Mice goes to the Races! (Again!)

For the third time in as many months I found myself in a race.  This time it was the Brompton World Championships 2013 at Goodwood Park in West Sussex. 

I am not entirely sure how I find myself signed up for these things.  People kind of say "Hey, would you like to ride a bike ..." and the excitement of it has me saying yes before I fully take on board the reality of the thing.

 The thing this time was another hilarious and brilliant day on two wheels.  Some months ago five of us had permission to call ourselves The Fridays Team and a suitable tie was designed and ordered. For two months I had been focussing on what to wear with the tie!  The Brompton World Championships is all about the look (but please don't tell my fellow team mates that)! I was taking the wardrobe way more seriously than the race - cleats? Pah! I was in heels!!   I worked out what I was going to wear weeks before and on the day I woke up to realise my tie hadn't arrived!

An 8am train took me Chichester to cycle the three miles to Goodwood Park in order to meet up with the rest of the team.  On leaving the station my chain came off and had dropped down inside the pivot pin bits.  No matter what I did I couldn't move it.  What a start to the day? 

I was just about to work out what to do next when two Bromptonites appeared  saying "can we help?" and within three minutes they were both covered in oil and my bike was fixed. Woweee! That is the sort of magic that cycling and particularly Bromptons create. (I showed them Andy Allsopps trick of wiping hands on brick work which does actually remove oil from hands).  Thank you Joseph and Gary, truly.

With hands a bit cleaner, we were just working out a route to Goodwood when two more peeps arrived and five of us set off in peloton style - we picked up another one more on the way. A trio of Garmins were consulted after a few too many  roundabouts and a couple of wrong turns we found ourselves on the correct road and before you could say "which Garmin are you using?" we were all at Goodwood, queuing up to register.

Armed with my new wristband and permission to have tea (for later) I headed off to find the rest of The Fridays Team where I was duly presented with my Fridays Tie! Huzzahhhh! Outfit complete!

We put our bicycles on their assigned pre-race spots, wandered about a bit and then headed back for the race.  My rdf chip was on my bike and with some relief I learned that the start time didn't include how long it took to unfold!

An Official ran through all 26 rules of the race - hilarious and serious at the same time! Then we headed back to our areas for the off. I managed to unwrap my Brompton in not too many minutes and pedalled out to the course. 

Four laps of this Le Mans style circuit was the requirement.  Four times under the banner the man had said.  As I made my way round I kept trying to remember how much notice I had been given about how windy it was. Full On!  It was very hard work.  It was also absolutely hilarious!  

The Brompton competitors had all taken the wardrobe very seriously and there were some fantastically smart cyclists whizzing by me.  All sorts of race tactics were being used.  Some were just chatting as if they might still be there next week, some were working in teams that Chris Froome and Richie Porte would be proud of and some were, like me, just trying to complete the circuit as best they could.

 

After the second lap I began to realise the error of my ways in not having breakfast.  That wasn't intentional - the bigger error was thinking that the race started at 2pm and my real intention was to have a lovely lunch first.  And here I was doing my best to force my way through a very strong wind without a grain of porridge!  I also kept thinking that as it was a circuit there must be a moment when  the wind is a tailwind and how fast I would go at that point.  Sadly I didn't quite find it! 

I could however take in the view. I could see the South Downs, the sky was blue and pretty, the air temperature about 22 degrees so all in all this was not a bad place to be.  Besides it was a World Championship!

As I past the banner the crowds cheered and cheered. Flags were waved, people were calling and smiling and I am sure quite a few of them were laughing. Then I realised that the person laughing the loudest was me!  I had a grin on my face the size of Chichester - it was all such fun!

Eventually the fourth lap was finished, we handed in our chips and headed for afternoon tea.  On the way I popped in to see Velovixen who had a stand with some very nice new pieces.  They have some really great items and one of the ones that I really wanted was a t-shirt that had been signed by Chris Boardman.  How fabulous would that be? Sadly it wasn't for sale so I cheered myself up with a Cafe de Cyclist gilet that I have been looking at for several months.

Meanwhile, one of Team Fridays had been nominated to queue for tea and the rest of us found a space to sit.  Whilst doing so we found the artist who had been commissioned by Brompton to create a painting from a collection of Brompton Cyclists all over the world that would be hung in Bromptons Head Office.  

Out of all the photos submitted by thousands of Bromptonites around the world, one of them was my fellow Fridays Team cyclist Ian. Brillo Pads!  Of all the people I know - Ian is top of my list to have this kind of tribute. An awesome cyclist and an incredibly kind human being.  Just perfect!

 Whilst we were taking pics of him and his painting several other people realised what was happening and asked to take his photo too!  Paparrazzi Brompton style - as in people asked!

Tea was ready for collection - a cuppa, a piece of Mill-yon-Aires shortbread and a sandwich.  A sandwich, I was a bit shocked to see, that had not been cut in half!!  Look Mum No Knife!  Tea pourers wandered about topping up our cups, glasses of G&T were downed and the whole atmosphere was incredibly relaxed and fun.  People just chatting and chilling, laughing and talking.  Awesome!  

Just as the presentations were about to start the heavens tried to open.  A persistent drizzle for about 10 minutes. Just long enough for me to put my raincoat on and then within five minutes it had gone, the sun was back and the sky blue once more.  Perfick!

 

The results were announced and the winners were applauded and handed brand new Bromptons!  Well Done!!  I hadn't bothered to check my results but an email tells me I completed the course in 32.33 mins which I think is ok.   A further message via FB tells me I came 25th in the womens group! Wowser! That's a result indeed!

We made our way back to the station and popped into a pub by the station.  People in Chichester are very patient - the junction by the railway station and the level crossing has the most ridiculous time showing a red light.  Methinks a rethink is in order.

After a very nice pint in a pub garden we all took a train to Barnham. It was packed and funnily enough there were Bromptons everywhere!  The poor guard did a great job as he was obviously not totally impressed with it all.  I suspect he doesn't ride a bike! 

Also traveling with us was a chap from Bikes2fold who also has bikes2fold.de which could be interesting.

A great way to spend the day - fab to see Velovixen, meet up with friends and be given my very own World Championship Medal!! Thank you peeps - I can hardly believe how much fun I had and how many doors open because I ride a Bicycle.  My Pics here and the Official Brompton Video  in which I appear at 0'23 and 1'23 here - Wowser - Thank you Brompton!