Before getting on to this weekend first a word about last weekend in Paris. 2 of the pictures shown in the Blog for the Tour finish have since been edited adding blur or Zoom effects. These images are below.

On Saturday Anne and I went up to the Men’s Olympic Road race at the Box Hill Circuit. Other members also went though generally  staying up there or by car including Mary, Gill and John Rigarlsworth.

Anne and I took the same train from Chichester the first one at 05.19 to Gatwick. For the period of the Olympics Southern are blocking Bikes on Trains any further north than Gatwick. For the weekend of the Olympic road races this was extended to no further north than Horsham except for trains going via Hove where the limit was still Gatwick.

We cycled from Gatwick on a Cyclepath out of the Airport and then north on lanes to the western end of the Box Hill loop near Betchworth. No great problem in distance, about 14 miles. We arrived at 8.00 about 4 hours before the race was due to arrive. The sharp corner I had planned to use was already full so we got a spot a short way up from there.

My 5ft wide Union Jack was set up in the hedge alongside 2 others. Then my flag was a little overwhelmed when somebody else arrive with a 12ft wide flag using by bike as one attachment point. In the picture my flag is first to the right from the big one.

Some of our neighbouring spectators got to work with the chalk on the road.

There was great atmosphere before the race with great crowds arriving by foot and many by bike.

When police motorbikes started going round there were great cheers from the crowd and some of them waved back. One of them did a sort of dance on his bike.

The great advantage of the Box Hill loop was that the riders came round 9 times. Also we were on a very narrow lane so the riders were very close. Most of my pictures were taken with a lens set at between 10 and 16mm.

Here is a selection of a few out of the 600 pictures I took during the day.

Below is my favourite with Wiggo as the main subject. I did a little (well a lot really) of editing to add pan blur in Photoshop and exclude the cyclists from this effect.

After the event we cycled south on lanes via Horsham. I decided to get the train back from there while Anne cycled all the way home. Soon after leaving Box Hill we spotted in the village of Brockham the Church doing teas, an irresistible tea stop.

Today, Sunday there were 2 Club Rides organised due to meet for a picnic at Southsea. Colin led the long ride though unfortunately nobody else turned up. I joined the short ride led by Avryl. Also joining for this ride were Arthur, Debbie and 2 more from the Moulton Club.

Everybody except for Avryl and Debbie planned to return from Elevenses so Avryl and Debbie also decided to.  The ride out was on mainly on cyclepaths along the A259 via Southbourne to an elevenses stop at the Greenhouse Cafe Emsworth.

The return was back to Southbourne and then pleasant lanes to Chichester. The coastal area avoided the heavy storms a short way north so a generally sunny day though cooler than of late and a strong SW wind.

Distance was 20 miles from and back to Chichester. My mileage from Pagham was 30.

Edwin

Posted by RideLeader at 21:46 BST

Updated: Sunday, 29 July 2012 21:51 BST

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