Manchester Bike Ride

I have been on a lot of organised bike rides over the years. London to Brighton in the 80s [until a child riding the wrong way up the finishing straight did for both my enthusiasm for the event and my teeth / tongue and finger in 1986]. The first sportives in the UK [Brassknocker hill in 1992], the tandem race that Danielle and I did in 1996 [when we got held up by someone inconsiderately falling off  - "get out of the way!" one of us shouted.], then a load of sportives in recent  years. I have got weary of the macho element of sportives and am just doing one this year.
Today all three of us [Danielle and I on the tandem, Rowan on her road-bike] went to Manchester to ride the closed road route http://www.greatcycle.org/ . It was fantastic, the best organised ride I have done for ages. No traffic at all, a route from Man City stadium, right through town on the Mancunian Way motorway, past Old Trafford and then through the new Media City and Lowry Museum in Salford. We did two laps [26 miles] which was perfect. Out of a field of 2000 Danielle was the 24th woman, Rowan 31st, and I was 24th in my age group [old folk] - 17 mph. Great fun and a great day.