Coast to Coast Blog: Day 1 (Nigel Short)
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 22 September 2009 07:17
C2C BlogThe Coast to Coast team safely arrived at their temporary digs for the night before the start of the gruelling cycle ride.
Joining David Hirst and friends on the 150-mile trip from Grange-over-Sands to Filey is our blogger for the journey; Sheffield Wednesday fan, Wednesdayite member, fake Gary Barlow and general media whore, Nigel Short:
Joining David Hirst and friends on the 150-mile trip from Grange-over-Sands to Filey is our blogger for the journey; Sheffield Wednesday fan, Wednesdayite member, fake Gary Barlow and general media whore, Nigel Short:
"Well its midnight on the eve of Day One of the Coast 2 Coast.
I'm laid here in bed at the Travelodge, Kendal and am not overly sure whether the butterflies in my stomach are the result of nerves, or my first visit to an Indian restaurant in almost 2 years!! On reflection, I had possibly the mildest curry known to man so it must be nerves...
Kendal in late September on a Monday night isn't the thriving metropolis you would imagine. We had a couple in the 'Globe' before heading off to the Mumbai for the food.
At the Globe we were joined by the first of our footballers, Phil King. Phil had arrived earlier in the day and, not sure of plans, had already eaten. We all reminisced about the usual things football fans do when they get together, inevitably these involved games Phil had played in, even down to free kicks he had taken. I personally fondly remembered the 'stepover' routine he performed with Nigel Worthington - though if I'm honest I think I was more enthusiastic about it than Phil!!
Just exactly how anoraky do I sound?
In the restaurant we were joined by the remaining members of our team, including Hirsty and Bez.
I ended up sat with Bez, who looks sickeningly fit and prepared for the ride. Or maybe he looked so good as he was sat inbetween me and Hirsty! Bez admitted he'd done a bit of prep for the ride, and didn't seem overly concerned that on Thursday night, after what will be our longest stage of 63 miles, he is due at a function in Maidstone. In Kent. At 9pm.
Personally I'm not confident I'll be in Filey for 9pm on Thursday night so that gives an indication of his confidence!! :-)
Hirsty regaled us with stories of his training prep - and how he only learnt how to change down his gears this weekend. Apparently Twentywell Lane is a swine in top gear - Hirsty had stood hard on his pedals and remained almost motionless for 20 minutes before discovering that the downshift was built into his brake lever.
I've got a feeling I will be more likely to finish in Hirstys pack rather than Bez's!!
We are aiming to leave the digs for Grange Over Sands at 8am - have breakfast there before we get on the bikes and set out on the first stage. So, without further ado, I'll turn in, switch out the lights and hope that the guys I'm sharing with don't snore too much.
Night and all the best.
Nige"
Addendum
7:30am Tue: "Julian Batty makes a noise when sleeping not dissimilar to the kind of rumbling heard when Indiana Jones discovers a secret door in an ancient tomb.
All night.
This could be a long week, and may yet see me choosing to sleep in the camper rather than rooming with him!!"
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
I'm laid here in bed at the Travelodge, Kendal and am not overly sure whether the butterflies in my stomach are the result of nerves, or my first visit to an Indian restaurant in almost 2 years!! On reflection, I had possibly the mildest curry known to man so it must be nerves...
Kendal in late September on a Monday night isn't the thriving metropolis you would imagine. We had a couple in the 'Globe' before heading off to the Mumbai for the food.
At the Globe we were joined by the first of our footballers, Phil King. Phil had arrived earlier in the day and, not sure of plans, had already eaten. We all reminisced about the usual things football fans do when they get together, inevitably these involved games Phil had played in, even down to free kicks he had taken. I personally fondly remembered the 'stepover' routine he performed with Nigel Worthington - though if I'm honest I think I was more enthusiastic about it than Phil!!
Just exactly how anoraky do I sound?
In the restaurant we were joined by the remaining members of our team, including Hirsty and Bez.
I ended up sat with Bez, who looks sickeningly fit and prepared for the ride. Or maybe he looked so good as he was sat inbetween me and Hirsty! Bez admitted he'd done a bit of prep for the ride, and didn't seem overly concerned that on Thursday night, after what will be our longest stage of 63 miles, he is due at a function in Maidstone. In Kent. At 9pm.
Personally I'm not confident I'll be in Filey for 9pm on Thursday night so that gives an indication of his confidence!! :-)
Hirsty regaled us with stories of his training prep - and how he only learnt how to change down his gears this weekend. Apparently Twentywell Lane is a swine in top gear - Hirsty had stood hard on his pedals and remained almost motionless for 20 minutes before discovering that the downshift was built into his brake lever.
I've got a feeling I will be more likely to finish in Hirstys pack rather than Bez's!!
We are aiming to leave the digs for Grange Over Sands at 8am - have breakfast there before we get on the bikes and set out on the first stage. So, without further ado, I'll turn in, switch out the lights and hope that the guys I'm sharing with don't snore too much.
Night and all the best.
Nige"
Addendum
7:30am Tue: "Julian Batty makes a noise when sleeping not dissimilar to the kind of rumbling heard when Indiana Jones discovers a secret door in an ancient tomb.
All night.
This could be a long week, and may yet see me choosing to sleep in the camper rather than rooming with him!!"
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
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