I thought I would give you some feedback on the Garmin experience. You remember I was one of the lucky ones having pressed a button on the Garmin web site to go into a draw for a 20 mile ride with the Garmin team.Having been told I was a winner I did not know what to expect. There could have been thousands there with everyone a winner and on the rough end of a sales pitch for the new 800 series. On the other hand who were the other riders? They knew nothing about us, all we had to do was turn up with a bike and helmet. The others might have been the butcher, the baker and candle stickmaker for all I knew.
Imagine my surprise therefore when I arrived at the Headquarters which was a golf course on the edge of the New Forest and there were 2-300 cars, vans, etc with bikes all over the place and serious cyclists everywhere. It was a bit like the start of the L'Etape!
Anyway, it turned out to be a short sportive - an undulating 20 mile loop over the Forest. There were 250 riders and apparently some 1000 had been unlucky. The weather was just perfect, everyone got a Garmin racing vest and bottle on signing in and it was very well organised.
The Garmin team bus was there together with a number of Garmin Team bikes and there were 6 pros who were introduced to us. I do not know many of the Garmin team other than Dave Millar and about five or so others but none of them were there. The guys that were had all won a stage or two in either the TDF or some other classic.
After the ride we were treated to a very nice lunch and drinks were available. There was no sales pitch whatever which really surprised me. Apparently they ran it last year with just 50 riders and it was so successful that they did it again. Hopefully it will become a regular feature. Of the 250 riders many of them were from the trade and invited. Two guys who run the shop I use in Yeovil were there and I guess it was a promotion 'tax loss' event and they let a few of us public in to make up the numbers.
All in all it was a great day out and I will look forward to finding the button to press on the Garmin site next year and hope to be lucky again!
David Hutchins
Here is the link for the route. And another for the pictures.
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Haze (54 oF • 12 oC)
