There’s Nothing Like A Bit Of Pain

We head back from Scarborough this morning and we get back into Derby for 1pm where I drop L off at the hospital. I had booked into a dog show today at Catton Park but it’ll already be half over by now and it’s raining... So I head home to listen to Derby’s 2:30pm kick off against Brighton instead. Its ends 1-1, with Brighton grabbing a last gasp equaliser.

The fun isn’t over there though because, in a desperate attempt to be fit for the Leeds Half Marathon this Sunday, L has booked me a session with her pub singing Pilates teacher who also moonlights as sport masseur. He comes to us and brings all his own equipment including his own table. There’s nothing like a bit of pain to round off a Bank Holiday weekend.

I need a few bottle of dark to recover after that.

(Monday 2^nd May)

King Of The Mountains

It is a mere 2 degrees overnight and it’s fair to say a bit nippy in the tent but at least it isn’t raining for the sportive.

The professionals are doing Middlesbrough to Scarborough but sadly we’re just doing a small section of that. Well most of L’s 40km is actually on the route but my 85km includes a big loop round Dalby Forest which isn’t. Sadly a lot of these roads are narrow, mud strewn, potholed and spectator free. In fact even the 'on course' sections are largely spectator free as they have set us off so early that no one is in place yet unlike last year when the crowds were fantastic and cheered us up all the hills. Problem was us amateurs almost held the experts up when they caught us up, so I assume things had to change.

The event, while still good, isn’t a patch on last year’s in other ways too. The ‘toad in the hole’ and fresh flapjack feed station isn’t repeated and the finish takes place in total gridlock on the roads into Scarborough. As people head into town in their cars to watch the race the riders slalom in and out trying to reach the finish line. A tad dangerous I think. At least the last 2k is traffic free.

We all do get a crack at the Harwood Dale ‘King of the Mountains’ climb where David Millar has kindly set the time to beat at 3:57.

After the race I head back to camp. L has already finished, had an isotonic beer and gone off to see if we need to reclaim the dogs from the RSPCA. We don’t head in to watch the race and hide in the tent instead from the cold and the damp, we’ll amuse ourselves instead with life's essentials.

In the evening we visit the nearby Scalby Manor eatery for some Black Sheep, a bottle of red and some food. Nothing dark again.

(Sunday 1^st May)

Life's Essentials

We drive up to Scarborough today for the Tour de Yorkshire and pop in to see an ex-colleague of L's for a quick coffee on the way. She's in Horbury, just off the M1 J39.

L has offered a decent compensation package, for this little diversion and also for one on the way back to the hospital to see her brother, which involves two of life's three essentials. Not a bad deal and I didn’t even try to negotiate.

While we are there, munching on cake, the car nearly gets raided by the RSPCA after a goody two-shoes neighbour threatens to call them because Doggo is looking a bit distressed in the back of the car. That is actually his natural look and we had only just put all the windows up ten minutes earlier to prevent him being stoned to death by a passing hail storm.

We are camping in the North Bay area of Scarborough on a Caravan and Camping Club site which is less than a mile from Sunday's start line.

I eat a rather large pre-event curry (third essential ticked) at The Ivanhoe pub accompanied of a couple of Yorkshire Blondes (pints).

Today has been stage two of the three stage race but also the one day Women’s Tour de Yorkshire which has been heralded as a ground breaking event on the same 136km course as the men. One thing is different, the sponsors. You don’t often see the Aunt Bessie’s Queen of the Sprint Jersey or the Mug Shot’s Queen of the Mountain Jersey.

Sadly the plane, which assembles all the motorbike and helicopter footage, suffered a significant mechanical failure and no one got to see it. 

(Saturday 30^th April)