I suppose the highlight has been seeing Georgie grow up. She's 6 months old now and truely a wonderful little girl. It's not going to be long until she's crawling. She's getting very close, but usually ends up faceplanting into the map. She's enjoying swimming a lot more as well and had some underwater photos done. Just waiting to see them.
Le Tour is well and truely over, but what a race this year. It was wonderful, drama in almomst every stage. We were lucky to get to see Stage 6 in Normandy. It was the longest stage of the race and we were based at teh high point of the day at St Michel de Moinjoie. There were a couple of early showers as I rode to the stage with Mel's Dad and his neighbour from their Normandy pad.
There was a real carnival atmosphere in this little hamlet, especially as the Caravane wound it's way past us. My goodness never get between a French person and a freebie. I picked up a hat which had landed by my feet only for it to be snatched from my hat by a French lady who was berating me because she saw it first. I politely let her take it... partly through fear mind you.
Anyway, the riders were about half an hour away by this time. How could we tell? The helicopters in the distance, but that was not all, the hugest black cloud I'd seen was rolling towards us. Seeing we had been standing there for 4 hours in the sunshine it looked like we were in for a soaking. As predicted teh heavens opened and thunder/ lightning surrounded us. Then, there he was, the first rider. It was the soon-to-be-thrown-into-a-barbed-wire-fence Jonny Hoogerland heading for the King of the mountains points.
Soon the rest of the pelaton came through looking decidedly soaked. It seemed the rain was following them along the route as no sooner had they passed then the rain stopped and it became sunny again.
So, through thunder, lightning, rain, beeping cars, cyclists, cheering spectators, did Georgie enjoy her first taste of Le Tour?
Since being back the training hasn't really gone to plan so I've decided to pull out of the Olympic I was doing as I just wouldn't be fit enough. I still have two sprints at Dorney Lake coming up as well as Bristol Half Marathon. I raced Elmbridge 10k a couple of weeks ago and came in a rather disappointing 44,57. I was expecting a minute or two faster but felt exhausted by 8k. To make matters worse I got a slight tear in my right calf which until this week has excluded me from running since. Thanks to some patching up massage from Chris Bradfield I'm recovering well and hoping to crack on with training for Bristol.
I've a few busy weeks coming up with marshalling at the Hyde Park Triathlon and London to Surrey Cycle ride, chuck in 2 sprints, a family to see, training to do and work, and that's one busy me. So I'll write more when I can. That's all for now. Take care one and all
