Phase 2 of the training weekend is today’s Thoresby
Cycle Fest Sportive, which I’m doing on deliberately tired legs. I’m on the 50
mile route, L’s on the 34 mile.
We drive up to Thoresby Hall for the start, leaving
the boys at home due to the expected hot weather.
I start off and quickly get my head down, using my
aerobars (I need the practice). I whizz past several folk although the downside
is the aerobars make pothole dodging difficult and there are a lot to dodge.
Then 20 miles in, I find one particularly large one unmissable. I disappear
down it. At first I think I’ve punctured both tyres but it just turns out to be
the rear one. Good job, as I only have one spare tube. I’ve also knocked both
my rear brake and my bike computer out of alignment and it takes another 10
miles to get both functioning correctly again.
That takes me to the feed station at Halam, just
outside Southwell. It is a well stocked feed station, loads of cakes and a cup
of tea, much better than the Kilo To Go ones. Although they don’t have any bike
spares. So I can’t get another tube and therefore have to make sure I don’t
fall down any more holes on the rest of the route. It is a route that seems to
cover the northern most sections of the Great Nottingham Bike Ride, so I’ll be
back on these roads next month.
Overall it’s all very well organised and
there are other races on during the weekend as well. These include the Unicycle
& British Open Penny farthing Championships and also some Paper boy racing.
I really wished I’d entered the latter. They’ve even erected dummy doors to
post newspapers through.
L does her 34 Miles in 03:12, I do my 50 in 03:42 but if you take off my puncture stop and the fact
I had a leisurely cup of tea, perhaps I could have caught her.
We get home to the news that all the remaining
17,000 Play Off tickets, that went on general sale this morning, sold in 54
minutes. Wow. Sadly my brother didn’t get the four he was looking for.
Later we take the dogs
down the local pubs for a beer, as we need to rehydrate for tomorrow. Sadly the
Wheelhouse has taken the Abbot off, so we move across to the Wollaton Pub which
has equally dull beer but better food. I drink the Black Sheep.
(Saturday 17th May)
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