107 Squared

- Paul Knott

The prospect of taking on an endurance challenge was nothing new to Chris Hall. He had already completed a gruelling ride across Romania, as well as a mind-numbing and equally physically tough 24-hour ride around Richmond Park. But late last year he took on a far more intimidating venture: to ride 107km per day for 107 consecutive days, raising money for children’s charity the Pace Centre, while holding down a full-time job.

“I actually changed jobs about 80 days into the challenge. I’d been working two jobs doing design consultancy and property management. It was a nine-to-five but realistically it was a nine until whenever it was done, which could be as late as 11pm,” says the 28-year-old.

Changing jobs gave Hall greater flexibility and a more enticing commute from his London home, taking in some scenic roads into Kent.

The difficultly of Hall’s task was not merely about the distance involved. He also had harsh winter weather to contend with, including a few days of riding through Storm Doris. The final 107km, on the 107th day, involved riding the gruelling Flanders sportive in Belgium. On certain days, Hall allowed himself to cover some of the riding on a turbo indoors.