WVCC Sportive Top Twenty

Although the sportive was a couple of weeks ago now, it was such a great day that it lives on in my memory. With a nod to Ian Dury’s “Reasons to be Cheerful”, here are my personal top twenty reasons for why I had such a good day……

1. It was so well organised. I’m sure there was plenty of stress behind the scenes but as a participator it ran like clockwork. Thank you to all the organisers for ensuring it went so smoothly.
2. The weather was wonderful, perfect for cycling. I’m reliably informed that the weather is always great for WVCC sportives, can that possibly be true?
3. I got up Sludge Hill. I thought that “Sludge Hill” was just a nickname but no, it’s an actual name. Glad I didn’t know how steep it was beforehand.
4. It was lovely riding with so many other lovely folks, almost 200 cyclists from all over the place took part.
5. The food at the feed station was spot on. My top choice was the pain au chocolat but the pork pies were very popular too. Thank you to the team that organised such a good lunch.
6. It raised nearly £4500 for Macmillan cancer support.
7. Free beer for finishers. “Nuff said.
8. The entire route was signed so I didn’t have to worry about which way to go or keep consulting my Garmin. I’m very appreciative of those who put all the signs out – and then collected them all back in.
9. We cycled alongside Eyebrook reservoir, one of my favourite cycling roads around here. I love trying to identify the birds out on the water, even if I’ve not got any binoculars with me.
10. The Macmillian support team were super friendly and encouraging whether it was at the early morning sign on or with the supply of homemade cakes and tea at the end of the ride.
11. There were different rides to choose from, on-road, off-road, long and short so lots of different types of cyclists could take part. Thank you to those who spent time and effort planning all those routes.
12. I made new friends. I met Jo for the first time at the sportive and then went on to ride 100 miles with her at the Tour of Cambridgeshire two weeks later. How cool was that?
13. Plenty of opportunity to whizz downhill! Ok so there were plenty of hills to struggle up first but you can’t beat whooping as you zoom downhill.
14. The start and finish at Langton’s brewery. What a great venue it was. Plenty of room for bikes and loads of seating so we could all sit around afterwards resting our legs and soaking up the sunshine. Thank you.
15. Beautiful countryside to cycle through. We really do live in a pretty lovely part of the world and it’s good to be reminded not to take it for granted.
16. Live music. I can’t remember the name of the band playing but weren’t they good? They certainly added to the festive atmosphere.
17. Electronic timing with timing chips on our helmets made me feel like a proper cyclist.
18. It raised nearly £500 for Thomas’s fund.
19. Being able to enjoy a “picnic” lunch in such a lovely spot even if we couldn’t hear each other when the church bells were ringing.
20. Spending pretty much the whole day outdoors on my bike.