By ‘Eck – Yorkshire doesn’t disappoint.

Martin Spiller joined us for the 1 day Ride25 Tour de Yorkshire at the weekend. Here is his review of the day…

I think it is fair to say I am to cycling what I am to catwalk modelling. So much so that when I undertook Ride25’s London to Paris Marketing Cycle last year, most people thought that my Fat Lad at the Back cycling clobber had been custom designed just for me.

However, over the weekend I ambitiously joined up with a bunch of serious cyclists, including the elite Ride 25 Pioneer core, to do a 100 mile tour of Yorkshire and I have to say being back in the county of my youth was simply fantastic.

So what did I learn on my second serious outing as Lycra clad warrior of the road:

1. Ride 25 organise a fantastic event with great people, a phenomenal route and awesome support. I know it’s a bit brown nosey but good service should be praised and they do know how to put on a great cycling adventure.
2. Being over 1.5 stones lighter than my last outing made the ride a lot easier, particularly the multiple hills on the route, albeit I must confess, I will never like climbing and will always be more a Box Hill man than Ventoux / Alpe D’Huez.
3. Yorkshire can both give and take away in the same day. I mean, where else can you ride in to the impressive Castle Howard in glorious sunshine for a fantastic lunch and then ride out 30 minutes later and have your mood swiftly changed by hailstones and torrential rain?
4. Great company makes a ride a much more enjoyable experience as 100 miles is a long way whichever way you cut it….
5. Whilst I consider myself pretty rapid on the flat and track cycling might be more my thing, watching the true elite riders put the hammer down and disappear into the distance is an impressive sight and suggests I might still have a bit of work to do yet!

I’m still not sure that I am, or will ever be, a fully converted MAMIL as endurance events really do hurt when you’re a more rotund gentleman and Lycra is not very forgiving. What I do know is that the riders on Le Tour De Yorkshire next weekend are in for a real treat; as no matter what the weather with some fantastic roads, beautiful scenery and amazing views well… By ‘Eck Yorkshire doesn’t disappoint!

Martin Spiller is on Twitter @MartinRSpiller