Bob’s Bike Ride Report
Liverpool to Chester and bike ride Sunday 1st July 2018
I entered for this ride, last January, then my on off knee replacement was scheduled for beginning of June and then put back to 29 June, only to be called off again as the surgeon was going holiday. As I had kept getting the miles in on the bike, which is a better way of strengthening the knee muscles then hospitals suggested excises, I was the able to take part in the cycle ride along with 2750 other riders of all ages.
This years charity ride, didn’t involve the hills and steepness of last years ride to Brighton, especially Ditching Beacon (1000 ft + ), which was used by the Tour de France.
Never the less, the route, does take you over some steep climbs.
As you know the start and finish, is through the Mersey tunnel, ( the tunnel was the longest road tunnel for thirty one years, before the Mount Blanc tunnel was built in 1965, though that tunnel is only two lanes compared with four lanes for the Mersey Tunnel), enough of history.
The start of the ride is from to Southport station and train to Sandhills, though Moorfields and Central are nearer the start, they are not practical for taking bikes up escalators, and the lifts are to small. Any way a two mile ride to the tunnel, check in, then free wheel to the bottom, I have always wanted to take a photo, of the bike here with Liverpool/Birkenhead sign, but with bikes wheezing passed at up to forty mile an hour, it’s not practical. Out of the tunnel, the route is marked and marshalled, unfortunately, because of late start, due to going by train, the marshals and signs had been taken down, and I had to find my own way back on to the A41.
Being a dual carriageway, it gets a bit boring, but ended up with a fast time of 80 mins.
