Time For Another City Break

I crawl into work, knackered after a hard week's training and late. I took the bus to work but yet again the 7.40 came at 7:35, which I missed, and the 7.50 at 7.55. Which isn’t helpful.

L crawls into work too or says she would have done, if she could have got down that low. Clearly things are not improving that quickly. That’s not good with the Thunder Run only ten weeks away but she could walk the Thunder Run if need be. I think the rest of us in the team would be pleased to get the extra rest time.

Meanwhile the Track Cycling World Cup is returning to Manchester in November, which means it’s time for another city break and a wild weekend in Manchester. Just need to sort a dog sitter. 

(Friday 12^th May)

Bloody Germans

After taking them for a ‘final’ park session we drop the dogs off at Babbington Rescue Centre. We’re not actually giving them away, the Rescue Centre also has boarding kennels and it’s that they’re booked into, we hope.

It is cheaper than the old kennels but they are inside and don’t get a room with a view like at the old place.

Then we catch a lunchtime train to Manchester. I had pondered for a long time about whether to get the train or to drive. Somehow the train seems easier although the cost amounts to approximately four times the cost of driving, the only other saving being no parking fees to pay and I dislike trains...

Having arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, we find our hotel, the local Ibis, before going for a pre-Velodrome pint in the Sandbar. It's a Good Beer Guide recommendation (never go anywhere without it) which serves a mean pint of Porter and some decent food.

Then it’s a case of tracking down the Metrolink tram and heading out to the Velopark.

As sort of expected Great Britain win both the men’s and women’s team pursuits with the girls twice lowering their own world record for the all new 4km 4-person event with the women now riding the same distance as the men.

Dani King not only impresses in that but immediately goes back on the track to take 7^th in the next event the 10k scratch race before returning for the pursuit medal ceremony with a change of skin suit required each time. In the same race emerges a potential new star, Scots lass Katie Archibald who takes silver.

The women’s team sprint duo take silver behind a couple of Germany policewomen with thunderous thighs, otherwise known as the Olympic champions. The men take bronze, again behind some bloody Germans.

 

With a thirst created after all that we tram back into the centre to the Joshua Brookes pub across the road from our hotel. Brookes was an eccentric clergyman, whatever that means. His pub's alright but it's not got the most eccentric of beer ranges. 

(Friday 1^st November)

Up The Blondes

L goes into work for a few hours whilst I take the dogs for a game of footie on the park. When I drive up to meet her later I notice that there is a lad on almost every road junction wearing a pizza box. There’s nothing unusual in that actually but they all seem to have scarves over faces and some even have balaclavas. Sinister.

We collect my parents and head up to Manchester for the Track Cycling. I’ve thought for some time that my father would enjoy a day out at the cycling, although it’ll be exhausting for me explaining all the various different competitions. What I didn’t expect was my mother to be so keen to join us. The more the merrier.


It’s an exciting days racing but a long one, especially for my parents, we don’t drop them back at home until 1.30am. It doesn’t help that they decide to close the velodrome between the day and evening sessions this year, evicting all the supporters into an area of Manchester where there is nothing to see or do except go to Asda for tea. Unfortunately Asda are yet again woefully unprepared for the deluge of hungry cycling fans. This event has been on the calendar for many a year now, so you’d have thought they’d have got the hang of it by now.

As for the cycling, the Women’s Pursuit Team go very close to the world record in winning Great Britain's first gold medal of the weekend.

Sarah Storey, Wendy Houvenaghel and Joanna Rowsell

Then Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny clash in an all-British semi-final in the sprint and Kenny impressively defeats Hoy. Unfortunately Frenchman Kevin Sireau has too much for Kenny in the final. Hoy recovers to take bronze.

Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny

Geraint Thomas gets the crowd going in the individual pursuit final, storms off into a huge lead over his opponent Australia’s Rohan Dennis and is on course for a world record... Unfortunately he’s gone off too fast, fades and Dennis overhauls him with only a few laps to go.


‘We’re still hungry 4 Vicky’ proclaims a banner, they’re referring to Victoria Pendleton of course, who with Shanaze Reade makes up our potential Olympic sprint team pairing. I’m not sure about Vicky myself, so let’s talk about two young blondes instead. Pendleton and Reade are surprisingly under par and only qualify eighth, and are soundly beaten by our other British pairing of Jess Varnish and Becky James, who qualify fourth quickest and get to race for bronze. Yay, up the blondes. Unfortunately they lose to France.

Jess Varnish

We nearly didn’t stay for the last event, the third part of the Omnium, cycling answer to athletics’ decathlon but with six events. In the elimination race, last place is knocked out every two laps and it was well worth staying for. It’s one thing trying to stay in the lead of a race, quite another to avoid being last. The whole idea was an accident waiting to happen, which thankfully didn’t happen, but was great to watch. With two left GB’s Ben Swift was still there before finally being beaten into second place on the last lap.

Now just for the long drive home.

(Friday 18th February)