Foreword
Everyone in good form at airport. Couple of Moscow Mules with the girls to take the edge off. Ken skipped the burger and chips and was eating a salad in a vain attempt to shed a couple of ounces but as an experienced campaigner I knew he’d be fooked either way. Like a lot of the newbies he was picturing Callary Hill as the benchmark but Calvary Hill would have been more apt.
All participants were doing their utmost to convince whoever would listen that they had done no training, hadn’t seen the bike and were going to struggle when we got over. To be honest I thought they were kidding but when I saw them tog out the next day I realised that they had in fact done nothing. Shameful bunch of athletes. Belpark they are not.
Got to the far side where we had to follow Laura’s extremely detailed instructions where she had block booked a pillar outside the arrival gates in Palma Airport for us to meet up otherwise we could have ended up anywhere. At that stage we knew we were in safe hands.
Got to the hotel and settled in for the night with my roomie which was pleasant. It was only after two days of sleeping together that we realised that my walk in wardrobe was actually a spare bedroom. The double bed was very comfortable and the whole dynamic reminded me of a Doris Day movie.
Day One
We all gathered for the team photo in our new gear (Tx Sarah). As you can see Laura block booked another pillar in case we got lost. You can spot Becky is trying to hide her face in case Piranha spot her and we were good to go. First day there was an understanding that we would just open the legs and get in some rolling hills with nobody trying to push the pace.
Everyone got on well and a lunch of coke and baguettes were had. It was at this point that I realised that the kitty was open to complete corruption as each coffee seemed to cost each individual €10. Anyway after lunch the pace increased as people were keen to get back for a swim (go figure). Some of us went for hydration instead.
Couple of pints that night. Everyone in good spirits. Nothing too dramatic to report. Sea is calm. All going well.