Cat & Fiddle

The Cat & Fiddle is a pub overlooking the Peak district near Leek. For today, it is a 55 mile 'club' ride beginning in darkest Burslem at Brian Rouke Cycle shop. Allegedly Sean Kelly was riding (and Jonathan Tiernan-Locke had tweeted he too was riding) though there was so many people out for this one, not a chance of spotting them. For myself and Jon, this was to be our final longish training ride before Italy next week.
We left Lincoln about 0545 arriving in a very foggy Burslem at 8 ish meeting up with my old college mate Al whom I'd 'persuaded' to come along and haul his ass around this course.... well, he needed the exercise :-)

 Registration was easy and we headed off pretty much straight away. The first 20 miles was main road out of the urban areas into the main climb. So many traffic lights and roadworks (with traffic lights) to get through- it began to split us up so we had to keep regrouping. By the bottom of the climb, we'd lost Al though I think he had not trained as much as us (that's what happens when you become a dad for the first time- lovely little lad too!). I might also add at this point, ice was forming on us due to the wind chill. Great. As we began to climb, though, we broke through the fog into beautiful clear skies. This really is a reason to cycle. (It turns out we were über lucky with the weather: last year it pi**ed down and the previous year, 40mph winds were blowing cyclist over! gulp!!) The climb across to the Cat & Fiddle was stunning, just stunning. I've not enjoyed such views since last years Swiss ride. It's moments like this that make me so happy and full of life. I had also realised at this point I was riding quite well for me. It's a long gradual climb- no idea what gradient and it goes on for a while- totally suited to me and definitely the way to get up this hill, rather than Mow Cop! At the top, I waited for Jon at a cafe: the Cat & Fiddle was another half mile away. We regrouped and moved on to the Cat, had a drink and energy bar and carried on.

The roads were in great shape and the descent was fast. Lovely!
We descended down into Leek (and more roadworks) A59 - A53 taking us through Dunwood and Norton Green with some short sharp climbs. Staffordshire is full of these short steep sharp climbs- alot of people don't like them as they seem to keep coming and coming.
Arriving back at Rourkey's and signing off, I completed in 3hrs 30m taking out my stop. Jon was another 20 mins, while Al was still 9 miles behind us (I had him tagged on an app on my phone, so we simply 'watched' him come in!)

gerrof yer bike and have a picture taken!

that's better!

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS LESSON No. ONE

HOW NOT TO DO IT

Let's do a little extra piece here... there is a photographer in attendance at this event... Codsall Photographic. You can Google them, easy enough to find. I'm giving them no other publicity than that. They shot from one point on the ride... not the best viewpoint for an image and with THE worst advertising to flog their pictures... it took me AGES to find them. What's the point?! What is the point of shooting all this if you are not advertising where the pictures can be viewed- might as well have stayed in bed mate! 

Well, I now know why they have kept advertising quiet. The prices! WHAT A RIP OFF. Print prices are verging on bad but their digital file download...£16 per image! JESUS! This guy would make more money by dropping this to a fiver per download. At least he'd make a load of sales. It's an event picture, not a fekking wedding!

THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT!

Sportograf who shot the GF Roma charge €5.99 for one download and these are really good photos. Position of photographers is carefully chosen and there's an army of them PLUS if you buy all your images (and there were at least 10 of me) you can have the lot PLUS 45 'impressions' of the whole GF for €19.99. Now that is how to sell event pictures. Let's face it, no one else wants them. Better to sell more cheaply and get return business than price high and sell hardly any.