best I can tell from the gpx file, so under 5 hours or evens. I'll take that!
BTW all the potholes were fixed on the entire route. Riding in Essex will be more pleasant for years to come