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| Bradley Wiggins, third, and the rest of the Sky team approaching Snape on the first stage of the Tour of Britain |
My new love of cycling, which I must state started before the Tour de France and the Olympics, has taken me far and wide in the last six months, but two weeks after a huge 84 mile ride from Hessett to Aldeburgh and back, I was back on the saddle again today to cheer on two famous Olympians.
Last year, when Mark Cavendish whisked past Nowton Park I was more keen to record the event for posterity rather than watch it for the cycling aspect, but wind on 12 months, I subscribe to two cycling mags, have six cycling jerseys and am considering shaving my legs.
Today's ride was my biggest ever, 96 miles in the hot August sun with my mate Steve, a London-based triathlete.
We were planning to ride to Snape to watch the riders burst through but stopped half a mile short to a small hill climb. Four riders powered through seven minutes ahead of the peloton, which eventually shot past us containing Cav and Bradley Wiggins at the front.
That was it, we headed back to Bury St Edmunds to complete our seven hour ride.
Back in the Tour of Britain world the day ended badly for Cavendish, crashing out just outside the Royal Norfolk Showground with less that a mile to go, having ridden almost as far as the Manx Missile today, I know how I'd have felt to finish my ride injured and on the floor.
