Cycling up the hill

This was Wednesday . . . 

. . . and this was yesterday . . .

To say that it rained would be an understatement; it simply poured for several hours non-stop.  Yes, it watered the garden (again) and filled the water butts up (again) but it also threatened to wash-out something we had been really looking forward to.

Ryde was hosting the first leg of the cycling Tour Series (some good action photos on the official site) and along with a few thousand other locals we braved some dodgy weather conditions to watch and cheer.  And we weren't disappointed - it was great.  There were team time trials in the afternoon, each team of 5 (ten teams in all) aiming to post the fastest time around 2 laps of the circuit, and then the main race in the evening.  The start-finish line was on the Esplanade, and the course involved a bit of a climb up one of the main shopping streets in town (I try to avoid walking up this particular street if possible ;o ).  Watching pro-cycle road racing on TV doesn't really prepare you for the live spectacle; it is quite thrilling to see the riders racing flat-out uphill on each and every circuit.  I tried to get some action photos but to be honest, they were whizzing past me so fast, the pictures were a bit of a blur.

In the end I gave up and simply enjoyed the occasion.  As well as the 9 professional teams, there was a guest team made up of local riders, who received huge cheers of encouragement whenever they flew past.

Rounding the corner from the Esplanade, the pier in the background

The lead pack on their way up the hill

Thankfully the rain just about held off for the race to finish in the dry.  The event was incredibly well supported by locals - it's not often we host something like this - and the atmosphere was fantastic.  Pounding music, great commentary, enthusiastic spectators and incredible athletes.  It would be great if the tour returns next year; apart from the kudos of hosting, several parts of the course were re-surfaced in preparation for the race.  Good to see the back of a few potholes.