I filled up my bottles not 100% sure whether it was with water or energy drink, grabbed a handful of Haribo and a banana and rolled on. There was a decent range of snacks on offer, from Haribo and bananas to High5 gels and other goodies. I was back on the bike after a quick refill of the bottles and a handful of Haribo. It's not as ancient as Stonehenge, most likely dating to the mid-1700s, but a majestic sight - or I imagine it would be, if you take the time to look at it. The first feed stop was on a hilltop with signs for the Westbury White Horse, one of several enormous equine figures cut into the hillside around Wiltshire. It was supposed to be temporary but they were never allowed to return, although the village is occasionally opened to the public apparently. the routes converged again we'd been heading west and through the MoD village of Imber, where, Wikipedia says, 150 residents were evacuated at just a few days' notice towards the end of the Second World War in order to allow US troops to train there. There were also the occasional puncture victims standing alongside the course and for a while I entertained myself by counting the riders I passed. We were well strung out at this early stage, with most of the field having a head start but I was picking up a few stragglers here and there - in one case a chap who'd taken a tumble when his front wheel washed out, and was feeling a bit the worse for wear. Juliet was just one of a mini peloton of cycling celebs riding on the day, with Nico Roche, Francis Cade and David Arthur among others all out on the course too.īrian sent us on our way with the advice to take it easy since we were only doing the short route - adding with a cheeky grin that we could always do it twice if we felt like it. One face I did recognise was the rider right in front of me in the start grid: I'd lined up in a small group incuding Juliet Elliot, vlogger par excellence. Who was it? All I could think was Frankie wasn't until the next day I realised this jovial silver fox was none other than Brian Smith! I rolled over the grass to the start line to find a familiar face and Scottish accent in charge of the pre-ride briefing. I really wanted a coffee but there was a queue at the Giro stand and I was already late. By the time I'd arrived on site, dropped off my luggage and borrowed someone's track pump to top up my rear tyre, it was shortly after 5:30 and I was left to start with the short course riders who were still arriving on site. I was down for the long - no point traveling all that way for less - which had a start window of 5:00 - 5:30am. Two distances were on offer, the 215km long and a semi-skimmed option at 135km. Breakfast was a couple of yoghurts with muesli, then I rode off to the start. Favourite event you've been part of? Ooh, there are too many.After a slightly patchy few hours of sleep I woke just before the alarm at about 4:30am.Favourite place to ride? Italy or California (probably).Then when I started racing gravel bikes we agreed to work together properly. How did you get sponsored/get into the Marin family? Initially I was hooked up with a Marin mountain bike on a casual basis.What’s the best piece of riding advice you’ve ever been given? It’s pretty obvious but look where you wanna go.What size Marin bike frame do you ride? I’m between small and medium - Medium Alpine Trail but small Headlands.What would be your desert island luxury item? Hmm.Must have MTB accessory for a ride? Tubeless dart and Co2.Follow my YouTube channel for vlogs, tips, travel and fun stuff. Who is Juliet Elliot? I ride and race bikes of all kinds but gravel and MTB are my favourite.
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