Sunday, 5 August 2012

Olympic Bike Race

It has been hard not to notice that some sporting event is going on around here at the moment. I'm a bit on the cynical side regarding the whole Olympic organisation, but as I was pleasantly surprised by the opening ceremony ( I was expecting something far more glitzy and superficial, still can't believe that was really the Queen) I decided to join the rest of the family with a train ride over to Gomshall to watch the men's road race last Saturday.

The trains were absolutely packed so we were surprised to find that an hour or so before the race was due to pass through there was plenty of kerb space available for a good view.

Sleepy Gomshall 


We passed the time with a takeaway coffee from a nearby tearoom and enjoyed the sunshine. The atmosphere really got going as every train arriving at the little station brought a new batch of spectators. Everyone was chatting to their neighbours on the kerbside, even though they were strangers, which really added to the carnival feeling. The police seemed to be having the time of their lives whipping through on their bikes waving at the crowds.

Warm-up Act



Finally, the race reached us. It was all quite a blur and I think they were just cruising through and warming up on the way to Box Hill at this point.

The Main Bunch, Chilling and Enjoying Snacks


One of these riders is eating what looks like a brioche. Now that's what I call multi-tasking!

Hopefully Mr Wiggins


Finally, in a patriotic fervour - two riders from Team GB. I'm claiming that one of them is Bradley Wiggins, although it's hard to pick out their numbers.

It was a great morning out,no ticket required, lots of excitement and still back home in time to watch the rest of the race.