These are excerpts from Aug 2009…
well we successfully completed the annual cycle trip (TM) last Monday, this year’s entrants were Mr Marr, me and the newcomer Brendan “the power” Thomas.
Started this year on a Saturday, and Brendan came on down from London to my house on the Friday afternoon – he had successfully navigated the 3 miles from the train station to my house, and after a couple of pints showed me just how well he can tuck away nosh. Fully fuelled we slept and dreamt of the journey to come.
SAT. 50 miles, Magor to Bath
Got up and at around 8:00, sorted out all the items i had not bothered to take last year, like cycle muscles, padded pants, padded shorts, padded gloves, decent jacket, tools, puncture repair stuff etc – looked out the window, it was grey – the horrors of last year came flooding back..
We were expecting to meet Marrsy at Chepstow as he had ridden to Bristol the night before and insisted he wanted to go from Bristol to Chepstow to enable him to cycle straight back to Bristol after looking at “the view” from the Bridge. So at 9:15, after ensuring Brendan’s trousers were sufficiently pulled up we left the safety of Magor and started our journey. First parts are always easy, and this was no different, 18 miles an hour trying to beat the rain to Chepstow, we slowed at Caldicot and Brendan was looking a little worried – “you’re not going to keep this speed up are you” he enquired, 50 yards and the first hill of the day answered that question!!.
As we strained up Chepstow hill the rain started.
We got to the Bridge and somehow had passed Marrsy so we waited on the Bridge. The exposed Bridge. The exposed cold Bridge. The exposed cold, wet Bridge. Then he came, it was like looking at a mirror image, he had copied my 09 cycling look, same bike, same jacket, same defined calves (well perhaps not) – with out stopping he whisked passed us yelling the rain is coming – we had noticed.
With the rain torrential, we paused for refreshments under some trees – it rained, hard.
Eventually we made it to Bristol, where we found a nice pub next to the canal and ordered food, and a pint – this was about 14:00. Pint finished and another started we waited for food – this was about 14:30. Pint finished and getting cold now we waited for food – this was about 15:00. Eventually after Marrsy went and spoke to them in the pub and eventually we had our food and set off again after losing about 2 hours.
We cycled through Bristol where there was a big event on – people everywhere, Marrsy led the way and managed to get his tyre stuck in the railway tracks a number of times much to the amusement of the 10,0000,00 people who were watching, then we emerged onto the main square. Now at this point Marrsy decided to cause an accident – my accident. We were only moving at .5 miles an hour, but as I went to stop myself from falling my magical laces had managed to attach themselves to my front wheel, so not having a spare leg to balance I fell over, fell over like an overweight tortoise, i managed to twist slightly and land on my knapsack unable to move i waggled my legs until some old lady helped me up.
Anyway 20 miles to Bath, high speed touring across the path until we got to Bath and I got a puncture, as always our navigated and chief bike mechanic fixed us all good and proper – Brendan managed to attract the admiring glances of an old codger on a bike, and after Brendan managed to persuade him he wasn’t interested in listening to some Jazz records, and just pausing for Brend to pull up his shorts we got to the YMCA.
As Phil didn’t bother coming I had a twin room to myself, well i did share it with two bikes, but non the less after a quick shower we went to paint the Bath town red. We had a pizza, one beer and were home at 10.
The night was awful, kids and grown men and women banging doors and screaming at each other.