Blood on the Tracks

Sunday 8th July 2007. A historic day for many reasons. The Tour departed London, I did my second longest ride and had my first off.

Today I rode 115km in just over 4 and half hours, which I thought was pretty good, given I'm still suffering a bit with this cold, until I got back and caught the end of Stage 1 of the Tour - how fit are these guys? My average speed was 28.5kmh top speed 53kmh, I suspect their average is near my top speed!

Sadly I also fell off in a pub car park in Weston sub Edge. I had pulled over to check the map and have some food, but laziness, tiredness whatever I didn't account for the gravel covering the pub car park I pulled into and the bike slipped from under me, planting me on my backside and giving me a nice gravel rash all down my left leg and backside. Fortunately, as I sat nursing my wounds a stereotypically buxom young barmaid displaying acres of cleavage wandered out holding a foaming hosepipe, presumably to water the plants with, but what better to lift a man's spirits? She hosed the blood and gravel from my leg and off I went. Except I didn't because I had failed to check the bike. The front brake was locked on and the levers at a 45 degree angle to true. A bit of tinkering and I was away. That was at 40km, so I still had a long way to go, through Evesham to Pershore and back.

More embarrassingly, I nearly hit an old bloke in a mobility car on Evesham High Street. He pulled across the road in front of me without looking, but the ignomy would have been mine. Fortunately I braked in time.

Anyway, a fabulous ride, made better by the fact that it was a beautiful English summer's day. Blue sky, cool breeze, fluffy white clouds skipping through the sky and quiet roads. BTW - porridge with honey and raisins for breakfast; baked potato and beans when I got back; 2 bananas, 4 water bidons and a power gel on the way round.