with the focus on Yorkshire last year ,this year ,and 2014 there can be no better time to get out and have a look around. With the weather predicted to be quietish with the potential for the odd shower things are already 100 times better than last year when the event was hastily cut in half after the first stop to prevent ''incidents'' . Admittedly poorly dressed ( I had no pirate gear at this point) in a shower proof jacket and cheap gloves , I have nontheless never been so cold!!! Soaked to the skin after an hour, and unable to stop spilling hot coffee on my hands at the rest point due to continuous shaking, the news that it had been cut short stopped me pulling out. I achieved a speed of 9mph downhill on the bypass where 35 would have been expected such was the strength of the wind, later on I joined many others walking having been blown off by the vicious swirling gusts. After the rest point It happened again . Shook hands with the man himslelf ( the first Briton to ride the tour) at the finish and then took half an hour to warm up in the car before being well enough to drive home. This year will be better . I realise that this is not selling the event to many, however it was one of those rides that will stay long in the memory and whenever I experience horizontal rain with a sleety feel and winds so strong they whip your breath away I can look back and think at least I'm still ON the bike...........
unfinished business, and good training with 8 weeks to Wimbleball
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ps did I mention it is stunningly beautiful , for charity, with food and drink before and after, very well run, and you can enter on the day , what else are you going to do whilst we wait for Spring?
appologies for the grammar it's very late/ early ....
Never done it myself, but my old man has done it for the last few years and rates it very highly. Fairly tough course by all accounts, whatever the weather.
Have fun doing it Citizen.
hmm i thought it was a run until i saw your expected speed of 35mph
...................but it was on the downhill stretch !!!
I will certainly have fun , and at the moment it is not even going to rain until 4pm!
Was going to say who the **** runs 75 miles then I remembered that some pirates do that for breakfast, even I am now in the Lakeland 50 , though will be walking it.....
well that was excellent, although the weather was rough again ! Got over Holme Moss from the steep side and numerous other climbs made vicious by the unrelenting head wind. 300 hardy souls including another pirate , jolly roger 2 , ( that's all thanks to the new hat scmunks) got to meet and shake the hand of a National hero and someone who will be in the news a lot as the tour grows closer.
Have never seen so many wind turbines , ps it rained