It's not unusual ...

I forgot to add to my previous post that the day before, along with some friends and my mum, we went horse racing at Sandown Park. The evenings racing was followed by a concert by Tom Jones. The racing went well, although I did not win anything major until the last race, when I won enough to pay for the ticket, and a little extra. Garry won on the last race too, but he was not as extravegant as me, so won about £10 less. Amazing what an extra 50p can get you when you bet on an outsider. Mum unfortunately did not win anything! I did offer to be her bookmaker, but she wanted to use her official one. Tom came on and played about an hour or so. Well for a man in his 70's he can really hold a tune. He was great!

Saturday found me back at Sandown, along with quite a few hundred other people for my final Olympic training. Well I can say that us British know how not to do things, but I am sure it will be alright in end, probably because we are British! We are there for 5 hrs, when I get back I run through it with Sarah in under 5 mins, they need some professional communicators and events people to run it, anyone know any that are any good? It starts off with nearly 1.5 hours of repetition, we go over all we have previously been told/taught, and our online learning we had to do prior to attending. Then we get another 45mins telling us what the events are, when they are, and how any will be participating. Cycling takes about 15 mins, then we cover triathlon and road running and walking. No one around me is involved in those events, so we switch off. After a break, we then get down to the nuts and bolts of what have to do.

This is where the confusion really starts! We are told that if we are in sectors 3-6 then we meet at Hyde Park. This throws all of us, as no one knows what sector we are in, and we all have been told to meet at Sandown. The guy next to has to stay at a hotel, and booked one nearby and is now told he is no where near where he needs to be. The presenter tells us all emails have been very clear, and even begs to differ when told they have not been clear, surely it's us as the receivers who can say if they are clear or not! We all think we are working in the Mall and or Hampton Court, in fact none if us are! I am in the middle of Surrey on the outward leg. So will see the race after about 30 mins, then I am stuck for the next 6 hours untill I can leave. To be clear I am happy to help and be involved, just dissapointed I am not on my expected location. But then so was everyone else in the room. The confusion continues when the presenter reverses his original point about the meeting location he was wrong, and we are all actually meeting at Sandown after all! Finally we get down to the actual role, and as a crossing point marshall, it's not really that hard. As said previously, 5 mins would have been enough. Still they gave us lunch so it's not all bad.

Anyway enough about that, but staying on a cycling theme, this weekend I saw something I never ever thought I would see. The Tour de France winner, respendant in his yellow jersey, leading out the world champion in his rainbow jersey, to win the final stage in Paris. And they are both British. I dont think this will ever happen again, for any country. Well done Brad, Cav and of course the bet supporting team ever led by Vroom Froome. This has been one good thing about my illness, I have been able to watch nearly every live minute broadcast, almost, almost made my year, but it's topped by my results, roll on next week and a different colour yellow.

Almost forgot, off to the technical rehearsal for the Olympic grand opening tonight, pictures to follow soon!!