Goodbye to her majesty, which saw many of us following the day's events on TV, whilst others took advantage of the day off and quieter roads to go out for a Monday bike ride...off with your heads!
As for Sunday - How do people ride so quickly uphill?? Yes, it was the Beacon Hill climb last Sunday and a decent crowd was out to watch the lightweight climbers blast up Winwood Heath Lane. Thanks to George Lazenby for organising this last event of the TT season, and indeed for stepping up and organising the 2022 TT series for Beacon. Well done to all the Beacon competitors, and huge kudos to Celia Brown for a sub 4minute ascent...which I think won the day as the fastest Beacon rider, although I haven't seen the final results yet. Cameron Biddle won the whole thing in a fabulous time of 2:56, which I think is my downhill time on this lane.... You lot do know it is uphill, don't you??
There then followed a mass of club runs round to Broad Acres Fisheries cafe, where they were waiting for us with copious amounts of doorstop bread and bacon topped off with every imaginable breakfast extra... I think there were at least 3 rides ending up there, plus all the TT officials who had driven over, so perhaps a new Beacon record for riders at this most popular of luncheon spots.
So what's coming up this week...the Tuesday rides are nearly finished, as darkness sets in, so get in there before they finish till next April/May...we also have the rearranged Beacon Track Championships this coming Saturday, but there are concerns that numbers may be low for this, so watch out for announcements. It's a shame that this is the case given our racing heritage, so if you can get involved, shout out now please.
That's it for this week... there is a great Beacon audax the following Saturday (1st October), named the Salopian, which starts/finishes in Belbroughton, and this will shortly close for entries. There is a sizeable Beacon contingent already entered, so why not come along for a 200kms ride through the leafy lanes of the Midlands, finishing with a meal at HQ... It's a grand day out. More details next week.
Keep happy.
Phil