After all the build up the Brewin Dolphin Wye Tour last Saturday, I arrived at Chepstow Race Course bright and early at 7.30 am to be told the event was cancelled. I had wondered given the forecast the night before although I was hopeful the snow would hold off until the afternoon. However, once I got through Newport, the rain turned to sleet and then to snow as I got to Chepstow. To be honest I was relieved the event was cancelled – a 54 or 72 mile ride in sub-zero temperatures (with the wind chill) would not have been fun!
The morning was not a compete washout. We were treated to a great breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs rolls and lots of coffee. While the snow continued to fall outside and the marque shook in the wind (thank goodness we weren’t riding at this point) we had the benefit of training tips from two ex-pro cyclists, Luke Rowe (of Rowe & King Training) and Yanto Barker (founder of Le Col, the cycling kit company). All very useful stuff and confirmation that all the workouts that Lawrence, my coach, has me doing have a purpose to them ! I was also able to take home a very nice Le Col Brewin Dolphin cycling jersey – thanks Brewin Dolphin.
I even managed a ride at the end of the afternoon – nice and warm inside on my Tacx Neo smart trainer while watching Wales beat France in the rugby. The less said about England’s performance the better !
Sunday was even worse – I certainly didn’t expect to wake up to 4 cm of snow on 18 March.
No outside riding that day and I couldn’t even summon the enthusiasm to spend time on the smart trainer. My excuse, and what Luke said the day before, rest is equally important as hard sessions on the bike. I did make productive use of the day by converting my Cannondale bike to tubeless tyres which I hope will mean lower tyre pressures (a smoother ride on rough roads) and less punctures (the “slime” inside the tyre is meant to fill any small holes).
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Riding from Pasties to Haggis 