Manchester to Blackpool part 4 Leaving Preston we then did a little “hump” north in the route to take the distance up to 60 miles, neatly avoiding too much of the main road from Preston to Blackpool. This was really a rather pleasant little detour. It took us past the cheering point where my parents were waiting to cheer me on. From here I took a couple of stops to try to make sure Susanne knew how far ahead I was. This little loop took us through Kirkham. At one point I looked up at the road ahead, and literally mean looking up! I tried to drop down to the small ring at the front to handle what I saw only to realise I was already on the smaller ring. Needless to say my speed dropped a little! I passed a girl on the way up – I was surprised that anyone was going slower than I was! The marshals at this junction were telling us the traffic situation on the road so we didn’t have to stop is if was clear. I took the first opportunity to stop after that to get my breath back. I also had the one and only gel of the ride at that point to get something back quickly. The girl I passed also stopped and we exchanged a few words along the lines of “that wouldn’t have been too bad 30 miles ago” and then went on our way. Later checks suggest some bits were 16%. Around here I started to notice just how many discarded gel pouches my fellow cyclists were littering the road with. From Kirkham we dropped down towards Freckleton and Warton where the ride levelled out, no more climbs or descents. I have often grumbled that there’s nothing level near home. We are always going up or down. The flat I found to be a different challenge. There was no place to hide. Stop pedalling and you’ll stop moving. Again I passed the refreshment stop – I was doing OK, even if feeling it in my thighs a little, and just wanted to get to the finish where Susanne and the boys were hopefully waiting for me. Remember I mentioned the distance markers? I was thinking the 5 miles mark must be here soon. I spotted a marker - 8 miles to go! Around here we started with the headwind near the coast, and the route took us along Lytham prom, where we were alongside a run – a half marathon I think, which meant two confusing distance markers. I spotted one that was clearly ours – 4 miles to go - and tried to phone Susanne to check where she was and let her know when to expect me. Instead I had to send a text. After the prom a little kink put us back on the main road for the final stretch. I carried on and was struggling a little with the headwind, and looking up to see if I could see the glitterball yet. As I approached the airport I saw a light aircraft taking off. I also noticed someone drafting me. I didn’t mind too much as I had taken a little (and given a little) along the way. It took a few moments before I realised that my text stop had let hill girl catch up, and it was her. The head wind was causing me more of a problem and I was slowing down a little. That led to hill girl discovering one of the indicators of the benefit of a draft. I had slowed down a little, and she decided to come past, only to find she couldn’t manage even the lower speed out of the shelter and I ended up passing her again. Then I saw the glitter ball, and the finish line, As I got to the line I saw Susanne and the boys there on the left a wave and I was across the line, just as I heard the announcer tell everyone my name. A few minutes for hellos and a picture or two and we headed off for lunch. The bike went into the back of the car, I put more conventional clothing on and fish chips and mushy peas went down very well. A lovely day in Blackpool meant time for the boys to play on the beach. The intention had been they got to play to kill time before I arrived, but I was a little quick on the ride up.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 10:19:38 +0000
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