One of this year’s big goals is the Tour of Wessex.  All three days of it.  Not just one day.  *gulp*.  It may even be my biggest goal.  Quebrantahuesos is only one day after all.  I must be mad!  But a secret (ok, not so secret if I’m writing about it here) bit of me likes to have a challenge.  Just to see if I can do it…I think I can, I think I can…?

Today they had a press ride.  Details of which I only got last week.  Did I want to join them and do 112 miles?  Erm…let me think…for like, ooh, 10 seconds tops.  No!  Lovely thought but…no.  It’s way too early in the season for me to be going that far, I’m not up to those kind of distances yet and besides, I suspected I knew what the guys riding it would be like – their average speed on a bad day would still be beyond me on a good day!

But I did offer to go along, say hi, drink coffee from Claud the Butler (which I already know is good from previous events), and show willing.

Man was that ever a good call!

1) OK, the weather was good if you like sunny and dry.  Not so good however if you like your temperature above freezing, and don’t even start with the wind chill factor.  It was feckin’ freezing.  Literally!

2) These guys were indeed very good!  I’d have been left for dust…sad miserable cold dust.  Let’s face it – they’re all tall and whippet like.  Fit, well-trained, gifted…  Legs that go on for miles and miles in several ways!

3) My much beloved workhorse Cube would have sidled off and hidden behind a convenient tree – faced as it was with Colnagos, Pinarellos, Condors…  Both it and I were outclassed on so many levels!

I’m glad I went – it was a good craic.  Andrew was there and also Phil of Sportive Photo, so we got to catch up.  I had a chat with everyone else, with the motorcycle outrider (who I’m sure I’ve met before, possibly he was my saviour at the Magnificat, or I’ve met him at the Tour of Wessex), with the support crew, and with the other riders, all whilst drinking predictably superlative coffee.  Remarkably, and uncharacteristically, sociable of me.  I hope that they all had a good ride – I’m sure they did.  But it took me all day to warm up again, and that was without riding!  So on balance I’m glad I wimped out.  I look forward, albeit with no little trepidation, to doing the real thing later this year.  Hopefully it’ll be warmer! Wish me luck! :).