Around Ards Again

So, with a hangover, I showed up in Bangor last Sunday (17’th June) for the NDCC Bangor Coastal Challenge.

The weather was not raining but cool – which after the heavy rain of the previous days was good.

Seemed a bit more popular this year than last – the weather was better – I reckon there was about 1200 people. 

This was the first sportive of the year for me and I had not done any training.  I just hoped the running I had been doing would cancel out all the beer I drank the night before.  This was also the first sportive on my new to me on my new (to me) racer.  (Or road bike as young people seem to call them).

I suffered from the night before for the first 1/2 an hour or so but then picked up after a toilet stop.

There was a bit of a queue in Portaferry for lunch, which, like last year, was a nice bowl of stew, the obligatory banana and a mars.  Very welcome it was too.

In the afternoon I drafted a group of 3 guys pretty much all the way back to Bangor – though I did take my turn at the front a couple of times.

Like last years event, this was well organised, particularly the martialling.  Route takes in some lovely bits of country and this years weather was great.  Bike did fine.

Next event is my first audax – the Around Down 200 – which I expect to be a bit tougher.