Tag: Penrith

RideLondon Transport Woes

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I’m doing RideLondon at the end of the month, I think I’ve mentioned it around here and there. Just a few things left to sort out and those included getting me and a bike down to London and also returning back home. No problems, just a train down as per usual right? Not a chance according to the Virgin Trains website (it’s taken long enough for the site to allow bike bookings, even if they don’t really work)! Nothing on Saturday, Friday, or Thursday *sigh*.

So I ride down to the station (20 miles to the station so nothing major and a good bit of practice with the very hot weather) on Thursday and ask at the ticket office about possible places for me and a bike. Thankfully they have far better luck than the Virgin Trains website and manage to find me a ticket down on the Saturday with a bike without a problem. Getting home was much more problematic and would mean waiting till Monday to get back due to the lack of bike spaces, but in the end, he found one. After all this searching I had formed quite a queue right around the station and out the front door…oopsy!

Really I should have checked the tickets a lot more thoroughly at the station, sadly I just went through and noticed tickets and bike passes and all looked good. Once home I did notice that I only had a bike pass for getting to London, and the return bike pass hadn’t been printed ARGHH!

So back to the station and the ticket booth was closed. No staff around at all for over 30mins. Spoke to a lass who finally showed up, who said she could help but had to deal with some trains first so hung on for another 20mins till she was free.

The bike space for my return ticket had now gone! And there was now only one on the Monday to get home…at a silly hour of the night so it means I’ll be having a lovely ride home in the pitch black. Snag two, my train ticket is hours earlier than the newly acquired bike pass, and I can’t get a new train ticket for me as the ticket booth is only open until 4pm, so with work that means having to wait till Thursday ARGHH!!!

Why can’t anything ever be easy!

Off to Lancaster again…

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OK, a few goofs already. Firstly I couldn’t find a “sample” bottle do not taking one. That’ll get me in the dog house right off. And I’ve also not brought the correct blood/food is had book, so going to be in the dog house for that also, although that’s an easy fix as they can download it all off my pump, along with the sensor data off the ride. Still expecting to get moaned at though.

On a good note just set a personal best time to Penrith train station in 81mins. Oddly didn’t really feel that I was pushing it, no silly out of the seat sprints needed to get the train either. Guess my legs are still pretty decent at the moment.