Edinburgh Nocturne

This will have to be a short post as I'm going out shortly to watch Star Trek (hopefully we'll actually get to hear it this time too!!)

I went to the Edinburgh Nocturne on Saturday. I thought it was kind of false advertising actually given it finished about an hour before the sun went down so was more afternoonal than nocturnal. It was fun though. The circuit was somewhat insane. I have no idea how they managed to convince Edinburgh council that it would be a good idea to close of a few busy streets in the centre for a day so people could cycle quickly in circles. It was quite amusing seeing a variety of hen* and stag parties wandering into what is usually a Saturday night drunkard's paradise and being faced with crowds of happy cyclists.

The youth race was pretty frightening. Most of the entrants looked about 17 or 18 and like proper pros, but then a few couldn't have been more than 10 or 11. I wouldn't dare go that fast over cobbles on my roadbike never mind a race bike with anorexic tyres.

In most of the races it was really hard to tell who was winning. Each lap was about 2minutes for the fast guys so with the number of people racing it was quite hard to tell who was winning and who was being lapped. The Elite race, the Garmin team broke away fairly early on and stayed in front until the end. I only found out today that the winner was David Millar of Tour de France fame. Sadly his team mate got pushed to third by a valiant effort from someone or other on the last lap.

The most fun race was of course the folding bike race! The competitors started 30m away from their bikes. They had to run to their bikes, unfold them, then do 3laps of the course. And they were all wearing office attire:)

Sadly Rapha's gorgeous team outfits (black with flashes of pink) has made me want one of their caps. Not because they're the "performance headgear" and "the perfect addition to the well-dressed cyclist's wardrobe" but just cos they're pretty. They're also quite expensive. I bet they'd be awesome for clubbing though. Keep me cosy on my way home on the cold winter nights? Yes? Anyone convinced I need one?
http://www.rapha.cc/rapha-cap/




*The most intriguing was a woman on her own, wandering about, obviously sober, looking for her friends. She was very...um, "fit" is the only way to describe it. High white ribboned heels, white hotpants, a sailor-style top and sailor-style hat. Blimey. Less on show than the majority of the cyclists (lycra doesn't leave much to the imagination) but much more eye-catching!