This was my 9th York Rally/Cycle Show/Rally, and it finally dawned on me that it's more about meeting people than buying things, or in my case, not buying anything. Friday afternoon I spent by the river, and enjoying the sunshine in the Abbey of St Mary and the adjacent Edible Garden, before pitching up at the race course. Saturday I spent reading and pottering about the Rally. This year I managed to avoid the elderly Welsh guy with the extremely wiry grey hair and impenetrably strong accent, helped mainly I assume by my being in disguise, having not brought the velomobile. Lunch was a definitely-not-vegetarian
chicken burger. After dozing in the sunshine and then in my tent for an hour or so it was time for the Velovision* ride t'pub in t'evening. I wore extra layers as a precaution, but still got cold. In a magnificent departure from tradition (pizza), I had the fish
† and chips, which was pretty good.
Thanks to cycleman for the chat on Sunday and listening to me vent for a time.
I wasn't feeling very sociable all weekend because of previous non-bike related
STUFF. And despite my peaked cap and sunglasses, I got too much sunshine: if I'd known, I'd've brought my red iridium lens and not the blue. The inside of my tent reached 40.5ºC on Saturday afternoon.
Also on Sunday while Kim, Slash, Jeff, Lee et al were navigating the York racing circuit at ludicrous speed, I was navigating the Ouse cycle path at a very unludicrous speed, in search of historic tramway remains and a decent lunch (the venue for which TJ and Butterfly had simultaneously chosen). Later I went in search of my hostel for the night, which I'd booked on account of
- impending terrible weatheryness
- being a scaredy cat
- having a down sleeping bag sans drybag
- it always raining when I go on a holiday anyway.
The hostel was lovely, though, and I had a great conversation over dinner with an American tech and travel writer. Monday's weather arrived while I was in the railway museum, so my sleeping bag (which I'd left attached to the handlebars unobtrusively under a waterproof
¥ rucksack cover) got soaked anyway. My bike more or less fitted into the dangly space on the LNER HST, which at least was better than the XC Voyager's equivalent on the way down. I arrived at Waverley to rain and cold, so everything is back to normal.
* Velovision Legacy ride, perhaps. I didn't see Peter Eland at all this weekend; I don't think Howard came to York this year; and I haven't heard any recent news from poor Simon Webb.
† Also not vegetarian.
¥ Not actually waterproof.