Wiggo in the Peloton

What a day it's been!

Not only did the Grand Depart of the Tour of Britain take place virtually on our doorsteps this afternoon but Spokes and I had signed up to ride in Sky Ride Liverpool, alongside over 10,000 others! This was a really big deal as Spokes has been suffering with a nasty back problem for the past year or so and hadn't been able to ride her beloved bike for 10 months, until she made a tentative return to the saddle a week or so ago... It was wonderful to see her back on her bike and enjoying such a special day out!

So... We were out bright and early on what proved to be a perfect warm and sunny day and we made the most of the opportunity to cycle the route that the professionals would ride after us! It was so exciting to have the roads of central Liverpool to ourselves - free of cars for once! - and to see so many people out on bikes. Little children with stabilisers on their bikes, older folk on tandems. Lycra and leggings, helmets and hijabs; people zipping along at a fair old speed and others taking it easy and having a chat as they went. Down from Sefton Park and Princes Park, along Princes Avenue and Parliament Street to the Pier Head and back - everyone in good spirits and thrilled to be sharing the experience.

Later, we spent a lovely couple of hours lounging in a sun-drenched Sefton Park with pals Sallyann, Richard and Tom - not forgetting Betty the dog! - before taking our places along the road to watch the professionals race by!

We found a really good spot to watch them as they entered and exited the park on each of their 8 laps of the circuit and I managed to get shots of Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish (who eventually finished 3rd despite a crash early in the race) which was a stroke of luck!

This definitely isn't the best picture I took today from a technical perspective - it's pretty grainy and blurry - but I like the sunlight through the trees, the shadows, the wheels and, of course, Wiggo in the centre! It just sums up the magical feeling of the day for me.