Pic: Ian McVety http://www.flickr.com/photos/40814262@N08/sets/72157624376597504//show/
Supremely challenging, relentless, savage, brutal - the pundits had a field day describing the course for the British Road Race Championships. And it was everything they said it would be.
Except these were mine and Mark's local roads, our Sunday morning ride territory, our training grounds in a tucked away corner of East Lancashire. We like to think of them as challengingly hilly, good for a workout, and beautiful to boot. It seemed a little harsh to describe them in the same language as a war zone, but that is not to underestimate the attrition of multiple laps and an unusually hot summers day.
We rode through green lanes, unmarked roads and leafy byways to get to our viewing points to watch the Womens race. Halted for an hour after a slightly predictable (narrow, bumpy, technical descents + big nervous bunch = ????) but rather nasty crash, there was less viewing time available for me, and half the number of laps for the riders.
No matter, it was a simply superb race, uncertain right to the end and full of gritty and stunning performances from the main protaganists. And a worthy winner too.
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